everytime i get a lizard it dies?

Question

my first 3 iguanas died, they didnt eat. i fed them crickets but they didnt eat them.my last lizard died because i took it out side with the glass fish tank to get some sunlight and went to work and when i came back i found it dried up the sun burned the eyes and the body was so dry if you tuched it ,it could break and yes i was heart broken .i still want more but im scarred if they die .what can i do to be more carefull i dont know much about iguanas my next pet is a camelion hopefully it lasts.

Answer 1

First off, stay away from the more complicated lizards - like camelions and water dragons. Iguanas are fairly easy to care for and can be wonderful additions to your family. Remember that they are cold-blooded and need heat sources and light sources - but in moderation. Iguanas need a hotrock to lay on to help them digest their food and to regulate their body temperature. They also need UV light to properly absorb dietary calcium. You cannot skimp on these things! They also need a proper diet and plenty of fresh, clean water. Iguanas are almost completely herbivores from the time they hatch. Crickets are okay, but only as a snack. Your iguana need lots of fresh veggies. Greens are best but avoid plain head lettuce (mostly water and not very healthy). Broccoli & its leaves, Swiss chard, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, carrot tops, and mustard greens/turnip greens are all excellent sources of nutrition. My igs also loved sweet potato, carrots, and squash. Instead of chopping into cubes or chunks I used my potato peeler and sliced off thin wafers (think potato chips). They also liked whole kernel corn. Be creative but avoid citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes). They also loved sliced grapes (whole grapes are a choking hazard) and sliced apple for treats. Try to figure out how much your guys eat at a time and feed them slightly more than they will consume. Throw away any left over food as it will spoil quickly and they will make a mess out of it. They will play in their water too so be sure the water bowl is easy to lift out and to clean. Hygeine is very important and you will need to remove left-over food, and dirty water as soon as you can. You may wind up changing the water 4 or 5 times a day. I found that the easiest thing for me to do was to have 2 (or more) of everything that way when I took the dirty carpet and bowls out of their cages to clean - I already had clean ones to put back down. I also used a dilution of weak bleach water to clean everything in their cages (usually soaking stuff overnight before scrubbing and hosing off with clean water). Remember that bleach can be an irritant to skin & eyes - be sure to dilute it about 1 to 15 (1oz bleach to 15 oz water). Never, ever use the bleach on the iguana. If he ever needs a bath, run him a warm tub of JUST WATER. Make it shallow enough that he can stand on all four feet and hold his head out of the water without straining (about shoulder deep). Use the "baby bottle test" to make sure the water is not too cold or too hot. Allow him to swim around and to soak some. Take him out before the water gets cold and towel him off (remember body temperature... you don't want him to get chilled). After you drain your tub, rinse it out with bleach water or disinfectant. YOU do not want to get sick from coming in contact with your iguanas feces in the tub. Don't get paranoid, but you CAN GET SICK (samonella) if you ingest his trash. Remember this if you let your friends. kids, etc. play with him. ALWAYS wash your hands afterwards. ALWAYS.
So PLEASE, please, please go to a pet store before you get another iguana and buy a book or a magazine (magazines just about iguana care are usually cheaper and more current) about common green iguanas and read it from cover to cover (more than once!) and keep it for easy reference. It should cover diet, hygeine, heat sources, light sources, housing (cage or aquarium), comman illnesses, and additional reference sources. You should also call around to find out what vets in your area treat exotics/reptiles and what their rates are. I've had three Wonderful Iguanas in my family that I loved very much. They're smart and affectionate. One of my iguanas, if he was loose in the house (he was 5 feet long) and got cold, he would look for one of my dogs or cats to climb up on to get warm and they would go to sleep together. My other pets have always been very excepting of them. Good luck with your future iguana!
T

Answer 2

You need to research an animals needs before you get one.
Iguanas diets are not supposed to include crickets. they are vegetarians.

They eat greens and fruit, and they are not to have lettuce because it has no nutritional value.
They are not to have spinach or bananas because it will rob calcium from the animal.
They also have to have UVB light every day. With out these things they will get Metabolic Bone Disease and it's terrible. They can't lift themselves up or walk.

Your chamelon will die.

