Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[rasmus]

Hi

Im new here and hoped some of you keepers of Brachylophus fasciatus would help me with a few questions:

I have been wanting a pair of these now for a few years but i am a bit worried about a few things:

The terrarium i got available now is about 4½ft length - 2½ft depth - and 2½ft in height. - If i tried exploiting it with a lot of branches, plants and other, would that be suitable for a pair of fiji's? or should i try making it higher?

How important do you think humidity is for fiji iguanas? - Is it enough to just spray the terrarium a few times a day or should i install a spraying-system? Will they ever drink from a water dish or only by licking plant leaf and branches?

For you that keep them - Which type of branch or resting place do they prefer? - Horizontal or vertical branches?

In general. How sensitive to bacteria and disease are these lizards? Will it sometimes happen that one of them dies for no apparent reason, stress,?? Or are they as hardy as common green iguanas?'

- Even though this is not a keeping/maintenance question: Are fiji iguanas active? Or do they spend a lot of the resting in the background? Do you think yours is shy or??

- I am sorry about my bad English. I am only 17 years old taking English lessons every day!
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Friendly regards,
Rasmus
Keeping; Phyllurus, Strophurus, Eurydactylodes, Phelsuma and Rhacodactylus species

[kroakykaren]

Rick on here keeps Fijis, i am sure he will be along to help soon and your English is superb
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[Scott W]

Hi Rasmus

I kept 2.3 fijis so I'll try and help where I can.


The terrarium i got available now is about 4½ft length - 2½ft depth - and 2½ft in height. - If i tried exploiting it with a lot of branches, plants and other, would that be suitable for a pair of fiji's? or should i try making it higher?
That size is fine for a pair. Higher is always nicer if you have the space though.

How important do you think humidity is for fiji iguanas? - Is it enough to just spray the terrarium a few times a day or should i install a spraying-system? Will they ever drink from a water dish or only by licking plant leaf and branches?
I had an automatic spray system for mine and it came on morning and late afternoon. I never saw them drink from a bowl but I'm sure they did.


For you that keep them - Which type of branch or resting place do they prefer? - Horizontal or vertical branches?
Mine would use horizontal mainly but also loved being at a slight angle. They also loved sitting in amongst the plants.

In general. How sensitive to bacteria and disease are these lizards? Will it sometimes happen that one of them dies for no apparent reason, stress,?? Or are they as hardy as common green iguanas?'
They seem very tough and hardy animals. The biggest problem with the fiji's is with MBD, getting the calcium and D3 just right to grow them healthy. I know of 3 or 4 fijis in the UK that developed bad spines.


- Even though this is not a keeping/maintenance question: Are fiji iguanas active? Or do they spend a lot of the resting in the background? Do you think yours is shy or??
they are not really that active, not really shy either (once they have settled in) they will come and take food out of your hand no problem.


- I am sorry about my bad English. I am only 17 years old taking English lessons every day!
Your English is great
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Please DO NOT pm orders for reptiles, send email instead scott@captivebred.co.uk

[rasmus]

Thank you for your answers both of you.

I forgot asking about their UVB needs. Scott - did you have UVB lightning over yours? And if you did - how many hours did you have it on each day?

I haven't really been using UVB lightning so far. Most of my geckos are only active at night so i guessed it wasn't needed as long as i used some good vitamins.
-But since they sometimes tend to have MTB problems i am probably going to use it this time. What did you use with yours? Fluorescent tubes or those heat-bulbs that include UVB?

I understand that most animals around comes from Jurgen Schmidt and was wondering if you have ever heard about any inbreeding problems?
I know with some gecko species there have been problems with inbreeding, and was wondering if there have been any sign of such?
_________________
Friendly regards,
Rasmus
Keeping; Phyllurus, Strophurus, Eurydactylodes, Phelsuma and Rhacodactylus species

[DeanThorpe]

Hi Mate.
Firstly I would like to echoe what has already been said and im in full agreement on the advice given thus far.

We spray our fijis Viv heavily Twice a day but have no form of automatic misting system atall.

Uv is very important for all diurnal lizards including Fiji Iguanas, its just the amounts that varie.
I use a single 4 foot Zoo med reptisun 10% fluroescent tube which is positioned at the back of the viv about one foot from the top adhjacnt to thier main Basking log and judt below thier favourite artificial lants that they like to sit in which are atached to the back wall of the vivarium.
The viv we have is [l,h,d] 4x3x3 ths will be upgraded when the time comes.

