# madagascan spiny tailed iguanas



## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

anyone know how to keep these? wilton's birds & reptiles has a pair in, but i've never seen them before, other than in pics. they're a lot bigger than i thought- more than 1', & quite chunky. anyone know about environmental set up, diet, etc? the few sites i could find online that mention them contradict each other- some say they're omnivorous, but others say they're strictly insectivores.


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## graham40 (Dec 19, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> anyone know how to keep these? wilton's birds & reptiles has a pair in, but i've never seen them before, other than in pics. they're a lot bigger than i thought- more than 1', & quite chunky. anyone know about environmental set up, diet, etc? the few sites i could find online that mention them contradict each other- some say they're omnivorous, but others say they're strictly insectivores.


I did see on here a couple of months ago that someone got a pair that had some good advice on the thread. 

From memory some people did seem to have or have had them in the past


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

graham40 said:


> I did see on here a couple of months ago that someone got a pair that had some good advice on the thread.
> 
> From memory some people did seem to have or have had them in the past


any links? they're quite rare in the hobby. they look a bit like guatamalan collared swifts, but much bigger, & with a tail like a club tailed iggy. can't find any definitive info on keeping them.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

any info?


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## XtremeReptiles (Aug 10, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> any info?


Did they have scientific names at all as it is easily to find caresheets that way : victory:


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

XtremeReptiles said:


> Did they have scientific names at all as it is easily to find caresheets that way : victory:


oplurus cuvieri. but i've looked for care sheets- they are few, & vague.


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## blabble182 (Dec 26, 2010)

wilkinss77 said:


> oplurus cuvieri. but i've looked for care sheets- they are few, & vague.


Use this paper to correctly identify them as cuvieri. If they are larger than a foot it is mpst likely correct. Info in this should help you out



http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...GDor0PdS0hjrMKyeQ&sig2=kpPLdZSmRMq_VrpyqodJVA


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## XtremeReptiles (Aug 10, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> oplurus cuvieri. but i've looked for care sheets- they are few, & vague.


Ok this where common names get confusing as these are commonly know as collared iguana as well as curviers madagascan swift also. I had a friend that had one a few years back so i only know very little on them but hope this helps. 

They need a sub tropical environment (6% uv light) which means the humidity they need to be around 50-60% as an average which drops and peaks throughout the day. My friends also liked insects and some fruit and veg but not all will eat this. I would recommend a diggable sub so a sand soil mix is good for that reason as well as to help with the humidity, the humidity can also be kept up by one spray a day or maybe every other. Also have a small water bowl as they will drink from still water as well as moving. Then base your temps around 100-110f basking and 80-82f cool end, but i would use this little bit of care as a base and then go by how they act. :2thumb:


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

blabble182 said:


> Use this paper to correctly identify them as cuvieri. If they are larger than a foot it is mpst likely correct. Info in this should help you out
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...GDor0PdS0hjrMKyeQ&sig2=kpPLdZSmRMq_VrpyqodJVA


yep, they're pretty big, & look like cuvieri. also, cuvieri is the species usually imported. pretty sure that's what they are. your link has the most info i've seen so far.



XtremeReptiles said:


> Ok this where common names get confusing as these are commonly know as collared iguana as well as curviers madagascan swift also. I had a friend that had one a few years back so i only know very little on them but hope this helps.
> 
> They need a sub tropical environment (6% uv light) which means the humidity they need to be around 50-60% as an average which drops and peaks throughout the day. My friends also liked insects and some fruit and veg but not all will eat this. I would recommend a diggable sub so a sand soil mix is good for that reason as well as to help with the humidity, the humidity can also be kept up by one spray a day or maybe every other. Also have a small water bowl as they will drink from still water as well as moving. Then base your temps around 100-110f basking and 80-82f cool end, but i would use this little bit of care as a base and then go by how they act. :2thumb:


thanks for that!:2thumb: your info, combined with blabble182's link, has told me pretty much what i need to know.


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## blabble182 (Dec 26, 2010)

See when I researched them in conjunction with my research on chalarodon who inhabitat the same area the conditions are very dry most of the year with a high uv output 10-12% with a humid wet season to stimulate breeding

Feeding wise they're mainly insectivores but during certain periods consume foragibg fruits and plants


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

they seem pretty straight forward to keep. might get them this weekend.


