The Iguana Laboratory

11/26/2024

DEAL ALERT: Amazon Basics Walk In Kennels are $244.49/ea shipped at Amazon 👉 https://amzn.to/3Za3Wlz

These can be converted, with some modification for use indoors or outdoors for Cyclura!

Amazon Basics Welded Outdoor Wire Crate Kennel, Large (102 x 48 x 72 Inches)

11/26/2024

DEAL ALERT: "Beware of Iguana" Signs are $10.39/ea shipped at Amazon.com 👉 https://amzn.to/3ZmxsWs

A must have for every enclosure 😅

Beware of Iguana vintage Metal Tin Sign Retro Funny Tin Sign For Wall Decor—8" x 12"—Iguana

07/24/2024

Our clutch came a little earlier than expected this year. Luckily we brought our females indoors a few days ago due to a very rainy two week forecast. 24 eggs total, 9 were either infertile or damaged but 15 are in the incubator!

05/21/2024

DEAL ALERT: Exo Terra Calcium with D3 is only $0.70 per oz shipped at Amazon! Great time to stock up! -->

Exo Terra Calcium + D3 Powder Supplement for Reptiles and Amphibians, 15.9 Oz., PT 1855

05/21/2024

Didn't realize Exoterra shared my photo until now! Pretty neat.

🦏🦎 Cyclura cornuta or the Rhinoceros Iguana is native to the island of Hispaniola and several of its surrounding islands in the Caribbean Sea.

💡 Designated as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, these large ground-dwelling reptiles have seen their once extensive habitat significantly reduced due to agriculture, limestone mining, and competition from cattle for limited vegetation, which also leads to trampling of iguana nests. Additionally, they are hunted for food and preyed upon by introduced cats, dogs, and mongooses.

📸 Chris Pellecchia

05/09/2024

03/12/2024

Go to our channel on YouTube to see our newest video and please subscribe while you are there.
https://youtu.be/hJZTpVyA4tg?si=pt5sw5u0mM7_zsWJ

Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL, spoke to the Calusa Herpetological Society in Ft. Myers on March 7, 2024 to announce the defeat of HB 1033, a bill which would have banned all iguanas from being kept in Florida.

Florida Iguana Ban Defeated!

A bill seeking to ban all species of Iguanas failed as the session ended last Friday. This bill, HB 1033, was filed by Republican State Representative Sam Killebrew of Winter Haven.

This legislation would have expanded the current ban on Green iguanas to include Rock iguanas, Rhinoceros iguanas, Spiny-tailed iguanas, Chuckwallas, and all other Iguanid lizards.

Some of the largest assurance colonies of endangered Iguanas are found at Florida facilities. These captive breeding programs would help prevent extinction of those species if their wild populations continue to deteriorate. In addition to its negative conservation impacts, this bill would have further degraded the freedoms of reptile keepers and small businesses within Florida. It also sought to ban the sales of dog and cats in pet stores.

USARK FL effectively lobbied State Representatives against the bill. We organized a public call-in and email campaign to legislators to oppose the bill. HB 1033 never even got a committee hearing. We also collaborated with other pet advocates against the bill. With the legislative session ending on Friday, the bill is dead. Thank you to all who participated in the effort to defeat this bad bill!

Online Auction to Support USARK FL Next Weekend!

Please contact [email protected] to donate auction items.

USARK FL Online Auction at BSRAUCTIONS.COM
March 16-17, 2024

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to acquire stunning reptiles while supporting USARK FL!

03/08/2024

Some of our hatchlings fresh out of the bathtub.

This will be our 10th year breeding Cyclura cornuta and the 7th year doing so in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. To our knowledge we are still the only Cyclura breeders in the state.

01/04/2024

Florida Iguana Ban
HB1033 seeks to expand the ban on Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) to include all species of Iguanas (assumedly all genera of the family Iguanidae: Amblyrhynchus, Brachylophus, Cachryx, Conolophus, Ctenosaura, Cyclura, Dipsosaurus, Iguana, and Sauromalus.)

