Tips For Caring For Your Pet Iguana's Skin
Posted on: 10 August 2015
Green iguanas are not a simple or easy pet to care for. While iguanas are very intelligent reptiles, they are considered to be a non-domesticated animal and are prone to act on instinct, meaning that they can sometimes bite and inflict injury on their caregivers. In addition, green iguanas require a lot of specialty care to keep them healthy. One major area of concern for all iguanas is the health and proper shedding of their skin. Here are some tips to keep your iguana's skin healthy and shedding properly:
Tip: Keep the Humidity High in Your Green Iguana's Habitat
Since green iguanas are native to the rainforest, they need a high level of heat and humidity to keep them healthy. The humidity in their habitats helps to keep their nasal passages clean and free of salt buildup. It also helps keep the iguana shedding their skin. While snakes and other reptiles shed their entire skin at one time, iguanas shed their skin in patches. And a healthy iguana is nearly always shedding old skin, as their bodies are growing new skin to replace it.
The Green Iguana Society suggests you keep your iguana's house between 65% and 75% in humidity. You can accomplish this by leaving bowls of water in the habitat to evaporate. You should also use a mister or humidifier to raise the humidity level.
Tip: Regularly Bathe Your Green Iguana
Green iguanas naturally pass their waste products in water when they are living in the wild. For this reason, you should provide your iguana a pool or bathtub where they can get into the water for a daily waste passing session.
After your iguana has passed their waste products, you should refill the tub or pool so that they can soak in the warm water. Soaking in water helps to moisturize and loosen any skin that needs to shed.
Tip: Moisturize Your Green Iguana's Skin
Finally, since it is not always possible or practical to bathe your iguana and provide them extreme humidity, you should apply some mineral oil to their bodies during their shed times. You can apply the mineral oil using a cloth if your iguana is used to being handled. If they are more skittish, then you should use an old toothbrush to brush the mineral oil on their spines, around their toes, and on their tail where shedding problems typically exist. The mineral oil seeps into their skin and helps it to more easily shed off.
For more information, contact Armory Dog & Cat Hospital or a similar location.
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