A Day in the Life:
THE GREEN IGUANA or Iguana iguana is a diurnal (active during
daylight hours) lizard that lives in a tropical rainforest climate and habitat.
Iguanas are found in Central and South America and in countries as far away
as Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Daily life consists of finding a sunny spot
to bask in, eating, and avoiding predators.
A young iguana is a bright green color which helps to camouflage
it's body within the bright green leaves of the lower canopy of the rainforest.
Quick movements and excellent eyesight help the young iguana avoid capture.
As the iguana grows and matures, it loses it's bright green color and becomes
a more muted green.
The larger iguana prefers a different habitat...the higher, less
dense, less humid environs of the upper canopy. Being ectothermic or often
referred to as "cold-blooded", the iguana (an ectopoikilotherm)
must heat it's body to a high temperature daily. In the morning, the iguana
ventures into the sunlight to take in the sun's warmth.
Besides heat, the sun also provides valuable UV rays which help the
iguana sythesize Vitamin D3 and absorb other essential nutrients from it's
mostly vegetarian diet. Remember that Vitamin D3, which is critical in maintaining
proper growth and health, is very hard to supplement in powdered form. The
results of over-supplementing Vitamin D3 are disastrous to the health of
an iguana...but...when you put an iguana in the sun, that Vitamin D is properly
synthesized and utilized to it's full benefit.
The sun provides the iguana with another important service. The heat
from the sun activates bacteria in the iguana's hind gut and the bacteria
begins to consume the fiberous vegetable matter, thereby helping the iguana
digest it's previously eaten meal. Once heated, the iguana can move more
quickly and spends a good part of the rest of the day foraging for leaves,
tender shoots, and fruit. Later in the day, the iguana will bask again and
perhaps go for a quick swim in a nearby river, before returning to it's
protected resting spot high in the trees.
As iguana owners, it is our responsibilty to try and recreate the rainforest
environment for our pets. We took them out of that humid, tropical place
and put them in an artificial environment. When you design the home for
your pet, make it as close to nature as possible and make sure that your
iguana gets plenty of time in the REAL sun! Read this site THOROUGHLY and
especially read the REQUIREMENTS list.
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Previous Articles in IGUANA IGUANA
Go to Tips and Tricks
Go to Questions and Answers
Go to Make Your Iguana A Rainforest
Go to Games and Puzzles
Best and Worst
Iguana Hall of Fame
Favorite Ig Names
Iguana Nutrition
A Day in the Life of an Iguana
A subscription to IGUANA IGUANA is $18.00 a year for 12 issues. To get a
printed sample issue of IGUANA IGUANA Newsletter, SEND $1.00 to: IGUANA
IGUANA, 23852 Pacific Coast Hwy. Ste.123, Malibu, CA 90265 with your snail
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Make checks payable to: Windemere Designs
(Current Month's Issue or Specific Issues - $2.00)
The latest printed issues ofIGUANA IGUANA 
Newsletter
contain the following articles:
June - From Monster to Mouse and Back Again, Living with a (part-time) Mini-Monster, From the Mail BAg - What I Go Through Living with a Crazed Male Iguana (with photo essay), Nails are for Clipping, Spotlight on Vegetables - The Rutabaga, Ask Dr. Spike - When is it too hot for my iguana to be outside?, Keep Cool!
July - Taking a Bite Out of Summer, Reviewing Your Iguana's Health, A Pool for Your Outdoor Enclosure, Adding Humidity to the Outdoor Enclosure - A Mist System on a Times, An Iguana Picnic, Ask Dr. Spike - Why does my iguana eat dirt?, Happy Summer!
August - Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?, Breeding Season, Castration - Surgery and Chemical, The Presto Salad Shooter for easy meals, Ask Dr. Spike - My male iguana turns orange. What does that mean?
September - Dehydration - Dying of Thirst, Organ Damage Caused By Dehydration, Dehydration - Observable and Clinical Signs, Signs of Viseral Gout, Summer Fruit, Conversion Chart, End of Summer Iguana Salad, Lizards Living Large in Florida, Humidity in the Enclosure, Ask Dr. Spike - My iguana eats his feces - Ugh!, Happy End of Summer!
October - Skeletons in the Closet - Building a Closet Enclosure, Electrical Work in the Clsoet, The Third Eye, FallBack - Change your timers, Ask Dr. Spike - there are strange things in my iguana's poop!, Lots of Halloween Iguana Hats, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! and Happy Iguana Halloween!
November - Many Reasons for Giving Thanks, The Proper Way to Hand-Feed An Iguana that isn't Eating, Preparing the Blended Food, From the Mailbox - I Lost My Iguana in the House!, Autumn Torte Recipe and Fig Dessert for You and Your Iguana's Thanksgiving Dinner, Happy Thanksgiving!
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send $2.00 with your name and address to: IGUANA IGUANA, 23852 P.C.H., Suite
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Make check payable to:
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Random sample issues - $1.00
Current Issues - $2.00
A subscription to IGUANA IGUANA is $18.00 a year for 12 issues.
