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Substrates |
| This is what our member has to say: I have been using various types of substrate trying to find the one that is most suited to my ig. I have tried wood chippings ... |
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12-13-2005, 06:31 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Glasgow,Scotland
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Substrates
I have been using various types of substrate trying to find the one that is most suited to my ig. I have tried wood chippings but found that these can be ingested and cause impactation in the gut. At the moment I am using carpet but the humidity levels have dropped through the floor.
What is every one else using? Have thought about trying moss but not sure if the ig would try to eat it.
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12-13-2005, 07:52 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK.
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Substrates good for keeping the humidity include dark wood chippings, moss, vermiculite and eco-earth/soil, but with a lizard I guess you'll have the same impaction worries with all those choices. The safest things to use would be paper or carpet, but as you said you are having problems with keeping the humidity levels right using these mediums. I have no experience with iguanas I'm afraid - for our chameleon we use soil/compost as we have live plants in his enclosure, and for a mesh enclosure the humidity stays quite high quite easily, and we don't have the problem of him ingesting soil since he lives up in the plants most of the time 
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12-13-2005, 07:54 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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Right now all of our iggys are neonates on paper towel. If I get my christmas shopping halfway caught up I will get to Lowes and get them indoor/outdoor carpet. That is what they will spend the rest of their lives on here. 
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January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)
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12-13-2005, 08:47 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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When we made the new iggy cage I went to home depot and got enough indoor/outdoor carpet so that we had enough to have 2 pieces so we can change them. Wash one and have a clean one. Seems to work for us.
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12-13-2005, 09:34 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
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Unfortunately there is NO particulate substrate that is safe for iguanas. Since they tongue flick everything the substrate will end up being ingested.
Vermiculite is fine for use as a medium for incubating eggs but is not safe for use as a substrate for anything. When dry it puts off a dust which is extremely irritating to the lungs. There is even a warning to this effect on the packaging. And if swallowed (and it is very sticky so it will be) it is not digestable.
Most iguana keepers use either a straight linoleum or tile floor or, as I do, tile or lineoleum with sheets of newspaper covering it to ease cleaning.
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12-13-2005, 09:43 AM
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I realised the dangers of particular substrate but what effect will low humidity have? Because I live in the UK we naturally have low humidity and having the central heating on to keep ig warm lowers the humidity even more. I just thought moss might increase humidity as carpet doesn't seem to be doing the job.
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12-13-2005, 09:56 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
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You might consider investing in an ultrasonic humidifier from a drugstore. They are relatively inexpensive. If you do not want to humidify the entire room you can use plastic pipe to make a channel for the vapor to travel through to get to the iguana cage. You probably will want to use an intermittent timer to turn it on and off at certain intervals
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12-13-2005, 10:08 AM
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I already have a zoo med misting system fitted in the enlosure. At the moment it is set to come on for 30 seconds every hour. If I increase this to 45 seconds every hour the tank becomes more like a swimming pool.
HELP!! I'm at my wits end and fear for the health of my ig.
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12-13-2005, 11:02 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2004
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Theres a big difference in a humidifier and a mister.The mister just sprays small droplets of water over everything. It would turn it into a mess!
A humidifier puts out a very fine cloud of vapor that is absorbed into the air instead of just falling on the ground. I can run my humidifier in a room 24/7 and not have a wetness problem.
Its unusual with a solid enclosed cage to have that much trouble keeping the humidity up. Do you have any pics of the cage or can you describe it in detail?
Are you sure your humidity gauge is accurate?
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Merlin,
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12-13-2005, 12:00 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Can't do pictures at the moment sorry! The tank is all wood except on the front which has a pair of glass sliding doors. At the top of the back of the tank there is a strip of plastic with ventilation holes drilled in it.
My humidity gauge is new so I hope it is accurate.
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