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About
Melissa Kaplan
by Melissa Kaplan
Advance
Care Directives
Chronic
Neuroimmune Diseases
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Blogs:
Lizards-in-Scarves
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The Blue
Iguana Recovery Fund helps fund ongoing conservation efforts in breeding-for-release,
community education, and habitat conservation programs in the Cayman Islands for
the endangered Cyclura lewisi. Help support their work by making direct
donations, or buy one of their new King
Blue Bobbleheads! Also,
check out a day
in the life of a volunteer at the BIR facility doing noosing, measuring, behavior
observations and more. |
|
The Advanced IguanaMail list
was disappeared by Yahoo Groups in late June 2006. The moderators have created
a new list to replace it, AdvancedIguanaCare
(AIC). As with the old AIML, the AIC is for advanced health care discussions
beyond those covered in the more basic IguanaMail
List (IML). Both lists require members to have already done their reading
on iguana care, health and behavior, such as my ICFS
article and articles here in my Green Iguana page and in the Captivity
Issues, Health, and Behavior
pages, before posting questions. | Introduction
If you are looking for a simple, quick, all-inclusive article on green iguana
care on one page or less, you won't find it here. You
won't find it anywhere because there is no such thing, not if your intent is to
take care of your iguana properly.
My Iguana Care, Feeding, and Socialization (ICFS)
article provides the basics on iguanas, where they come from, how they act, and
how to get them set up and started eating right. It also goes into the first steps
involved with taming and socializing, and why all new igs, regardless of age,
need to see your reptile vet...and why just any vet won't do. The
other articles here in my Iguana Care Collection expand and build on the
ICFS information. You will also find many articles in my Herp
Care Collection that apply to green iguanas, especially in the areas of
behavior, health, conservation, and captivity-related and human health issues. There
is a lot to read, to learn, and to absorb. Iguanas are not for everyone. They
are, sadly, not for the too many people who get them only to turn around and dump
them because they were completely unprepared for what iguana keeping involves.
If you aren't up
to all the reading that needs to be done to learn to care for iguanas properly,
then iguanas aren't for you. If you are not ready to accomodate all the intrustions
keeping an iguana will make into your life (and finances), then iguanas aren't
for you. Still
reading? Good. You will find that I am a strong believer in people learning whether
or not a particular type and species of reptile is the right choice for them before
they actually get the reptile. Iguanas
are difficult, frustrating, complicated, complex--and potentially dangerous. If
you aren't starting to feel like perhaps you've made the wrong choice when considering
keeping an iguana, then you haven't been paying attention! Seriously,
though: do the reading. You can join the IML and talk to people before
you get an iguana. If you do all that, and still feel an iguana is right for you--rather,
that you are right for an iguana--then you both will have a much better
chance at a long, healthy, successful relationship. Make
yourself comfortable, now...you've only just begun! |
Page Index
Before you get an iguana Basic
Care Information, Online & Off Iguana Basics
Behavior Breeding & Reproduction
Captive Environment Care & Maintenance
Diet: Food, Feeding & Supplementation Growth
& Development Health Keeper-Iguana
Issues Natural History & Conservation
One Page Caresheets More Items of Interest
Reprint Rights & Permission Before
you get an iguana...
