Green Goblin the iguana finds a new home I would like to preface this next chapter about Green Goblin with a comment about Chapter 1:I mentioned in the first chapter that the pet store employee gave advice that was absolutely and completely wrong about green iguana diets. I was being more than a little sarcastic about the store employee's helpful hints. PLEASE read on through Goblin's story to find out REAL information about iguana diets and care. "Green Goblin" The story of a beloved green iguana We were very excited to come home and present my daughter with her new iguana pet. She, being 16, was excited but a little confused about what she was supposed to do with this little green handful. If you have ever tried to pick up a little iguana, you would know that they are very good at scampering away inside the cage. He was very cute, but didn't really look all that excited about his new surroundings. We just kind of left him alone and gazed lovingly at him unless we were feeding him or cleaning his cage. After three days, I noticed that Goblin was changing colors to a drab gray. I Googled green iguana care to see if I could find out what was going on and what I needed to do to change the situation if it was not normal. The first things I learned were: 1. Green iguanas need a source of BOTH UVA and UVB light. If they do not have the proper levels of these types of light, they can develop Metabolic Bone Disease. Also, they do have a night and day cycle. That means they need dark at night, so you must provide heat without light during the nighttime 2. Iguanas need a heat source and temperatures that must remain within certain limits inside their habitat. They need a place to bask in the heat and a cooler place to get away from it if their body temperature gets too high. Since iguanas are reptiles, their body temperature is directly relative to their environment. If they are not provided proper heat, they will die. Interesting point here: the heat rocks suggested by the helpful pet store employee can actually BURN your iguana. Use them with caution or not at ALL. Heat is best provided from ABOVE, so that they are not likely to develop a burn on their belly from lying on the heat rock. Those two points are important to know because those directly affected the slowly graying color that Goblin was now turning. He wasn't getting the proper UV rays, since the pet store sold me a regular light bulb in the tank, nor the proper heat source. I went and purchased a good reptile UV bulb and a ceramic basking lamp that emitted no light for nighttime. The basking lamp was on all the time, and I simply turned off the UV bulb at night. After about two days, Goblin's beautiful bright green color with blue highlights was once again the norm. This is only a small tidbit of what you really need to know about iguanas and their care, if you intend for them to actually grow up and not die a horrible death before they are even half grown. Are you beginning to understand the gravity of purchasing this animal for a young person unable to do research, UNDERSTAND what they read, and follow through? Stay tuned for chapter 3 Expert Page: Freelance native English writing services, proofreading and editing | 
