The Scaly Family

• Pets
  • Gizmo our Bearded Dragon
    • german giant/yellow sandfire
      
      July 2004 - October 13, 2013
      We got him when he was only 12 inches from snout to the tip of his tail. He is now maxed to an impressive 22 inches STL.
      
      I'm saddened to say, that as of October 13th, 2013, Gizmo is no longer with us. In human years he probably lived to be a 100. Another chapter closed in our life, and we're just happy we were able to give a small creature in this world a life those other dragons probably only dreamed off.
      
      Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3
      
      
  • Bobo our Rhinoceros Iguana
    • cyclura cornuta cornuta
      
      DOB: November/December 2005
      Yes, Bobo will get big. Hatched in 2005 (somewhere between November & December), I think he was somewhere around 3 months old when we got him. We work with him daily & his attitude looks promising.
      
      First set of baby photos:
      Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3
      
      
  • Yogi our Cuban Iguana
    • cyclura nubila nubila
      
      DOB: November/December 2005
      Another to-be giant. Hatched in 2005. I drove 370 miles (while my Xterra drank gas) to a reptile show in PA to get the little guy (semi-confirmed male) so not to risk shipping from a FL reptile breeder that was participating in the show. Still nervous, but healthy, active, and eating well. Like Bobo, I work with him daily.
      
      First set of baby photos:
      Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3
      
      
  • Rascal our Green Iguana
    • DOB: May 2006 (approximation/not sure of the month)
      Rascal was a spontaneous "adoption" on a reptile that definitely needed a lot of thought. I've always wanted a green iguana but given their level of care I held off for a long time. For a few years I avoided the urge to get a green pet but one day that all changed when we were leaving from a pet store & saw a couple bringing him in. I jumped out of the car & asked for their story. They could not care for him anymore & were simply trying to either find someone or give him back to a pet store. This particular pet store was a crap-hole and the conditions were terrible. It also happened to be a store that was raided by the SPCA a while back with a lot of the animals removed and the owner charged with a count of animal abuse per animal. There is a lot more to this story. I did not want them to turn the animal in to that store given the history and circumstances.
      
      It's difficult to pin-point his DOB because green iguanas hatch at different times of the year depending on where they are but given his size I determined that he was a little over a year in age.
      Photo 1 | Photo 2
      
      
  • Zelda our Hybrid Iguana
    • cyclura lewisi (Blue) & cyclura nubila caymanensis (Cayman Brac/Sister Isles) or potentially cyclura nubila nubila (Cuban)
      
      DOB: November/December 2003 or 2004 (approximation/not sure of the month or year)
      We got Zelda in September of 2007. I finally got around to adding her to the website. While not the biggest of our pets, she was the oldest. It's difficult to pin point even her year because if the previous owners fed her cheap dog-food (which is the case for the other iguanas from the place that we got her) every day she would grow at a different rate then my pets that started off on a predominantly leafy diet.
      
      She was hidden from both the website and our parents for a long time so that no one thought that we have completely gone insane (though people can form that assumption seeing us with just one pet lizard). Since I added the live webcams, it was tough to deny her existence.
      Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3
      
      
  • Jenny our Little Beagle
    • Jenny is no longer with us. After 13 good years with me & my parents, she developed cancer and passed on. I don't think my parents will ever recover from the loss but I thought having her on the site will show that it hasn't always been about lizards.
      
      Photo 1 | Photo 2
      
      
  • Masha our Cat
    • Masha is no longer with us. After 15 good years he developed a sudden case of cancer in his throat. It took me a few years to recover, and I think a combination of losing both him and Jenny resulted in an entirely new family. Masha and Jenny were irreplaceable and at least now, instead of crying, I smile when I remember them. I loved him so much that I always said that between the two of us I had hoped to die first. I guess life teaches you how to cope when you outlive those that you love, and we all do in different ways.
      
      Photo
      
      
• Cages & Habitat
  • CagesByDesign.com
    • All the pets are currently in my CagesByDesign.com cages. I rearranged everything when we bought a house so some of these shots are outdated. Check the photo gallery for recent photos.
      Photo 1 | Photo 2
      
      
  • Apogee Mesh Reptarium
    • Outdate photos but these were my first setups.
      Photo 1 | Photo 2
      
      
• How to setup a reptile cage.
  • Disclaimer
    Please note that this guide is not perfected for a Green Iguana (or other active arboreal lizards). If you attempt to use this setup for that type of animal, you must use a Softray on the top to prevent the lizard from being able to grip the mesh & get to your lights. This does not however solve the fact that Greens love to jump on to things so there is always a chance that they may try to jump & grip the lights. Just use caution.
    
    Guide
    Ignore anything negative you may have read or heard about mesh reptariums. They are by far the best solution to a large, permanent/temporary (depending on the size and type of reptile), and cheap habitat. Most common arguments against mesh is that (one) it does not retain heat, (two) it filters out UVB, and (three) it can result in death should the animal get caught or tangled (which is sort of impossible, but I heard that one). All are false if you setup the cage correctly.
    
