Iguana advice needed.

[Rattie Virginia]

Gah! scream My iguana is making me want to scream! I don't know what the problem is in his little reptile brain but he keeps launching himself off his shelf onto the floor for some reason! Multiple times a day, day after day! He just keeps coming crashing down. It's not like he's going somewhere; he just sits there when he lands. He's healthy. He just got a vet check-up a couple weeks ago and everything cleared out. He's got UV lights and a heat lamp. He's been in this cage for years without any problem. He seems really restless (knocking over his food dish and stuff), but he isn't in breeding colors and this isn't part of normal breeding behavior for him at all anyways. I've had him for about 4 years, and this behavior has only started up in the last month. It's extra annoying because he keeps knocking his water dish down and soaking the cage every time. Anyone have any ideas what his problem might be?

I couldn't find an active reptile guild to ask in, and this guild seemed like a better place to ask than the GD.  

[Radioactive Condoms]

It sounds like breeding season to me, they don't necessarily have to have the colors to be in breeding season. My male has never jumped off of his shelf before, but he has gone through the water spilling stage. Sometimes males will display breeding behavior that they never have before for no apparent reason at all, even if they're in perfect health.

But, just to rule out anything else a couple of questions will help.

What size is his cage?
What are his temps/humidity?
What substrate are you using?
How old is his UVB light(after six months they stop putting out UVB rays) and what type?
What do you feed him?
Do you use calcium/vitamins? What kinds?

JoAnne  

[Rattie Virginia]

His cage is approximately 7ft tall x 7ft deep x 4ft wide. He eats a mixture of Exo-terra and greens (he especially likes arugula). It's a 60 watt heat lamp, and we keep the apartment thermostat at 75 degrees. The UV bulbs are new ones. We're actually trying a mixture of two different companies this time, for the heck of it. One bulb is by Exo-terra and the other is by Zoo Med. Both at 10&#xUV;B, 30&#xUV;A. The levels within his cage are wood, but he loves soft stuff so a good chunk of his main shelf is padded with baby blankets. The others are covered with normal reptile turf.
Humidity is something we always battle since the apartment complex won't let us keep him outside on the porch and the cage isn't glass. Best I can do is let him soak in a tub on a regular basis. confused Since he's been coming down anyways, I've been letting him soak every day lately.  

[Foofy_Miru]

None of this has to do with your question, and I don't know a lot about iguanas, but these are some observations

You should have a digital thermometer with its probe attached to the basking spot to measure temperatures... Or, even better, a temp gun to measure the basking spot, as well as the ig when he's been under it for a while--so you KNOW how warm he's getting. It's vital to keeping reptiles... There are too many variables for you to say "The room temp is usually this, and the bulb's wattage is this" and assume everything is fine just going by that. For all we know, he's too cold or too hot. (I'd put my money on too cold--60 watts seems really, really low for what an Ig needs, especially if you're talking about a plain household bulb.)

Moving on... Next time your UVB bulbs are up for replacement, spring for a Mercury vapor bulb. Megaray seems to be the most highly recommended, with T-Rex Active UVHeat placing a close second. The fluorescent lights (what you're using) don't even compare in quality... This webpage lists the measured UVB output of several UVB lights, including MegaRay, T-Rex, and several common fluorescents, as well as UVB measurements taken in the field, in various locations of the USA.

MVB bulbs are extremely superior to the regular fluorescents. They put out much, much more UVB, they put out heat (eliminating the need for a separate basking lamp), and they last twice as long as the fluorescents, with recommended replacement being at 8-12 months as opposed to every 6 months. A 100 or 160 watt would probably work great for your Ig, but don't forget to use that digital thermometer--it's especially important when you're trying to get wattages right.

By the way, those coil bulbs have a reputation of causing eye problems in reptiles. I've heard and read personal accounts of it in relation to bearded dragons and tortoises (keeping in mind these are the only UVB-dependent animals I read about regularly). With these bulbs having such a detrimental effect on such high desert species as beardies, I'd say it's safe to assume they'd affect all reptiles in much the same way... Certainly a better item for the garbage than for your Iguana cage.

Hope this information is of some help to you! Good luck figuring out his weirdness. I'm sure we'd all love to see pics of him, too!

Aah. It's so refreshing to see Iguana owners who actually care about taking care of their igs the "right" way!! mrgreen  

[Rattie Virginia]

Thank you so much for the info, Foofy! I had never heard about the potential eye damage! Now that I think about it, it makes sense (you always hear cautions about people's eye exposure to UV), but somehow I had never heard it being discussed for reptiles. That's especially helpful to know about using mercury bulbs. That was a really great link! We've talked about getting a temp gun several times before but monetarily always had to write it off as an "extra". HOWEVER, my husband finally got a better job a few weeks ago. So this thread is actually good timing for reminding me that we should get one. Thanks! The heat lamp is one of those red, reptile "night" lights. I got a few of them for free awhile back and didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.  

[Radioactive Condoms]

I don't know if the case is the same for the zoomed bulb, but I've heard multiple people say that the red bulbs are bad for herps. Supposedly it bothers them at night? Again, I'm not positive about this so don't quote me on anything, but you might want to switch to a different bulb just in case and see how that works out.

