VANCOHerps

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Welcome to my Website!

Please Enjoy Your Stay.

For a while, as a hobby, I'm offering iguana-bite resistant Kevlar gloves.

Since purchasing a bulk supply of Kevlar gloves to sell on this site, I've found gloves that far exceed pure Kevlar in cut resistance. (See note way down at bottom) These gloves have fabric that includes fine stainless steel wire. They come in various weights, and there is even a pure woven steel glove - the ultimate in protection. I stoped using my hyper-link to point to this site while I researched these various super-gloves.

Another version of superior cut-resistant glove uses small hexagonal ceramic tiles that are glued to the fabric. A sure cut stopper, though a bit less dexterous. They even make a version that protects against needle-sticks by using two hex layers that are 1/2 offset in relation to each other. The ultimate cut/stick prevention glove.

I chose the stainless steel weave version. See them at:

http://www.ckmfg.com/protective_wear/safety_cut-resistant.htm

These gloves cost about $20 to $40/glove. I will choose a retail price that beats the other on-line suppliers. It's still a lot of $, but I can finally say that the bite protection is real. With the Kevlar gloves, protection is enhanced, but not as much as the woven stainless gloves. I am still offering the Kevlar gloves (see below), and the arm protection sleeves will perfectly well pair up with the ckm gloves.

If there is interest, I will go ahead and buy into this company so I can offer good bite-resistant gloves to herp fanatics. Please contact me at rogervan@sonic.com Your input will govern whether I will invest in an inventory of these gloves.

I orginally bought a supply of pure Kevlar gloves and tested them with a sharp serrated bread knife.

The gloves pass that test: they resisted slicing much better that gloves of similar weight of other fabrics. Stainless gloves would be impossible to cut through with a knife. Either may be all that a particular individual needs. I am one of those who only needs minimal protection; my grown heavy male does not bite, but he does not like to be held, and when I must handle him, the Kevlar gloves along with the Kevlar sleeves protect me from his clawing. My juvvie iguanas bite like crazy and are heavy enough to cut me, but i don't need more protection that the Kevlar gloves during their taming.

The first thing I want to do is offer these woven Kevlar gloves and scratch-proof sleeves at a reasonable price. They are available now. The gloves are made of knitted Kevlar. Kevlar is utilized for it's resistance to abrasion, so it's used in bullet-proof vests, and a Kevlar-gloved person can grab a knife blade that is held by another person, and the fabric will resist the sharp edge of the knife cutting through. So, Kevlar is an excellent choice for protection against moderate iguana bites. They can bruise you through the gloves, but they have difficulty cutting through it. Ig dentition (arrangement and shape of teeth) is designed to slice not bite-and-hold. Although they can use a bite-and-hold move when they become amorous toward a person or thing. Enraged territorial iguanas bite to draw blood, and bite and alligator-roll to inflict the most damage they can.

The gloves I carry are seemingly light-duty, but they stop moderate iguana bites. While wearing them, you can pick up a penny, as they have neoprene dots on the palms and fingers.

I would not recommend using them to stop the crushing bite of a 40 pound water monitor, or an ig bite when a finger is in the corner of the ig's jaws, or against the bites of an enraged adult iguana. The stainless-woven gloves work for more dangerous situations.

If you hold the iguana horizontally, the iguana may back up, pulling the sleeves down, giving your forearm less protection.  Carry it to whatever place you are going, and lay the ig down without trying to shake it off; it will let go and maybe try to bite you so keep your face back. I often handle large jumpy/resistant igs by getting them sideways against my waist, pressing them in, so they get a foothold and calm down. The kevlar gloves and sleeves make it a bloodless and more confident and smooth process for both sides.

With both of the shields and gloves on, an iguana has a harder time drawing blood from your elbow to the tip of your fingers. However, you might get a bruise if you have tender skin and the ig bites down on a fold of your skin under the Kevlar. These gloves are for people with iguanas that are not out to kill and destroy, and for those of us who have iguanas in their first year of age. See above about stainless-steel woven gloves.

(If your iguana does stalk-and-kill, or throws himself at the front of his cage to get at you, read the info above about steel reinforsed gloves, and check them out at the mfg website.) And pick a forum to ask about your ig seeing his reflection in his clear door, and what to do about it.

IMO these Kevlar sleeves are at least as good as other brands of sleeves, and the price might be better..

Kevlar knitted gloves: $10.50/pair.

Kevlar tightly woven sleeves: $10.50/pair

Extra heavy duty Kevlar rgloves:$15.00/pair

Pictues coming soon.

Cost of shipping varies but handling is free.

Contact me at rogervan@sonic.net. I use PayPal Next-day shipping, e-check shipping once the check has cleared. Slow and inexpensive delivery, fast and expensive, your choice.


Please give me an accurate shipping destination - home, office, etc. Please double-check the physical address you have written in your e-mail.

I have been in the herp community for many years, and the people at
http://members2.boardhost.com/greenigsociety/,

and

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IguanaMail/messages

, and others rehabbers know me very well.

Payment: PayPal, or personal check.

Guaranteed next-day shipping, once payment is received. They will be in the mail as soon as PayPal alerts me, or when your check has cleared.

I owe Melissa Kaplan a lot. It was her informative website 13 years ago that taught me how to keep my hapless little igs alive. Now the one I still have thrives, thanks to Melissa and the help from the forums. As soon as i figure out how to do it, I'll put links to Melissa's site, and to Jenn Swofford's site. Jenn and Melissa were on the leading edge of figuring out the modern way to keep captive igs alive.

Roger

Note:

You can test this fabric by obtaining some Kevlar, and try using your best fabric shears to cut it. You will chew away at it and get along a short distance. Then you'll need to have your shears re-sharpened. IMO, as far as I can tell, Kevlar, and the other aramids, are very much more resistant to abrasion than other fabrics, which makes them so hard to cut or bite through. Wjhen I used to do kevlar-epoxy boat layups, the kevlar cutting was tough.

Roger