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Iguana Care
There are a few things to be considered before buying an iguana. These are to be examined before any purchase of such an animal are made. Unfortunately, the chances of most iguanas surviving for extended periods of time in captivity are not good. Despite the fact that iguanas are so easily available to the pet trade, there specific care to live a full and healthy life are quite strict. They also get to a very large size that most folks do not realise. Their diet must be correct and lighting and heating specifics are strict. They are also very territorial, and will usually stay this way for life. There is really no such thing as taming an iguana, or any reptile for that matter. As a rule of thumb, reptiles are “look at only” pets. They stress easily, and unlike most household pets they are not a “hands-on” pet. They should be concidered wild by nature. Never aquire one without understanding this point.
Housing
First off, a cage will have to be big enough to allow your iguana to roam around. It must provide a basking area and areas to climb on. Iguanas are an arboreal species, meaning that they live out most of their life in the trees in their natural habitat. You will want to mimic their natural tropical environment to the best of your ability. Proper caging is a necessity to your lizards health.
If you start off with a young baby iguana, a larger aquarium will suffice until it reaches the size that it will need a bigger area in which to live. Larger iguanas need a fairly spacious arrangement. A tight fitting top/door is needed and I recommend a locking mechanism to keep it from getting out, and other things from getting in.
When iguanas get to 2 feet (not exceeding) you will definitely need a large permanent cage to house them in. Some cage manufactures make cages designed for larger iguanas and work well, yet you can make your own if you so desire. If you make your own, dimensions for a 4 foot iguana should be 6 foot long, 6 foot high and at least 30 inches wide. Mesh for the cage must be sufficient for the iguana to climb on. Mesh with small holes may catch the iguanas toenails and injure the toes. There is pet mesh on the market with adequate specifics, and is better than metal screen ( which also may hurt the iguana as it rubs its nose looking for a way out).
Space is needed for these lizards, so take this into thought. One thought to keep in mind in caging is the control of humidity and heat. To much of an “airy” cage will rapidly loose both, but yet not enough air will keep them to high. Allow just enough air to enter the cage so that they are balanced correctly.
Free-roaming iguanas are at risk for a matter of things. One, they can fall or get caught in something. They can get into household products/plants and other objects that are toxic. They can hurt people and try to dominate people and other animals . It is not likely you can control the environment in an area of the size of a room for an iguana. Cages are there for a matter of reasons, so make sure you can resort to having a large cage available for your iguana. I have known people who have changed large closets into elaborate caging for iguanas, and they turn out well with a lot of room for them to use. This is a possibility for you if you so desire.
Lighting, heating and humidity.
Remember that iguanas are both arboreal and heliothermic. Arboreal refers to trees. They climb and do it well. They spend most of their time up in the canopy of their native environments. Heliothermic refers to the cold-blooded nature of reptiles. They depend on the surrounding temperature to regulate their body temperature. They spend their time in sunlight to regulate their body heat and to help digest their food. You will need to mimic a sunlit habitat in the cage.
A full-spectrum light is a necessity, providing natural UV light. UVB must be provided, this provides the essentials to use the calcium they so need correctly. A fluorescent UVB bulb will not get to hot, so the bulb can be close to the lizard itself. Allow the lizard to bask between 6 and 12 inches to obtain the usefulness of the bulb. These lizards depend on the light for there health and well being. This cannot be avoided by just using a simple incandescing bulb. A bulb that is recommended for reptiles is what should be used. These bulbs have a high output (5%) of the needed UVB. Other “Plant Grow” and the so-called “Incandescent UVB” bulbs to not have such a high amount and should not be used. Also, these bulbs loose their output of the UVB, so changing bulbs every 6 months is necessary.
A heat source can come from a number of things. First off, I will say that you never use heat rocks. It is an unnatural heat source for arboreal heliotherms, and also that they tend to get to hot for the lizards anyhow and run the risk of burning your lizard. You can use a simple household light (60-100 watt) or ceramic heater (screw in like a bulb). Make sure it cannot come in contact with any lizard. Bulbs get extremely hot and will definitely burn an iguana. The temperature of the basking area must be between 95-98 ° for at least 8 hours a day, and a temp no lower than 85 ° overall throughout the cage. A body temperature between 89-95 ° is when your iguana will be the most disease resistant. Keeping two thermometers in the cage, one being in the basking area and the other in the cool end of the cage are a great way to monitor the temperatures in the cage. Manufacturers now make thermometers that take the high and low temps for the day. Also allow for a “cool” spot, not necessarily cool or cold, but a place so the iguana can come out of the heat as so it will not overheat. This can be as low as 75° but no lower than. Dips in temps at night are ok, as long as the temp does not get too cool.
