Do you know what green iguanas eat, how much one costs on the market, and how to keep one?

The green iguana is a fairly popular pet in the United States and is gradually being introduced into China, but because it is a cold-blooded animal and, unlike other animals, will not be loyal or affectionate toward people, keeping one requires taming it. So what do green iguanas eat to grow? How much does one cost on the market?

The green iguana can be considered a pure vegetarian, living mainly on plant leaves, flowers and fruits. One of the favorite foods of green iguanas in Panama is wild plum blossoms. Although there are many kinds of plants they can eat, when feeding them you should focus on choosing plants with a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 2:1, such as turnip, kale, pumpkin, mango and parsnip, and try to avoid foods with high oxalic acid content.

Feed formula:

In captivity, green iguanas cannot eat the foods they eat in nature at all, so sufficient and correct food must be provided to ensure that green iguanas grow up healthily without getting sick, and when providing food you must pay attention to the variety of the food, so that green iguanas can get balanced nutrition. A common green iguana feed formula is 30-70% solid vegetables, 30-70% leafy vegetables, 15% fruit, and 0-10% grains.

Latest market price:

The price of a green iguana is around 80-500 per animal. The price of a green iguana is usually related to its appearance and size. Generally, those within 50 cm in market price cost around 150 yuan each, and those with a body length of 65 cm cost roughly more than 500 yuan. The price of green iguanas may fluctuate somewhat from place to place, but it will not deviate too far.

Keeping techniques:

1. Terrarium

Usually most people use a fish tank as the terrarium for a green iguana, because it is the easiest to buy and the most readily available. A green iguana terrarium can also be made as an enclosure from an iron cage, and you can also use wood plus a glass window to make a terrarium. If you directly use a fish tank, ventilation will be poor. Using an iron cage is not good for keeping in heat.

2. Ventilation

The issue of ventilation is often overlooked. If the terrarium is made of wire mesh, ventilation is certainly not a problem. Even that kind of glass tank with a glass lid is acceptable, but you cannot use the kind of fully sealed-top glass tank used for keeping fish. If you want to use a tank, it is best to use one with ventilation holes on the side, so that there will be good ventilation.

3. Humidity

The green iguana is a lizard that lives in the high-temperature, high-humidity regions of Central and South America. Higher humidity is beneficial to their green iguana terrarium skin, but maintaining high humidity in an artificial keeping environment is fairly difficult, not only because the equipment for maintaining high humidity is relatively complicated, but also because maintaining hygiene in this high-temperature, high-humidity environment is very difficult. This is because under high temperature and high humidity, and with the action of food, excrement and so on, bacteria are very likely to breed.

4. Substrate

The principle for choosing substrate is that it is easy to clean and dries easily. Many people like to use newspaper as substrate, because it can be thrown away after use. In short, do not use wood chips, sand or other substances that green iguanas can easily swallow by mistake. Substrate references: floor leather + PVC waterproof cloth; floor tiles laid upside down

5. Calcium powder

Calcium powder is the best calcium source for all reptile and amphibian pets. Calcium powders include phosphorus-free types with D3 and without D3. It is recommended to use calcium powder containing D3.