Meet Fizban, My Green Iguana!

 A long time ago (i.e. the mid-90's), I had a green iguana named Merlin. After spending $450 to get a bladder stone removed (only a few months after I got him), he mysteriously died about two years later. I was heart broken. I always thought of getting another iguana, but I didn't want it to die as well.

Fast forward to today. My sweetie bought me a new one! In keeping with tradition, I named him after a wizard as well. Fizban is a character from the Dragonlance series of books. That Fizban is ancient beyond anyone's knowledge, but my Fizban is about two and a half months old. He's still quite nervous when I pick him up, but he no longer tries to get away unless someone else comes near or makes a sudden or loud noise (sigh... kids). He's adorable! He eats out of my hand and is always on the go when I take him out of his tank. He's growing quick! Every day he looks bigger, or I see more of those cool spikes where I hadn't seen them before.

When doing some research, I found out quite a few new things compared to what I had known in the mid-90's. I also found out why Merlin died. In addition to a basking lamp (which provides standard UVA rays like any common light bulb), iguanas need a bulb that emits UVB rays. These are both produced by the sun, and iguanas need both. UVB allows them to utilize the calcium in their diet. Without these rays, the calcium can build up into... drumroll now... calcium deposits within the body, such as bladder stones. When an iguana doesn't get enough calcium (or be able to use it), it gets... metabolic bone disease (MBD for short). I always noticed that Merlin's legs were held at an odd angle, and it had some toes that were just bent around the wrong way. Also, he didn't grow. After two years, I should've needed two hands to hold him, but he was barely bigger than Fizban is now in these pictures. Unfortunately, they didn't know that much about UVB at the time. I had a couple books on green iguanas, but they made no mention of it.

What does Fizban eat? What's best for him is certain leafy greens, such as collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens... as well as green beans, prickly pear cactus leaves, parsnips, snap peas, alfalfa, and different kinds of squash. He can also eat fruit. The vegetables are best, but he loves watermelon and mango! He eats those two fruits ravenously. It's pretty funny to watch.

I have him in a little tank right now (29 gallon) until the 55 gallon ones go on sale at Petco (for a dollar a gallon!). In no time at all, though, no conventional tank will be big enough for Fizban. See what he'll look like in three to five years:

Yes, they can grow from five to six feet long! Where to keep such a beast? Why, right here, in our mini-backyard of sorts:

Without the bike, of course! With the exception of the low fence dead ahead, it's pretty well enclosed. Fizban can roam loose in this area, but we need to make sure he stays in, and something like a bobcat stays out! We're going to buy some coated chain link fencing to go over those areas (hope the neighbors don't complain!).  Fence or mesh is good, to let in some natural sunlight (though that only happens in the morning), and it should be coated so he can't scratch himself on the fence if climbing or rubbing his nose on it. We'd remove the rocks, as he can scrape his belly on those sharp things. I want to borrow some large rocks and branches from Mother Nature for him to climb on. We'll still need a basking light and a UVB lamp out there, since the sun won't shine into the yard nearly enough for him.

The only thing is, once it starts getting under seventy degrees at night, we'll have to find alternate accommodations for him - probably in our room. This awesome iguana owner (female, natch) has a series of racks nailed into the wall at high levels. She has the lights hanging up there, and it's food bowls and such on the racks. The racks went all around the room, in a spiral fashion. Pretty cool idea!

Oh, one last thing: I know I've been calling Fizban a 'he,' and he's (did it again!) named after a male wizard. Well, it's impossible to tell what sex they are until they reach sexual maturity - about one a half years old. I call him... well, him, both because I don't want to be calling my adorable little lizard an 'it,' and because I thought Merlin was male. The man at the pet store told me he was a boy when I bought him - at 2 or 3 months old. Amateur. So I was used to calling him 'Merlin Boy,' 'Green Boy,' and such. It just comes natural now. Female iguanas are usually blessed with a calmer temperament (though both are easy-going if you train them right), but they tend to have health issues due to their egg-laying. Constipation, loss of protein, and other problems may occur. One can get them spayed at a veterinarian that knows what they're doing with reptiles.

Comments? Questions? Fire away! If you want to seek answers for yourself, try this website. There's a ton of iguana info here: http://www.greenigsociety.com

Fizban is awesome. I love my little one!