JoAnne  

[PythonHandler]

Foofy_Miru

None of this has to do with your question, and I don't know a lot about iguanas, but these are some observations

You should have a digital thermometer with its probe attached to the basking spot to measure temperatures... Or, even better, a temp gun to measure the basking spot, as well as the ig when he's been under it for a while--so you KNOW how warm he's getting. It's vital to keeping reptiles... There are too many variables for you to say "The room temp is usually this, and the bulb's wattage is this" and assume everything is fine just going by that. For all we know, he's too cold or too hot. (I'd put my money on too cold--60 watts seems really, really low for what an Ig needs, especially if you're talking about a plain household bulb.)

Moving on... Next time your UVB bulbs are up for replacement, spring for a Mercury vapor bulb. Megaray seems to be the most highly recommended, with T-Rex Active UVHeat placing a close second. The fluorescent lights (what you're using) don't even compare in quality... This webpage lists the measured UVB output of several UVB lights, including MegaRay, T-Rex, and several common fluorescents, as well as UVB measurements taken in the field, in various locations of the USA.

MVB bulbs are extremely superior to the regular fluorescents. They put out much, much more UVB, they put out heat (eliminating the need for a separate basking lamp), and they last twice as long as the fluorescents, with recommended replacement being at 8-12 months as opposed to every 6 months. A 100 or 160 watt would probably work great for your Ig, but don't forget to use that digital thermometer--it's especially important when you're trying to get wattages right.

By the way, those coil bulbs have a reputation of causing eye problems in reptiles. I've heard and read personal accounts of it in relation to bearded dragons and tortoises (keeping in mind these are the only UVB-dependent animals I read about regularly). With these bulbs having such a detrimental effect on such high desert species as beardies, I'd say it's safe to assume they'd affect all reptiles in much the same way... Certainly a better item for the garbage than for your Iguana cage.

Hope this information is of some help to you! Good luck figuring out his weirdness. I'm sure we'd all love to see pics of him, too!

Aah. It's so refreshing to see Iguana owners who actually care about taking care of their igs the "right" way!! mrgreen

I second this motion, even though I also know very little about them. I even suggest two thermostats instead of one; one to check the hot spot under the lamp, and one for ambient temperature to know what it's like when he's in the cooler areas.
Then again, snakes are my thing, not iguana's...so maybe it's a little much, but it can't hurt. wink
A temp gun, as Foofy said, would measure both. You can check multiple times a day and see if the temp of your house could be affecting how warm/cold he is. I know my heaters have less work in winter since we have the heat on in the house.  

[Rattie Virginia]

Finally a day where he didn't come crashing down! smile Yeay!
I'm actually starting to suspect it might be something he's seeing out the window. That and that JoAnne might be right that he's still lingering a little in breeding mode despite it tapering off so much since December when he was in full fledged "I'm a manly man" testosterone mode. whee

Radioactive Condoms

I don't know if the case is the same for the zoomed bulb, but I've heard multiple people say that the red bulbs are bad for herps. Supposedly it bothers them at night? Again, I'm not positive about this so don't quote me on anything, but you might want to switch to a different bulb just in case and see how that works out.

JoAnne

I think I've heard that somewhere before about the red lights, too. 3nodding Since the apartment isn't drafty and since I've lived in the tropics before and can say that 75 degrees would be a perfectly natural nighttime temperature in the rainforest, I turn even his heat lamp off at night. That way he can sleep in darkness. Except for the few times we have a cold snap, of course, and then I keep it on 24 hours just in case any cold seeps in from outside the apartment through the walls. But normally it's off for about 6 hours each night. Even if I had ceramic heaters, I'd do it. I just think it's more natural for him to have a temperature change after the sun goes down. He almost always crawls away from the heat lamp and goes to sleep in a room temp corner of his cage hours before the heat lamp goes off anyways.

RianeBP

I second this motion, even though I also know very little about them. I even suggest two thermostats instead of one; one to check the hot spot under the lamp, and one for ambient temperature to know what it's like when he's in the cooler areas.
Then again, snakes are my thing, not iguana's...so maybe it's a little much, but it can't hurt. wink
A temp gun, as Foofy said, would measure both. You can check multiple times a day and see if the temp of your house could be affecting how warm/cold he is. I know my heaters have less work in winter since we have the heat on in the house.

I live in southern Florida. It rarely gets cold enough for the thermostat to turn on the heater. It's a one bedroom apartment (only about 900 square feet total) and it has central air. So the difference in ambient temp only varies by a degree or two throughout the apartment. But I'll let you guys know what the temp differences are once we get the temp gun. 3nodding  

[Foofy_Miru]

Where are you looking at temp guns? They aren't very expensive at all. You can get a PE-1 temp gun from ProExotics for $30. This is the model I have and it does a GREAT job. I've had mine for a year and it's still going strong--not to mention, it's more than paid itself off in that year.