Humidity is also a must with iguanas. 60-80% humidity is an average you will want to keep in the cage. This can be achieved by placing a water bowl in the cage and by misting if needed. Iguanas will take advantage of both to drink as well, and the humid air aids in shedding. Keep the cage as closed to air circulation as you can, within reason though. Allow just enough air to keep the air fresh and from developing mold and to much humidity and heat. This is something you may need to adjust to get it just right. Barometers will be needed to keep track of the proper humidity.
Feeding your iguana.
Well, to start off, iguanas are foliovores. Foliovores are foliage specific. They eat leaves, shoots and flowers of the plants and trees around them. They are not truly herbivores, this makes up fruits and vegetables. They do not consume these in there native habitat, and therefore do not need it in captivity. Their gut is designed to digest high cellulose matter of plants. Never should you feed them any animal matter. May it be insects, mice, monkey biscuits or whatever. It is not needed and will eventually lead to serious problems. Even death! No people foods either.
So, what should you feed your iguana? For starters, grocery stores carry a good amount of greens that are beneficial for your pet. Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, cilantro, parsley and turnip greens are great. Dark greens like this are best. It is best to switch around these greens to benefit from them all. Do not limit yourself to getting only one type of greens. Food should have a 2:1 ratio of calcium and phosphorus. Your iguana should be fed once a day, enough that it fills itself up completely as it wishes. They eat a lot of food, so don’t worry if it seems your iguana is a cow when it comes to feeding. Also, iguanas should be fed earlier in the day, so that it has time to warm itself enough to digest its meal as well as it can. There is info on the web, such as IguanaDen.com that have a fair diet for iguanas. Remember they are foliovores, this may be a bit tricky to get the right food year round in smaller grocery stores. So look around for a place that will have most of these foods for as much of the year as possible. Otherwise, these reptiles should not be purchased and/or kept.
Iguanas in captivity do not get as mush sunlight as they would in the wild, which provides necessary UVB light and vitamin D3. Giving them supplements helps give back what captivity will not allow. For younger iguanas, use it sparingly every couple of days. For adults you’ll want to use it about once every 10-14 days. I recommend using the dry powders such as Miner-all or other such supplement. Never use the iguana pellets. They are not quite easy for them to digest nor does an iguana even really like to take them. Stick with the powders, they work very well and a little goes a long way. You really do not need much. Be careful because this too can cause problems if given to much supplement. A light sprinkle is all that is needed.
Bedding.
Lets see here. What should you use for bedding? There are a number of things available on the market. One of the simplest things to use is newspaper. Although this may not look the best, I assure you it is easily available and easy to clean. It is also cheap which keeps costs down. Paper towels also work great. Whatever method of bedding you use, it will need to be cleaned constantly. Iguanas eat and defecate constantly so this is a must. Keeping the ease of cleaning in mind makes sure you are also more avid in cleaning. A lot of people slack in the cleaning due to the trouble and time consuming methods with some substrates.
Things not to be used would be reptile "astro-turf", or fake grass carpeting or indoor/outdoor carpeting. It gets dirty, and from then on it stays that way. No matter how dry and clean it feels, it is not. It holds in moisture and bacteria, which breeds more and can lead to illness in your iguana. Anything like wood shavings, rabbit food pellets or the like. Iguanas will consume these in their cages, and is at risk of having these substrates compact the gut and intestines. This also can lead to many problems.
Other accessories.
These are other things that are a must for your iguanas health. You will need all of these items to insure a long and happy life for your iguana. Fresh water. This is both for keeping the humidity available and to supply drinking water as well. A large tub that your iguana can soak in and drink from will provide this. Plastic tubs are the best and are easily cleaned. It should be a few inches deep, but not deep enough to cover the lizard in water. Also pick something that wont tip over. Spilt water is a pain to deal with, and also causes mold and bacteria when not attended to. Misting the cage with water, preferably over the iguana, will ensure proper humidity and encourage the iguana to drink. It also loosens any shedding skin. I also mist the food a little to raise the water intake. Your iguana will deficate more than likely in its water bowl so it may need to be changed often.
Climbing and basking areas. Arboreals need to get off the ground, it is in their nature. They will climb just about anything in front of them, may it be a person, tree or drape. A basking area must be given underneath the lighting and heating supply. This aids in their digestion and livelihood. The basking branch should be as thick as the lizard is wide, if not wider. Climbing areas are needed to let the lizards get around its enclosure with ease and to let it be more at home. I would say that one climbing branch and one basking branch be provided at a minimum.
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