Iguanas are still the #1 dumped reptile in the US and, increasingly, around the
world. If, after reading about what it takes to are for an iguana properly, you
realize that you can't provide all that is required, that's okay--so long as you
don't get an iguana!. It may not be the right time in your life for the commitment
a green iguana demands. There may be another reptile, or another kind of pet,
that will be a better match for you. While keeping any animal as a pet requires
a certain amount of learning and long term commitment, green and other types of
iguanas demand more than most other species. Context
If you haven't been involved in reptile rescue, you most likely will not understand
why I am so dogmatic you on about finding out whether an iguana is the right choice
for you--or not. To help you understand where I and other rescuers and herp educators
are coming from, please read the following: So,
you think you want a reptile? How To Kill An
Iguana The Grim Reality: Unwanted
reptiles College Students Speaks Out About Iguana
Ownership Basic
Care Information Online
Melissa Kaplan's Iguana Care Feeding & Socialization
Adam Britton's Wong's
Green Heaven Jennifer Swofford's Iguana
Manual Books
In Print Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa
Kaplan Green Iguana: The Ultimate Iguana Owner's Manual
byJim Hatfield III Green Iguana Bibliography and
Suggested Reading Videos
Video: Captive Care of the Green Iguana (Britton &
Kaplan) Iguana Videos Review If,
after all your reading, you still decide to get a green iguana
Adopt one from a herp society or rescue
Wild-Caught vs. Farmed vs. Captive-Bred Iguanas
Picking A Healthy Iguana Iguana
Basics Diagram of Green Iguana Mouth
Green Iguana Anatomy Resources Iguana
Teeth Reptile Vision Rostral
Horns Skin Color Sneezing
Journal Abstracts: Visual And Chemical Reception: Iguana
iguana Behavior
(see also Herp Behavior) Change-Related
Stress Female Iguanas -- Are They More Difficult
to Tame? Head Bobbing Introducing
& Housing Multiple Iguanas: Issues and Concerns Interpreting
Non-Breeding Iguana Behaviors Journal Abstracts:
Circadian Rhythm and Thermoregulation in Reptiles Lizard
Tough Guys Lizards Have Personalites Too,
Study Finds Moving, Vacation and Boarding
Stress in Green Iguanas Size Doesn't Matter
Sunlight and Aggressive Behavior Vacations
and Your Reptiles Hormone
Issues Hormone
Abnormalities as a Factor in Male Green Iguana Aggression Testosterone,
Aggression and Green Iguanas Testosterone Rules Breeding
and Reproduction Further Thoughts On
Spaying and Neutering... Glossary
of Reptile Reproduction Terms Iguana Breeding
Season Basics Iguana Femoral Pores
Iguana Ovaries and Testes Sexing
Iguanas Females
Dystocia (Egg-binding) Egging
and Incubation Reproductive
Disorders of the Female Reptile To Spay or Not To
Spay The Use of Hormone Antagonists to
Inhibit Reproduction in the Lizard, Eublepharis macularius Males
Dealing with Iguana Breeding Aggression
Hemipenes LuvSocks
for Male Green Iguanas Male Iguanas in Season and
Human Females Neutering Green Iguanas Seminal
Plugs/Secretions Tough Love, or Attigtude
Adjustment Practical,
Moral, and Ethical Issues Related To Reproduction Captive
Bred Iguanids Fecal Innoculation
The Grim Reality Akira
Yamanouchi's Iguana Page Captive
Environment (see also Herp Captivity)
Basic Iguana Cage Design Problems Indoor
and Outdoor Enclosure Designs (Caging) Finding
Lost Iguanas Housing Multiple Iguanas: Issues
and Concerns Iguanas and Other Family Pets
Reptile Enclosures: Size, Dimension, and Lifestyle
Setting Up Free-Roaming Iguanas Why You Should
Not Leave Your Iguana Unsecured Outside Care
and Maintenance (see also Herp Clean/Disinfect)
Bathing and Swimming: Not Just A Bathroom Activity
Claw Trimming - Britton Claw
Trimming - Kaplan Reptile Skin Shedding
Treating Ripped-out Claws Diet:
Food, Feeding, and Supplementation The articles and resources
below expand on the information in the ICFS article.