Why should it be any different than any other pet you've killed already?
You should take it back to the store and buy a book on reptiles.
It's cruel to adopt a pet but not learn about what it needs to live, and live a decent life. it's an unspoken promise to the animal that if you take it out of its natural habitat, you are now responsible for providing its needs, at least or better than what it would receive in the wild. Since you are on yahoo, why don't you do a search for information on taking care of the pet you have now. They are even more delicate than iguanas are. I'm sorry if I sound mean, but what you are doing is cruel, and your pets cant tell you.

It's okay to put your lizard in the sun, but it has to have water and it has to be able to get out of the sun. They have no way to cool down or heat themselves except for basking or hiding from the sun.

I can tell you right now that that chameleon cant drink water from a bowl or a water bottle, it has to have a constant dripping source of water. In the pet store they put Ice on top of the vinyl cage and let it drip all day. Please return it until you learn about them.

Don't go get a turtle.

All animals have special needs. Maybe a cat would be good for you.

Answer 3

The last lizard you had died because of your carelessness. You need not have a pet if you can't properly care for it. Your pet relies on you for care, and if you falter, it pays the price.
You admitted a BIG problem - you don't know much about iguanas. That is where research comes in. Before bringing a new pet home, you need to read up on how to properly care for it, otherwise you are going to have more corpses to deal with. Oh yeah, and don't forget the fact that karma's a *****. DO what's right and educate yourself and be responsible when it comes to owning and caring for a pet.
For goodness sake, use the net and local pet stores to research and ask questions that you may have regarding your chameleon and how to take care of it. I hope that poor thing makes it.... *sigh*

Answer 4

Please I'm begging you DO NOT buy a Chameleon! Chameleons are the most difficult reptile to keep, even some experts have difficulties. The reason your 2 Iguanas died is because you feed them crickets. They can not process animal protein, they are strictly herbivores. The reason the other one died is because putting it outside in a glass tank is like taking a magnifying glass to an ant. FOR THE SAKE OF REPTILES EVERYWHERE GET A CAT!

Answer 5

*throws two pennies in*

What, pray tell, makes you think that you can keep a chameleon alive if you can't keep an IGUANA alive?! Iguanas are easy if you have enough brains to buy a book before you buy one. That's the thing with reptiles, they actually need CARE. Everyone's looking for a "low maintenance reptile", guess what? THEY DON'T EXIST!!!!!

I'm suprised the pet stores even let you in. Next time you buy ANYTHING with a pulse, you need to buy a book about it first.

You know what? I'm gonna leave this question alone now before I get really nasty and get myself reported.

*mutter*

Answer 6

You need to make sure you have the right size terrarium for them with the correct lighting and heating elements. They usually need a basking lamp in one side of the tank, and also need UV lighting. Iguanas eat more than just crickets, for instance they can eat chopped up vegetables. With the basking lamp, they won't need to go outside for sunlight, so you won't have the problem of baking them to death. Petstores will usually have some sort of care guides for you that will help you get all you need for your lizard when you purchase it.

Answer 7

hi im so sorry about your lizards but if i can offer some advice a camelion is a very difficult lizard to keep. they cannot be handled as theyre skin is very delicate. i love animals too and i have had 2 camelions and both died. i now keep water dragons and bearded dragons as well as other animals and they are easy to keep especially water dragons and theyre so much fun, easily handled and mine love human contact. you should consider one of these breed instead of a camelion i promise you will get so much joy out of water dragons or beardies and a lot less heartbreak. hope this helps.

Answer 8

For the iguana that died in the sun, get it a lamp light that emits the same rays the sun does at a pet store, its less harmful and you have complete control over it!

Answer 9

First of all...iguanas are vegatarians. They need vegetables and greens. Secondly, sun against glass gets too hot (like getting into your car on a hot summer day)

Do your research first before you get a reptile. They are dying because you are not providing the right care.

Answer 10

You did not give enough info with this. Did you provide your geckos with a heat lamp for 12 hours a day and a heat pad for 12 hours a day? Did you feed them often enough? What kind of substrate were you using in their tanks? This question is impossible the answer without more details..I would love to help you as I have two leopard geckos of my own and hate to hear that yours passed perhaps due to lack of knowledge! e-mail me if you have any questions.

Answer 11

You are probally not giving it the right enviorment it needs to survive. Before you get a chomeleon try getting some books and researching about it first so it will live long.