aquatic cage

[brownsfan222]

my 16" iguana loves to swim in my bathtub and i was wondering if i could fill up about 3" of the bottom of his cage with water for swimming whenever he wants. I like the idea that www.jworlds.com has. look at it; great pics

	Iguana Iguana

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[brownsfan222]

can anybody please help i am trying to complete the cage set-up a.s.a.p.

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[NicoleRussell]

3 " or 3 '?
JJ worlds is a great showpiece--I looked into one a while back when I wanted a wd cage.
Whatever you decide--make sure the filtration is GREAT and the swimming area is large enough to support an adult.

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[Alika]

That would be really cool, but I'd be too chicken to do it. Iguanas are great swimmers, but if anything happened and they got hurt and ended up in the water or couldn't find a way out, they could drown. Technically, they could still drown with the recommended bathing pool, but having mostly dry ground and a pool evens out your chances a little better. My ig takes a bath every morning. Several times a week, I give him an additional evening bath with water deep enough to really swim in, which he enjoys... especially when he's shedding.

If you do decide to fill the bottom with water, I wouldn't fill it any deeper than your ig's chest... JMO, I wouldn't let them really swim without supervision. They're not semi aquatic, but a fully arboreal lizard that just happens to enjoy a good dip once in awhile.

Also, get a good filtration system because he will probably use it mostly to poop in (as mentioned above) and you'll want to devise some way to keep the water heated to 75-80F so he can't get in the water, get too cold, then drown that way.

[brownsfan222]

if i do that i will get a turtle canister filter but i wont do it unless i have a 29 gallon because it is 18" high instead of just 12. but i thought it sounded like a good idea because my iguana is obsessed with swimming he has stayed in his little pool in his cage for a whole day just swimming around he is really good at swimming i love it.

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[brownsfan222]

i want to fill the bottom of a 29 gallon up 6" and put a turtle canister filter in it, then i want to put a under tank heat on both sides and make an extenstion top to make the cage about 20 inches higher out of wood

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[brownsfan222]

nicole did u end up buying a jworld cage

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[TheOtherAndy]

Here are some things to think about:

In the wild, a green ig will take to the water (from the trees they spend nearly their entire lives in) mainly as a way to escape predation.

In captivity, keeping green igs at the right humidity is a PITA. Any reptile that is too dry will sit and soak, regardless of whether this behavior is natural for them or not (ex: ball pythons or savannah monitors).

Green igs digest their food by a process of hindgut fermentation, which means their digestive tract is literally packed with bacteria.

They drop copious amounts of liquid waste each day, usually into a water source if possible.

They'll also drink this water.

It's also really important to note that when a reptile does something a lot, it usually isn't because they love to do it. Usually its because they have to for one reason or another. These are clues we can rely on to understand what they need. Now, I know early on, something that seems cool is usually going to trump something that is functional. But in the long run, any body of water you keep an ig with really should be emptied out and cleaned every day. Let your ig in the tub until he poops or whatever, then take him out and clean it. Using a filtered pool in a cage is not only completely unnecessary (even with something like a *doh* water monitor), in the long run it's likely to get you or your lizard sick.

[Alika]

I agree.

Use that money to create some nice perches and climbs. He'll like that better and it will be more natural.