(Kareem Abdul) Jiboo
Jiboo
is
our most wonderful iguana. As of December 16th, 1999, he's 45.5"
from snout to the tip of his tail, 31" of solid, muscular tail, and 13.5"
from his nose to his vent (snoot to poot, body length only). We don't
have a scale, so we don't know how much he weighs, but he was two pounds
three months ago. It would be impossible to detail all the incredible
things this animal brings to our lives. I could write an entire website's
full of content each and every day. He's not unlike Yoda from Star
Wars. He's quiet, soft spoken and dignified. Corner him, though,
and you're in for some serious trouble.
Where
Jiboo Lives: The Hab
[I originally built this enclosure
for Icculus, my former iguana. Icculus was sickly from the beginning
and didn't eat well at all, nor was he responsive to my efforts to make
him comfortable. I donated him to a local herp vet, who's been rehabilitating
him and keeping him as the "office pet." I check on him every couple
of weeks and they say he's fattening up, eating, and recovering.] The
enclosure measures 4' wide, 4' tall, and 2' deep. It's made of 1/2"
plywood and painted to look like a jungle inside. It's quite homey,
actually. The top is metal screen and nailed shut. The access
is from the huge window you see in the picture. I picked it up from
Home Depot for $63, and it's supposed to be a mobile home window.
It slides from the right to the left. It's got a ramp from the ground
floor, a second story ledge, and a top shelf (where Jiboo hangs out 90%
of the time). There are two heat lamps (150W, 100W, both "basking
lamps") and a 48" shoplight sporting UVB bulbs, so he gets tons of exposure
where he lounges. It holds heat well, maintaining about 90-95F on
the top and about 80F on the floor. This allows him to thermoregulate
and set his own temperature. The whole enclosure cost me about $100
to build.
Where
Jiboo Came From
Jiboo was
sent to me by Cindi Urie, the kindest, sweetest lady on Earth. She
knew that I was having trouble with Icculus and that Guru (as he was then
called) needed a good home. We made the arrangements and she shipped
him to me on Delta Dash in a controlled temperature cargo plane.
Jiboo arrived in Jacksonville and we drove home in my Bus
(only to break down and finally get home at about 1am, but that's another
story).
Click
here for more of Jiboo...
Useful Online Iguana Resources
Melissa Kaplan's
Giant Green Iguana Information Collection
Green
Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual
Click on cover for more information
or to buy direct from Amazon.com
Chris and Jiboo are Proud Affiliates of Amazon.com