The decoration in the vivarium includes 2x full length bamboo poles postioned at diffeent levels horizonatally.
I also have various pieces of cork bark both horizontal and vertical from the ground up, and also from the bamboo leaning upwards against the walls of the vivarium. I have fake plants hanging vertically up against the back wall as already mentioned aswell as more draped over the various pieces of cork bark etc.

My intention with the decor was to give as many perches as possible with a variety of angles, distances from the uv tube and the basking lamp etc to create the best thermo gradient possible whilst allowing for the probability that the fijis would rarely go onto ground level which is the case.

I have a small cat litter tray half filled with water on the bottom of the viv which they have used for pooping in, but not often.
above this hanging from the roof of the vivarium I have a BIG DRIPPER drip bucket, however I do not often fill this with water but the fijis are very often perched on top of it.

I find them shy compared to other lizards such as bearded dragons and leo geckos but its somewhat typical of iguanas of al types and will only lessen as they mature and become more confident.
Our pair are only just under 7 months old and have only had them since the 10th August.

I believe as yet there has been no problems with in breeding but I have been informed that whereas siblins can be bred together, any more than one or two generations of in breeding is best avoided at all costs as with mostly all species.

Oh, I almost forgot, we have the Uv and basking bulbs on for the same amount of hours, at the moment its 12 hours but will decrease as we approach winter, probably down to 10-11 hours a day before going back up slowly to a high of 15 hour day in the heat of summer.
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Beardies
Rankins
Bosc
Eyed Lizard
Leo's
Tokay's
Cresties
Garg
Berber skinks
Ocltd Skinks
Uro acanthinurus
Fiji Iguana's
oplurus cyclurus+Cuvieri
Collard's
Long Tailed Lizards
Dwarf Sungazers
Water dragon
Corn's
Royal

[Tom Verbeeck]

They only heat-source I'm using is a Mega-ray 160watt. This is a UV heat lamp, something like the powersunn butt this one gives a lot more UV.

My pair isn't shy at all. They are not active. I rarely see them move. I don't use misting systems. I mist 2 times each day by hand.
I have a water bowl in the upper-third of the viv and I've seem them sitting next it, but I haven't seen them drink out of it.

My viv is now 90x60x100cm butt when they are a little older they will be moved to a 180x60x100cm viv.

I've heard story's about interbreeding and Fiji's with real bad eyes due to that, but I don't know how bad i i right now with the animals in captivity in Europa.

[wayne1]

I keep one adult pair in a 6x3x3 and spray them twice a day to keep the humidity high i use trays at the bottom of the viv filled with 6 inches of peat and kept damp. For heating and lighting i use a 160 watt power sun for 12 hours a day and at night i use a 48 inch tube heater which is also connected to a thermostat. I find my pair to be very active, but even in the size viv i have the female is dominant until breeding when the male becomes dominant and after mating has occurred i have to separate them as the male just keeps chasing the female, I have a clutch of eggs in the incubator now, due in about eight weeks so i must have done something right. Gather as much info as you can as all keepers keep there animals slightly differently and make your own opinion from there.

[DeanThorpe]

Hey mate... is this your first year breeding the fijis?
8 eggs, awesome.
Best of luck with them, please keep us [well atleast me] updated on thier progess and future plans if you intend to sell them.

Good luck.
_________________
Beardies
Rankins
Bosc
Eyed Lizard
Leo's
Tokay's
Cresties
Garg
Berber skinks
Ocltd Skinks
Uro acanthinurus
Fiji Iguana's
oplurus cyclurus+Cuvieri
Collard's
Long Tailed Lizards
Dwarf Sungazers
Water dragon
Corn's
Royal

[DeanThorpe]

Sorry dude, dont know where I got the 8 eggs from...
Godo luck with the eggs.
_________________
Beardies
Rankins
Bosc
Eyed Lizard
Leo's
Tokay's
Cresties
Garg
Berber skinks
Ocltd Skinks
Uro acanthinurus
Fiji Iguana's
oplurus cyclurus+Cuvieri
Collard's
Long Tailed Lizards
Dwarf Sungazers
Water dragon
Corn's
Royal

[wayne1]

This is my first year, but my adults bred for there former owner last year but sadly i have to sell them as i am emigrating next year and will not have time to breed them hatch the eggs and grow them on before i leave. My eggs are doing really well so fingers crossed not long to go.