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## blabble182 (Dec 26, 2010)

Personally i would say the best thing if you do get them is to do the following:

UV output of 10-12% cover 2/3 of the tank providing large palm style leafs at various places in the uv covered area. this gives them both exposure to the higher output and lower 6% as suggested above (through the partial blocking of some of the rays under cover). This mimics their forest enviroment more naturally as there would be breaks in the forest canopy that allow the much higher output through.

Humidity, during the "summer months" id say again to follow the advice above, providing between 40-60% humidity via misting and spraying 1-2 times a day. This mimics their wet season and also stimulates the correct breeding cycle should you wish to attempt to breed a pair. in the winter months don't spray them at all as it would be practically dry in their habitat but DO provide a water bowl for drinking that they can fully submerge themselves in should they need it. 

Heating wise, during the summer period try to keep the ambient temps around the 30 degrees mark with a basking point up to around 34, winter if i remember rightly they have a natural drop with the dry period to around 22-24 ambient, so drop your stat on your bulb aswell to around the 30 mark and also decrease your UV photo period as the days draw in.

Feeding, main staple go for a decent variety, locusts and crix staple, dubias are a great alternative. Plenty of hiding decor aswell as they have been recorded to ambush prey more often than actively looking for it, however they will dig for the likes of grubs and beetles so throwing so mealies, silks or wax worms in there is good stimulation. Always offer fresh water regardless of season. try some different fruits and veg maybe 1-2 a week, tropical fruits such as mango and papaya tend to be a hit with species such as this, leafy green salads etc, look at a red iguana diet for more info on this. remember to supplement calcium every other feed, something with the multi vits every week and gut load your insects with some fresh carrot (dont feed them off food that you wouldnt eat, carrots a good one cause it shrivels and rubberizes before it moulds)

obviously most of this (Along with the personal experiences of xtreme) is from researching the climate thats there and the species that are in it from my own studies for my own reps that originate in the same area, adapt and overcome where it needs it.

don't belive everything you see on the net!


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## chris1978 (Nov 19, 2008)

Bump! 

Just seen a couple of these in a pet store near me and I'm really taken with them. Reading back through the thread they sound relatively straight forward to keep, plus I have experience with keeping Collared Lizards and Curlytails. 

Anyone got any new thoughts or experiences on keeping them?


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## Liamwilko (May 20, 2014)

Spiny Tailed Iguana Care Sheet

Have you tried this one? It's more of general care sheet applying to spiny tailed iguanas as a whole but it gives you a range of information to base your care around. With what others have posted you can take what you want from all of them


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## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

To (hopefully) prevent any confusion; the thread is about the Oplurus genus, most likely Oplurus cuvieri and Oplurus cyclurus. Iguana species native to Madagascar. 



The caresheet linked above is about the Ctenosaura genus, native to Mexico/central America. Two completely different animal groups with widely different habitats and very different requirements.


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## Liamwilko (May 20, 2014)

Creed said:


> To (hopefully) prevent any confusion; the thread is about the Oplurus genus, most likely Oplurus cuvieri and Oplurus cyclurus. Iguana species native to Madagascar.
> 
> 
> 
> The caresheet linked above is about the Ctenosaura genus, native to Mexico/central America. Two completely different animal groups with widely different habitats and very different requirements.


Ok I see. There wasn't any locale specified so I just did a general search and read through a few quickly.:bash:


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## ukgeckos (Apr 11, 2007)

This species loves to climb so provide height where possible. Beware the spines, they draw blood as there super sharp. It would be great to see these cb!!!
Good luck 🍀


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## chris1978 (Nov 19, 2008)

Got a 2 foot high exo-terra which I plan to house them in for while before upgrading to something bigger as they grow. 

Anyone know much about the dietary requirements as info seems to conflict between insects and veg.


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## m4rtinvbrown62 (Sep 30, 2019)

Thank you for the info as its tricky to get the right advice with the confusion of iguana and these.


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## Tortoise Man (Nov 29, 2010)

chris1978 said:


> Got a 2 foot high exo-terra which I plan to house them in for while before upgrading to something bigger as they grow.
> 
> Anyone know much about the dietary requirements as info seems to conflict between insects and veg.


They will need more space as they grow, they can be very active when having suitable environmental conditions.

Dietary is an insectivorous diet.


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## m4rtinvbrown62 (Sep 30, 2019)

Tortoise Man said:


> They will need more space as they grow, they can be very active when having suitable environmental conditions.
> 
> Dietary is an insectivorous diet.


I'm hoping that as the other post was from 2014 they are well settled into adult life by now.
But mines just started out 

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