Cuban Rock Iguana Coming!!!!! - She's Here!!!!

[DaveDragon]

We've got an approx. 1 year old female Cuban Rock Iguana coming today!!!! The guy we're getting her from has been sick on and off for many years. He used to do reptile rescue and has his own collection but he's just not able to care for them like he would like to. So he's selling almost everything. He's GIVING us the Rock and a high end Bearded Dragon with tanks & lights. He called us Saturday and we brought over the big male Red Tegu we got from him last year, along with a few other reptiles to show them. He was so impressed how well he looked he brought us up to see what he had left and offed the Rock & BD to us. The BD they're supposed to bring over this weekend. I've read the care for the Rock is very similar to a Green Iguana except they are terrestrial and need slightly higher basking temps. They also grow alot slower but get bigger, up to 5ft & 25 lbs!! I'm guessing the female should grow to a little bigger than our Red Tegu. We're going to have to sell our 16 month old B&W Arg. Tegu to make room. I was planning on building another 7ft x 3ft x 3ft enclosure but I may stretch that a foot in all direction if we have room. I won't be getting home until after 9pm tonight so I won't be able to take any pics until tomorrow.

 

[ThePHX]

TAKE PICTURES!!!!! These animals are gorgeous...maybe thats because im cuban, buttt i love iggys

 

[DaveDragon]

She's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pics aren't that great through the glass. I'll try to get some better ones over the weekend after she's settled in for a few days.

We're told her name is Jackel because the guy we got her from has rescued her from someone who kept her in a lunch box under a Jackels cage. I don't have all the details.

You can see in her eyes that she's more intelligent than a green iguana, probably similar to a Tegu.

 

[ThePHX]

Dude thats awesome....makes me wish i still lived in CT so i could stop by to see

 

[MMRR - jif]

Congrats! she has the potential to be a stunner! She looks a little older than a year to me and she is thin and looks a bit dehydrated. Try to give her a nice warm soak daily and add some cooked brown rice to her veggies, as much food as she will eat.

You will find that they are much more intelligent than Green iguanas. You can almost see the wheels working in their heads at times. Consequently they become better socialized than greens and can even desire your attentions. You will be hooked in no time!!

 

[Markie]

Wow! I can't say I like green iguanas, but this specie is beautiful! Good luck with her!

 

[DaveDragon]

Congrats! she has the potential to be a stunner! She looks a little older than a year to me and she is thin and looks a bit dehydrated. Try to give her a nice warm soak daily and add some cooked brown rice to her veggies, as much food as she will eat.

You will find that they are much more intelligent than Green iguanas. You can almost see the wheels working in their heads at times. Consequently they become better socialized than greens and can even desire your attentions. You will be hooked in no time!!

Thanks!! I gave her a bowl of greens this morning, we still have to get some squash & sweet potato. Within 2 hours of being in her new enclosure she pooped in her water. Does that mean she's planning on staying?? :mrgreen: We'll have to pick up some rice.

She definitely has the "wheels turning"!!! She looks into your eyes (like a Tegu), and doesn't look through you like some lower intelligence lizards.

We were hooked the minute we saw her!!

We've got her in a 55G tank temporarily, which is more than the 30G (tall) that she was in. We have a potential buyer for our youngest B&W Tegu (friend), which will free up the 90G (75G tall) for her. Then I'll start building a much larger enclosure. How long would a 8ft x 4ft enclosure work for her if we take her out a couple of times per week?? That's the biggest we have room for. Is a vertical space of 18" of inside height be OK (with a rock & branch) or does she need more??

What is an appropriate substrate?? We've got her on cypress mulch. I'm hoping she's smart enough to not eat it, unlike our male Blue Tegu.

 

[ZEKE]

how big do those get? is she full grown? she is really neat looking, i dont know anything about them tho.

 

[DaveDragon]

how big do those get? is she full grown? she is really neat looking, i dont know anything about them tho.

I've been told she's about 1 year old, maybe a bit older. She's about 18"-20" long, they get to be 4ft-5ft long. Males can weigh up to 25 lbs, similar to an extreme Tegu.

