Legal Law

A guide to keeping desert iguanas

As with chuckawallas, desert iguanas are not typically available in the pet trade. Only Nevada allows the commercial export of this lizard. Several states allow the capture of some people with a hunting license. Not many herpetoculturists work with this beautiful species of lizard, but hopefully more will do so to ensure that captive-born animals are readily available.

Taxonomy and Natural History

The desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) is the only member of the genus Dipsosaurus, and is a very attractive off-white lizard measuring 4 to 5.25 inches (10 to 13 cm) from snout to vent length. The tail is almost twice the length of the body and is surrounded by keelled scales. Males tend to have wider, more angular heads and larger femoral pores than females. Both sexes can develop pink areas on the sides of the belly during the breeding season.

They are most often found on sandy plains, but are also found along rocky stream beds, lower hill slopes, and silty floodplains. In the northern part of their range, they are associated with creosote shrubs, while in the southern part of their range they are found in subtropical shrub areas. They seek refuge in rodent burrows where they often plug the burrow at night, possibly to protect it from predators.

Desert iguanas are diurnal and are often not found outside in the early morning. Their body temperatures have been recorded at 108 ° F (42 ° C), which is the highest known active temperature for reptiles. They are active when most other lizards have been removed from the heat.

Captive care

Desert iguanas should be kept in a desert environment with some type of burrow constructed from plastic or clay tubing. These lizards like heat, so one end of the cage should have a warm basking area with temperatures above 120 ° F (49 ° C) and the other end should not get hotter than 95 ° F ( 35 ° C) during the day.

Ultraviolet light must be provided by exposure to the sun or by full spectrum light bulbs. Research shows that the behavior of desert iguanas is influenced by ultraviolet light (Alberts 1993). The secretions from their femoral pores are illuminated by UVA rays that then allow other members of the species to locate them. These secretions are messages between lizards that probably indicate territories and announce the presence of a male in breeding condition.

Desert iguanas are omnivorous and consume the shoots, flowers, and leaves of desert plants, including the creosote bush. In the northern part of its range, the spring diet may be predominantly creosote flowers that climb the bush to find them. Insects, other arthropods, and their own fecal granules are an important part of the summer diet. In captivity, they can be fed salad and insects such as crickets or super worms several times a week.

Reproduction

Desert iguanas must hibernate for 3 to 4 months to stimulate reproduction. In the wild, desert iguanas can often be found in pairs from April to mid-July with reproduction occurring in April and early May. Females generally retreat underground in June to lay three to eight eggs that hatch in August.

Moist sand and soil should be placed at the end of the cage away from sunlight so that the female can build a burrow and lay her eggs. The eggs should be incubated in slightly damp vermiculite. The pups should receive the same diet as the adults, paying special attention to adequate calcium supplementation during the first year. The hatchlings that were not hibernated reached sexual maturity in 1 year (personal communication, 1998, Tom Greb).

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