I don't think it's so much the UV output that causes the damage. If that were the case, UVB-dependent reptiles would have to bask with their eyes shut. I've heard it said it has something to do with the shape of the bulb--a highly concentrated beam of UVB is shot out of the very tip of the bulb... So, a bit along the lines of what you suggested. Regardless of the cause, the effects are blatant and harmful enough to avoid coil bulbs altogether.

I've never heard of the red bulbs being harmful to reptiles in any way. IMO, though, a basking light should imitate the sun as close as possible, in the sense that it should be a bright, clear light that is visible to the reptile.. (Red lights are supposedly emitted in a wavelength that is not visible to a reptile's eyes.)  

[Shanna66]

i think its thatsome reptiles can see red light so the light shouldnt be on all nigh because it will mess with their sleep schedule. im pretty sure they arent harmfull as in they will hurt the animal. i use them with my leos in the winter at night since they cant see red  

[Rattie Virginia]

Foofy_Miru

Where are you looking at temp guns? They aren't very expensive at all. You can get a PE-1 temp gun from ProExotics for $30. This is the model I have and it does a GREAT job. I've had mine for a year and it's still going strong--not to mention, it's more than paid itself off in that year.

Really? The ones we've seen in person through the years have been closer to $100. The last time we discussed getting one it was at either a RadioShack or a Lowes Hardware. Can't remember which place it was.

Foofy_Miru

I don't think it's so much the UV output that causes the damage. If that were the case, UVB-dependent reptiles would have to bask with their eyes shut. I've heard it said it has something to do with the shape of the bulb--a highly concentrated beam of UVB is shot out of the very tip of the bulb... So, a bit along the lines of what you suggested. Regardless of the cause, the effects are blatant and harmful enough to avoid coil bulbs altogether.

So then the ZooMed one should be safe since the only difference is that it isn't shaped like a coil?

Shanna66

i think its thatsome reptiles can see red light so the light shouldnt be on all nigh because it will mess with their sleep schedule.

3nodding Yes, that's what I heard.  

[Foofy_Miru]

Rattie Virginia

Really? The ones we've seen in person through the years have been closer to $100. The last time we discussed getting one it was at either a RadioShack or a Lowes Hardware. Can't remember which place it was.

So then the ZooMed one should be safe since the only difference is that it isn't shaped like a coil?

The PE-1 is the most simplistic temp gun you can get, but it certainly does get the job done--and, yeah, for "just" $30. =)

I'd think so. I haven't heard of them causing problems. As well, the classic linear fluorescents are safe, with the only significant difference between them and the coil bulbs being shape... -shrug-  

[Rattie Virginia]

Foofy_Miru

Rattie Virginia

Really? The ones we've seen in person through the years have been closer to $100. The last time we discussed getting one it was at either a RadioShack or a Lowes Hardware. Can't remember which place it was.

So then the ZooMed one should be safe since the only difference is that it isn't shaped like a coil?

The PE-1 is the most simplistic temp gun you can get, but it certainly does get the job done--and, yeah, for "just" $30. =)

I'd think so. I haven't heard of them causing problems. As well, the classic linear fluorescents are safe, with the only significant difference between them and the coil bulbs being shape... -shrug-

Thank you for using the quotation marks. I was starting to feel really bothered about being judged over private, monetary decisions.  

[Rattie Virginia]

I think it's the rival male who lives across the canal taunting him. Today before each one of his very ungraceful descents, he is very clearly focusing on something out the window. Today he's extremely alert about something out there (I just don't see what) and has taken the leap about 7 times. And on Friday when he came down he actually went somewhere for once; he walked very purposefully out of his cage and immediately tried to get out through the sliding glass doors. It was way too chilly for me to let him outside to see what he would do. I'm also thinking it's something he's seeing because Saturday, the one day he hasn't come down, it was raining hard all day long. If he's reacting to another iguana then that would explain why he's not taking the time to calmly crawl down to the floor and is instead taking the "I must get down there NOW" approach. Unfortunately, I can't see another iguana out there, even with binoculars (the poor old people in that retirement community probably think I'm spying on them! xd ). When we first moved in we (or, more accurately, he) discovered there's a feral female on this same property, and he's not head bobbing or anything, so it could be her he's looking at. But I haven't seen her in at least a year and she always stayed on the far end of the apartment complex anyways, so I'm thinking the ever present rival is who's causing the upset. I just wish I could confirm that by spotting him! The darn thing always hides in the bushes really well (smart iguana).

It's been too chilly for me to think he'd enjoy a walk outside, but it's not cold out there, it's just in the mid-60's, so if he keeps this up I might just break down and take him outside for awhile and see if that cures the problem. Probably won't, but you know, maybe he just wants to go outside. sad  

[Radioactive Condoms]

Wow, wild iguanas! If you don't mind me asking, where are you at? I'm in Central Florida(orlando) but there's nothing more than anoles and the occasional black racer or water snake.

But, getting back to your topic, if there is a rival male or a feral female somewhere close by, I'm almost positive that's what's causing your problems. My male has only been around another male once in his life for about 2 minutes back when I worked at a pet store, and even though the male was about 3 times his size Diamond still tried to attack him. It scared the crap out of me but I'm just glad there was a cage between them. He didn't eat for 3 days after that though.