    Purchase an Apogee Reptarium ($70 - $90). It must be either the 175 or the 260 gallon version. Purchase the Softray for both the bottom and the top ($20 - $30 each). You can even get 4 for the bottom, top, left, and right sides if you are both paranoid & want the extra insulation. The Softray on top (and the sides) serve to both retain heat, and to prevent the reptile from scaling the top where your next step will be to mount the bulbs/domes. Purchase 2 or 3 dome fixtures ($5 - $15 each). Those made by Flukers (not ESU) have the most durable/best switch & flexible cord. You will mount those on the inside using one of the Apogee PVC pipes.
    
    Lighting
    Purchase two(2) 20w or 30w spiral Energy Saver bulb ($5 - $10 each, that would both generate about 3000k+ lumens; I will explain why later). Take 2 dome fixtures, remove the dome itself so you are left with just 2 sockets. Tie those together and screw in the 2 bulbs. They generate little heat so you don't have to worry about overheating or burnouts. After that's set, purchase a few different wattage IR ( infra red) bulbs (these you do need domes for; $3 - $10). You can mount multiple low wattage (50w or 75w) IR bulbs on the top right or top left PVC pipes (you will have to squeeze the cord between the pipe & the Softray) to raise the ambient temperature in the cage. Depending on your room temperature, you my not even need another IR bulb overtop of the basking spot next to the UVB & coil bulbs, the little heat they generate will be enough to raise the basking temperature. If they do not, you can add a dome & IR bulb next to the other 3 bulbs.
    
    Purchase a Mega-Ray 60w Ballast Kit ($75) from reptileuv.com. If you purchase this bulb, I recommend that you purchase a UV meter ($175 - $200) to monitor the output of microwatts. Knowing accurate levels of exposure at various distances is vital to your reptile's health. Mount the light in a dome overtop of the basking spot. Either next to it or to the side of that dome, mount/hang your 30w+ Energy Saver bulbs.
    
    There are multiple reason for the energy saving coil bulbs. One is that they take up almost no energy at all. Two, they are bright (the 30w+ versions) and light up your cage. Three, and most important, is that they generate enough light that forces the reptile to close his eyes: preventing the UVB rays from going straight in to the eye ball. Low wattage UVB bulbs generate vary little light. While it may look bright to the human eye, its not bright at all to your reptile pet. The extra high-lumens bulb ensures that the reptile closes the eyes, avoiding their eyes from either getting scorched, burned, or developing snow-eye (where they begin having problems seeing anything that's white). I did not pull this information out of thin air. Bob, who engineered the MegaRay bulbs is the source of this information. I have to say it is accurate. It answered why Gizmo had an edge for running in to my white walls at full speed (because of my bad old setup when he was growing up). He saw everything else except the light/white colors around him. For more information, read everything on uvguide.co.uk.
    
    Moving on, you will need a timer ($5 - $30), an extension cord ($5 - $15), and if you are really dedicated, a computer battery backup system ($75 - $200). I have multiple CyberPower batteries that, during a power outage, are amazing. They are great at regulating voltage or surge to your bulbs, and if you are running low watt bulbs and have a power outage, they will keep your cage(s) going for at least a 1/2 hour (depending on your battery & watt usage). You may also need an air pump ($10 - $40) & a sizable water dish ($10 - $30).
    
    To retain the heat, go somewhere to purchase some cheap yards of your favorite looking fabric (fleece or something else that's thick). Just Wrap it over the top, back, and sides of your cage, and that will be enough to maintain the heat, while keeping the cage well aerated.
    
    All the decorations, basking logs, etc. is entirely up to the individual. Make sure if your pet is still a baby, and you get a fake vine or log that has holes in it that the baby may be able to get in to (but not out), you either avoid it or stuff it with something like tissues. I found out the hard way when I had to drill apart one of my decorations because Bobo decided to climb in (and had no chance of getting out).
    
    That should be it. Don't forget to use the newspaper as your starter substrate. I'm too lazy to compute everything above, but you should be able to build a nice size cage for only $400 - $600 some-odd dollars. You end up with a large, safe, feather-light, and relatively cheap enclosure (compared to a glass cage or other alternatives).
• I can answer some personal questions.
  • Why do you have reptiles?
    • Allergies. Not me, but Mindy (the wife). After having a cat & a dog for 15 years, I thought I would have a furry friend my entire life. That all changed when I met Mindy. I had to come to terms with not being able to have the traditional man's best friend.
  • How much did you spend on your pets?
    • I plead the 5th. If you take out the calculator and look at my photos, the dollar signs are there.
  • Will you be getting any more?
    • No.
  • Why do you have so many?
    • I like to think that we have four lizards. We really have five but Gizmo is our first and smallest of the bunch, so although he can be a handful, he's not a concern like the others.
      