This would mean that rock iguanas, spiny-tailed iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, chuckwallas, and all other Iguanids would become Prohibited Species. It does this by changing statute from reading “Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)” to just “Iguana.”

Florida is the world center of conservation for imperiled iguana species. Some of the largest assurance colonies of endangered Iguanas are found at Florida facilities. The reptile industry has contributed to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Iguana conservation through IguanaFest and coordination with conservationists. In addition to its negative conservation impacts, this bill further degrades the freedoms of reptile keepers and small businesses within Florida.

HB1033 also bans the sales of dog and cats in pet stores.

HB1033 was introduced by State Representative Sam Killebrew (Republican)
of Winter Haven (District 48).

Read the bill at https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/1033/BillText/Filed/PDF.

The bill has been profiled and has not yet been assigned to a committee. The Florida legislative session begins on January 9, 2024. The bill would take effect on take effect July 1, 2024.

Contact Representative Killebrew and tell him this bill is a threat to pet owners, small businesses, farmers, and conservation.

[email protected]

Capitol Office
300 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
(850) 717-5048

District office;
337 Avenue C Southwest
Winter Haven, FL 33880-3262
(863) 291-5254

Continue to follow and for more information.

See this page of our website:
https://usarkfl.wildapricot.org/news/13295074

12/29/2023

HB1033 seeks to expand the ban on Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) to include all Iguana species (assumedly all genera of the family Iguanidae: Amblyrhynchus, Brachylophus, Cachryx, Conolophus, Ctenosaura, Cyclura, Dipsosaurus, Iguana, and Sauromalus.)

This would mean that rock iguanas, spiny-tailed iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, chuckwallas, and all other Iguanids would become Prohibited Species. It does this by changing statute from reading “Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)” to just “Iguana.”

Florida is the world center of conservation for imperiled iguana species. Some of the largest assurance colonies of endangered Iguanas are found at Florida facilities. The reptile industry has contributed to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Iguana conservation through IguanaFest and coordination with conservationists. In addition to its negative conservation impacts, this bill further degrades the freedoms of reptile keepers and small businesses within Florida.

HB1033 also bans the sales of dog and cats in pet shops. HB1033 was introduced by State Representative Sam Killebrew (Republican) of Winter Haven (District 48)

Read the bill at https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/1033/BillText/Filed/PDF.

The bill has been profiled and has not yet been assigned to a committee. The Florida legislative session begins on January 9, 2024. The bill would take effect on take effect July 1, 2024.

Contact Representative Killebrew and tell him this bill is a threat to pet owners, small businesses, farmers, and conservation.

[email protected]

Capitol Office
300 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
(850) 717-5048

District office;
337 Avenue C Southwest
Winter Haven, FL 33880-3262
(863) 291-5254

Continue to follow and for more information.

Photo of Cuban Rock Iguana (Cyclura nubila) by Travis deLagerheim

12/27/2023

If you're looking for a well formulated and properly sized supplemental dry-diet for hatchling Cyclura, we recommend the Mazuri Herbivorous Reptile formula. We have been using (and were one of the original beta-testers) this diet since 2015 for our smaller Cyclura. We do recommend giving it a quick soak to hydrate and soften before offering. Adult Cyclura will eat it, but the small pellets tend to make it more difficult. We recommend these as a supplemental food or an emergency dry food.

You can find it on Amazon (affiliate link) here:

Mazuri Herbivorous Reptile LS Diet-Small is a low-starch, high-fiber reptile food designed for dry land herbivorous or omnivorous reptiles. Suitable for iguanas, uromastyx, small tortoises and omnivorous turtles such as box turtles, this versatile reptile diet not only is a complete iguana food a...

12/03/2023

Our hatchlings are growing fast and coloring up nicely.

To our knowledge, we are the longest established breeder of Cyclura cornuta in Mississippi.

11/12/2023

Hatching has commenced! We are happy to welcome more Rhinoceros Iguanas into the world.

10/01/2023

Had to give the Dairy Cows, a crowd favorite, a bin upgrade today. This is the largest and most protein hungry species that we keep.

08/25/2023

08/08/2023

Candling eggs never gets old, but the embryos do! Ba Dum Tiss!