Adaptations to Herbivory in Iguanine Lizards
Additional Notes On Herbivory In Iguana iguana Alfalfa:
Nutritional Contribution in the "MK Salad" Alfalfa
and Bean Sprouts Animal Protein - Britton
Animal Protein - Kaplan Calcium
Oxalate Content of Common Iguana Foods Commercial
Foods/Diets Green Iguana Diet: Not just
a matter of calcium:phosphorous ratios "MK
Salad": A Quick Recipe "MK Salad
" - Nutrition Analysis "MK Salad"
- An Illustrated Reference Overfeeding Iguanas
Overview of Digestion in Green Iguanas and Other
Herbivorous Lizard Species Nutrient
Composition Tables Picky Eaters: How not to
let yourself be trained by your iguana Thiamine
Supplementation Vegetable and
Fruit Names Vitamin Supplementation
What Did Swanson Really Say? What
Size Should the Salad Pieces Be? You
Say Yuca, I Say Yucca... Iguana Food For People
(yes, you can eat those greens, too...) Growth
and Development Determining Iguana Age and
Sizes What Is Intelligence? Health
(see also Herp Health) If your
herp is bleeding, paralyzed, or has abnormal swellings on any part of its body,
or has bone fragments poking through its skin (or its shell is cracked), do not
post a message or send an email: get your pet to a herp vet right away. Black
Spots on Skin Blackening Skin/Blackening
Skin Syndrome/Vesicular Dermatitis Calcium Metabolism
and Metabolic Bone Disease Characterization
of the Renal-Portal System Clinical Pathology
in Green Iguanas and Other Herps Clinician's
Approach to Kidney Disease in Lizards Cloacal
and Hemipenal Prolapse Constipation
and Diarrhea in Iguanas Coprophagy (Feces Eating)
Crusty Deposits Around Mouth Dry
Gangrene of Tail and Toes Effects of Hemolysis
on Plasma Electrolyte, Chemistry Values Emaciation
(Starvation) Protocol Fecal Innoculation
Feces and Urates Fluids
and Fluid Therapy in Reptiles How can
you tell if a nonresponsive reptile is alive? Hypercalcemia
Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia in Reptiles
Hypothermia in Iguanas and Other Reptiles Hypothyroidism
in Green Iguanas Idiosyncrasies of Vitamin D
Metabolism in the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) Iguanid
Herpesvirus (IgHV-1) Kidney Failure (and
Iguana Kidney Disease: Personal Perspective)
Metabolic Bone Disease: Identification and Treatment
Myoclonic and Other Spasms in Iguanas Pros
and Cons of Prolonged Probiotic Use In Iguanas Plasma
concentration of ionized calcium in healthy iguanas Reptile
Mites Paralysis Signs
of Illness & Stress Tail Breaks and Drops
Tail, Limb and Digit Autotomy Tetany
in Reptiles
Ulcerative Stomatitis ("Mouth Rot")
Keeper-Iguana
Issues Allergy To Iguanas
Dealing with Iguana Bites Iguana
Bites Dog Iguanas: They're ornery, exotic - and
often a real pain Lizards do really learn
to recognize people Moving Your Iguana Moving
and Shipping Reptiles Pheromones in Humans:
Myth or Reality? Playing With Your Iguana
Zoonoses Iguana
Natural History and Conservation (See also Conservation
and Herpetology) Classification
of Green Iguanas Diet of a Generalized Folivore,
Iguana iguana, in Panama Green Iguana:
Conservation and Consumption Green Iguana Dewlaps
Iguana Salad For Humans Iguana:
Survival of the Tastiest Iguana
Park: Pro Iguana Verde Foundation Kidnapping
males could save species Plants Consumed by
Iguanas in the Wild Raise and Eat Your Own Iguanas
Why Call Them "Giant Green Iguanas"? Optimal
Foraging of a Herbivorous Lizard, the Green Iguana in a Seasonal Environment
The
Ecological Consequences Of Habitat And Microhabitat Use In Lizards: A Review
More
Information of Interest Alfalfa Sprouts:
Health Food or Health Risk? Alfalfa Sprout
Safety: FDA Warns High-Risk Groups: Don't Eat Sprouts Are
Sprouts Safe To Eat? The Amazin' Shrinkin'
Iguanas of the Galapágos Calculating
the Cost of Electricity Carnival
Iguanas Easter Igs Enclosure
Materials Suppliers Herp Care
Products Translations and Equivalencies Iguanas
Bite The Hands That Feed Them Iguana
Sitters List Imagine: A Visualization Exercise
National Animal Poison Control Center
Pet Travel Agents Book Any Beast
Reptile Give-Aways at Fairs
Reptile First Aid/Wound Management
HerpNutrition's Quantum Series Food Mixes
The Facts About Alfalfa: Anatomy of a Non-Controversy The
Iguana Diet "Wars": What if they started a war and nobody came?
UV-lamps for terrariums: Their
spectral characteristics and efficiency in promoting vitamin D3 synthesis by UVB
irradiation One-Page
Iguana Care Handout Giant Green
Iguana Information & Care (PDF) Poll
How Long Does It Take To Tame A Green Iguana? (Survey
and Results) Rights
& Permissions I
reserve all rights to my work.
Due to my life having to revolve around the
limitations of ongoing illness, it is extremely difficult for me to do what I
need to for myself and for my reptiles on a daily basis. If you have questions,
please consider joining the
Iguanas Mailing List (IML)
where you will find many knowledgeable, helpful people who have been through what
you are going through with their own iguanas. |