      Lucky for us, most reptile enthusiasts live with two or three times as many animals as we do. The difference however, is that the four out of the five that we do live with, will (and hopefully) grow big & strong.
  • Are you insane?
    • They say the Rhinoceros Iguana is difficult to tame, and can inflict some serious damage, but we got Bobo as a captive bred newborn. A lot of information out there deals with taming wild caught rhinos, which - so they say - are the most difficult in the Cyclura family. With out debating nature vs. nurture, I can tell you that if Bobo's current attitude carries over to adulthood, there won't be much to worry about. Bobo is already able to recognize that I am the hand that feeds him every morning, so there is a good chance that in the end, he will eat everything except my hand.
  • Do you have a death wish?
    • That's my dad's question. You might be asking the same thing if you saw what the Cuban Iguana looks like as an adult. I do value my life & those around me. Like Bobo, if I successfully raise them, there shouldn't be a problem. Not to answer a question with another question, but how many people annually get mauled by a Pit Bull or Rottweiler in comparison to the number of injuries caused by a pet reptile? Indeed the reptile is and always will be wild no matter how tame they may become in captivity, but proper care & respect towards these animals may eliminate someone like me making the 11:00 news.
  • What's your electricity bill like?
    • I don't have one. Mindy pays for it! I guess as long it stays somewhere in between $110 and $130, I should not run in to any long arguments. Considering what I've spent on these pets, electricity is her own monetary contribution to their care.
  • What do they eat?
    • All of them are on Collard greens, Dandelion greens, and a number of other recommended dark greens with occasional strawberries & kiwi on rare weekends. They are on Iguana food pellets when the greens at the grocery store look rotten. Gizmo eats the same assortment of greens as the others but with the occasional medium-size crickets. I feed Gizmo his greens every few days. At his current age & size, he gets his crickets once a month.
  • What will you do when they get huge?
    • Mindy agreed to move out and make room! Just a joke, just a joke! Here are some of my ideas:
      
      Idea
      I actually plan to set up a room similar to the way a daycare can partition a room to separate different age groups. Yes, aside from learning how to change diapers for a year (an experience I will never trade for the world), I got some ideas on how I can dedicate a room & set it up so that each reptile has his own private & spacious place.
      
      The issue with this is that most of then can and do jump. This will be even more problematic as they get bigger. How tall to make the half-wall would be a good question and may not look appealing in a room if you can't see half the room because the half-wall is too tall.
      Issue
      If we have a kid (or kids) in the future, partitioning a room will not work. I'll need to keep them under lock & key inside their CagesByDesign cages (that have locks on them) in my absence.
      Another Idea
      I have my fingers crossed and hope that when Yogi gets bigger, I can introduce him to Zelda and they may be able to share one room (or 2 cage units). This would be imperative and solve virtually everything in the long run because then I have one room dedicated to two of them, a room dedicated to Bobo, and the living room/the rest of the house dedicated to Rascal. There would still be a spare bedroom for a human baby if necessary.
      
      Last Resort
      Buy a bigger house.
      
      Overall
      The majority of the day, Bobo & Yogi will be confined to a room/their own cage(s) (to enforce basking and temperature), but the rest of the time, they will be allowed to roam free around the house for maybe an hour or so one at a time.
      
      Rascal already free roams unattended but I close him in if the others want to run about.
  • What if you encounter financial difficulties?
    • Our house can probably fit inside two of the living rooms at my parent's house. One of them is bigger then the living room they do use. I don't even know if it's called a living room. I have 6 massive CagesByDesign units. One of those living rooms can probably fit 12 if not more.
      
      My original plan was to have my parents take Zelda. After we lost Jenny, our Beagle, I thought that this may be a solution. My mom actually really liked Zelda but my dad is still in the Stone Age: does not understand and scared of giant lizards. However, he does love Gizmo which is bizarre. Mindy did not want to let Zelda go so I eliminated the idea of giving her to my parents.
      
      I plead the 5th on lighting. Each one is individually set on all the lighting requirements for a long, long time.
  • Where do you keep all these reptiles?
    • As my reptiles continue to grow, and I change up their habitat, I will update my photo gallery and/or post more pictures & videos.
  • What is your morning like?
    • Let's put it this way, I'm not the one that eats breakfast in the morning. I try, but it's tough. The first 10 - 15 minutes is feeding Bobo, Rascal, & Yogi. Gizmo is on a different schedule. I feed him when I come home from work.
• I can answer some other questions.
  • Do reptiles make great pets?
    • Only if you have a lot of time (for both care, and research) & money is not a significant factor. If you can afford $400 - $600, you can afford one(1) small to medium size reptile.
  • Should I get an Iguana?
    • Only if you are both insane and dedicated. You can't be one or the other.