Rhino iguana...

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I built a hide box/food and water platform yesterday to place in the bottom, so I'll just plan on adding a heating pad underneath that for him to warm himself up. Then I'll have a heat lamp and UV light at the top of the the terrarium for him to sunbathe if he wants. I'm also going to place a small Tupperware container in the bottom so that he can go to the bathroom in it or soak himself as he wants.

Any opinions on cypress mulch for a rhino iggy? Should I go with something else?
 
Also, are there any heat pads that are ok to put INSIDE the terrarium? My problem is that the terrarium glass rests directly on the ground (or directly on the rug I've placed it on). I don't think I can fit a heating pad underneath without risking cracking the bottom glass.

I do plan on building a platform for the tank to sit on, which would fix that problem, but I don't know how soon I could get that done.

Could I attach a heat pad to the BACK of the terrarium, outside the glass, behind where the hide is going to be? Would it still be as effective?
 
I generally don't put too much into the repticzone caresheets. Some of them are correct, but I've encountered some wrong information in them before. Besides, I would rather have some kind of actual natural bedding in there.

One site says moist play sand and rocks. Most other sites I've found don't actually say what kind of bedding to use.
 
I do have several bricks of the Eco-Earth (I think) substrate that I've been using for my ball python. I could use that for the substrate, since its easy to use and clean.
 
When you buy a heat pad they give you those little sticky feet things to put on the bottom to lift the cage up off the ground. You could either use those or go buy some different ones and add many so you know your bottom is supported.
 
looks like a very nice Rhino igg.


i keep mine on a sustrate of sand, eco-earth and the coconut husk(both came in a brick. and my girl loves it. ive had no issues and she has been on it since last november i beleive.


i dont use a heatpad or anything for her hide, to me its a waste of money. but i did use a regular hman heating pad for my big igg a while back for night time heat, just wrap it in an old shirt first:D

also try and keep the handling to a minimum when you first get him. when i first got mine i had no toruble handling him/her and i got real excited. then as time went on she reverted back and didnt like being held, well being picked up, she was calm when i ahd her but getting her was a pain. i didnt handle her very much for almost a year (i know its hard) and now she is a totally diff igg. she will climb up onto my hand, eat from my hands, and she has just been introduced to free roaming a month or so ago.


also i would try and lay the enclosure down on its side before you bring the igg home. that enclosure would be good for a green igg but is pretty useless for a rhino. they need floor space not vertical space. rhinos dont do very well with change and stress real easy, hence why having it laid on its side would be tons better than standing straight up.
 
Mike D;4365369; said:
looks like a very nice Rhino igg.

i keep mine on a sustrate of sand, eco-earth and the coconut husk(both came in a brick. and my girl loves it. ive had no issues and she has been on it since last november i beleive.
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I was wondering when you'd chip in! I think seeing your iggy is what really got me interested in them in the first place!

Thanks, I thought it looked pretty good too. I can't wait to bring it home.

What mix of sand, eco-earth, and coconut husk do you have, or does it matter? Just home depot play sand, or pool filter sand, or what?

I will look into laying the tank down on its back (so the door opens up), not sure how it will work in the space that I have though. We'll see.

So you don't need a heat pad? We keep our house pretty warm, 78-80F, and the room he'll be in stays a degree or two warmer than that usually, so ambient temps should be ok I guess. And I'll have a basking and UV light at the screened in end.

I've got several pieces of driftwood that I plan on adding as well, so he has something to climb on, hide under, bask on, and to make the cage more interesting to look at as well. Plus the hide box I built.

I have read that you really need to go slow with these guys to get them completely tame. I'll go as slow as I can in handling. Fortunately the room he'll be in is normally closed off to all our other pets, so they won't be bugging him at all.
 
yeah its been while since i have posted. but i am back!

as far as my mix goes i went a little heavy on sand so its prob like a 50/25/25 mix. but you could really go with whatever you wanted. if iwe to do it again i would prob use top soil and sand. the eco earth stuff dries out super fast. and the sand is whatever home depot sells. its like 3 bucks a bag i think last time i bought it. i also keep a ceramic tile on the side that i have the ehat light on. it holds and displaces the heat a little better it seems. and it will hold onto the heat for a tad longer once your lights are out.

i dont see the need for a heat pad. if your house stays warm they will be fine. my rhino is in my herp room with the other iguana and i dont run any sort of night time heat for either of them. even in the winter they are fine.


also good call on keeping him in a low traffic room. when i moved mine from the living room to the herp room i noticed a huge difference. it was like night and day. she went from being super jumpy to super laid back. you should look into putting the cage so the doors open from the side. that should help calm them down faster. its always easier to tame when you are coming at them rather than from above them


i think you are really going to enjoy the rhino when you get it home.
 
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