There's not alot of info on them out there. The little info I found said they eat the same stuff as Green Iguanas but require a slightly higher basking temp. The name "Rock" indicates they're ground dwelling but I'm sure they like to climb.

So far, she really likes to eat!! She ate a bowl of greens this morning and most of a bowl of grated sweet potato & butternut squash this afternoon! She's gonna need a bigger bowl!

We'll wait until this weekend to get some official measurements and better pictures.

 

[hoosier]

she is beautiful. i was thinking about getting one as my next lizard. but im torn between them and the blue iguanas.

 

[DaveDragon]

Thanks! She looks even better in person!

 

[PuffDragon]

She looks great, Dave! Still has a ton of growing to do.

but im torn between them and the blue iguanas.

Can you even get a Blue Iguana? Without it being a hybrid?

 

[jor71]

she is beautiful. i was thinking about getting one as my next lizard. but im torn between them and the blue iguanas.

I heard this was a good place for Iguana's

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I never dealt with him, but heard he was the man for Iguana's.

 

[argus333]

i have one here who is about 4.5 ft long and 17 lbs i raised him from a hatchling ill try to get some pics soon. a good easy food to give them is mazurie tortoise chow all my rock iguanas eat this stuff and love it plus it will fatten him up nicely, i give fresh dark leafy greens and squash and a little fruit 4 days a week and tortoise chow 2 days a week, just remember verity is key they also love to be in big outside cages when weather is warm. i stay away from all meat but some keepers do not.

 

[hoosier]

She looks great, Dave! Still has a ton of growing to do.

but im torn between them and the blue iguanas.

Can you even get a Blue Iguana? Without it being a hybrid?

i believe i saw a place but i lost the websites name

 

[DaveDragon]

She looks a little older than a year to me

You are definitely right! I got a better measurement, she's about 25". My wife thinks the guy said she laid eggs since he rescued her so she may be more like 5 years old. We'll get more info tomorrow.

 

[burke0000]

Hey guys Ive read a little about rock iguanas. As far as Ive read, rock iguanas are just different variaties of rhino iguana? Please educate me if Im wrong. What kind of prices would I be looking at for a rock,rhino iguana baby? Thanks guys

 

[MMRR - jif]

Cuban Rocks are a specie of the genus Cyclura, which includes about 17 different species, commonly known as the land Iguanas. Other species under this genus are the Rhino, Caymanensis, Grand Cayman Blue iguana, and Cyclura riccordi. The latin name for Cuban Rocks is Cyclura nubila nubila.

Cubans, Rhinos, Blue hybrids, and Caymanensis are usually readily available in the pet trade with babies hatching in the late summer thru November. They all have similar husbandry needs, which is almost identical to that of the Green Iguana. They prefer more floor space than vertical space and grow much heavier than their green cousins. They also can live for over 50 years.

Like any lizard their personalities can vary but I've found that most all of them socialize with their keepers quite easily and they are very intelligent My Rhinos are definately my better socialized animals and I use them frequently for educational purposes. My Cubans and Caymanensis are simliar in personality and very tolerant of handling. The hybrids tend to be a little more highstrung and less reliable altho my male often will climb onto my lap and then shoulder for some close time.

The Cyclura are my favorite species (sorry Tegu people but my Gu's come in a close second) because of their intelligence, majestic and sometimes prehistoric appearance, and their calm demeanor.

 

[burke0000]

Thanks for the info. Which one would you recomend most the rhino, or cuban rock?

 

[Beazer]

Cyclura is my top favorite genus for 4 legged reptiles. Congrats on her. Do you know if she is infact pure? A good guy, I cant remember the name because it reminds me of magician lol, but i believe its David Blain (?) out of cali works with a ton of Cyclura. I would most definitely get into Cyclura if I could A) find pure species and subspsecies and B) Find unrelated bloodlines. I wish they would allow (from the more common species/subspecies) a few wc Cyclura specimens of each specices/subspecies to go to responsible (people who wont hybridize) breeders. Where they are from, they will never beable to be preserved unless its in captivity and lets face it. Breeders do better than zoos lol. Gorgeous animal Dave, there is no way anybody could say enough about Cyclura to even come near to describe how awesome of an animal they are.


-Jon DeLong