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Facts And Crazy Myths But Iguana's You Need To Know |
By:
Graham Waite |
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Facts and Crazy Myths But Iguana's You Need To Know
by Graham Waite
Some things said about Green Iguana's are complete myths with no real truth behind them whilst others are more realistic.
I had a feeling you might find it helpful if I examined some of the myths and clarified the confusion.People who are thinking of owning or already own a green iguana often have certain misconceptions about them. These myths could interfere with an iguana owners way of taking care of their green iguana. Some of these myths might have no real effect one way or the other. However, some of these myths could be serious to a green iguana's health and well-being. Here are some common myths about green iguanas which you should know about:
1) It's Ok to give your green iguana lettuce- This is a myth although there is an element of fact there. As green igauna's are herbivores they should be feed a diet which primarily consists of vegetables.Whlist this includes lettuce you should bear in mind this offer very little nutritional benefit to your iguana. The reason for this is it consists predominately of water. My advice is to vary your iguana's diet and feed it a diet of mainly leafy green vegetables but also include other vegetables and fruit to keep the diet from becoming boring to your iguana who is used to finding his food in the rainforests.
2) Iguana's grow to fit their cage size- A lot of people believe that keeping an iguana in a smaler cage will stop them growing and becomng harder to manage. This of course true but imagine this how would you feel if you still slept in the crib your mother kept you in as a baby.
What saddens me is that some owners of iguanas think it is acceptable to make the iguana live in a very cramped cage so it does not grow too big and become harder to look after. This is quite cruel and I hope you would never do this to your iguana. If you don't have the finances or room for a larger cage please give your iguana to someone who does.
3)Iguanas must eat gravel to aid their digestion- NO this is not true and in fact a very worrying myth. Some people actually believe they are doing the right thing by putting gravel or small pebbles in their iguana's cage. It is NOT true that pebbles, gravel or any other stones help your iguana's digestion. You risk doing serious HARM of even KILLING your iguana. Make sure iguana cannot at these items at all.
4) Hot rocks are good for heating - I have read on forums and web sites people recommending hot rocks to use in a green iguana enclosure,thinking that these hot rocks will benefit the iguana's body temperature. What you must remember is that green iguanas are cold blooded. This means that if your green iguana lies on a hot rock, it can literally be cooked to death from the heat of the rock. If you want to provide safe heating for a green iguana enclosure, you should use special reptile lighting which you will find sold in good petstores and reptile specialist stores.
5) Iguanas can eat insects, pet food, and other animal products - Many sources today still worringly state that iguanas should be given animal protein as part of their diet. However, the truth is that green iguanas are best suited to an herbivorous diet.
The body and metabolism of a green iguana is designed to utilize plant proteins effectively. Animal proteins, on the other hand, can prove to be very troubling to them and should be avoided. Consumption of animal proteins can cause your green iguana to develop gout and become seriously ill and even die. It can also lead to serious fatal kidney problems. The only reason that iguana's eat insects in the wild is because these get mixed up with their food accidentally for example on a plant when they eat it.
These are just some of the truth's and myth's that you might have been told about green iguanas. By knowing the right answers to these myths, and understanding the truth you are now hopefuly fully prepared to give the best possible care and attention to your green iguana to enure it has a healthy and long life.
If you are wondering about buying a green iguana and want to know all the details first why not visit the latest iguana information website packed full of every thing iguana for iguana owners. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article54365.html |
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