Making A Terrarium For Your Pet Iguana

A large, airy terrarium is needed for your pet iguana with an area for basking and plants or branches for climbing.

Suitable Terrariums

Iguanas grow very fast and can often more than double their size in just a year. Make sure you buy a large enough terrarium so it doesn't have to be replaced when your iguana is fully grown. But at least a forty or fifty gallon sized tank. A large open, airy terrarium with plenty of foliage and climbing areas will suit your pet. A glass cage can heat up too much in the sun so a mesh cage would be preferable. Check all edges to make sure there are no sharp places to injure your pet.
Always make sure the lid and doors are securely fastened.

Lighting

Iguanas need UVB lighting to ensure they have healthy bones. Keep the UVB lamp on in the daytime and use an infra red lamp during the night. Position the lamps about eighteen inches above the mesh lid.

Heating

Iguanas, like other reptiles cannot control there body temperature and are cold blooded. You need to make sure the temperature is correct at all times. The terrarium can be heated by heat pads underneath the floor or by incandescent lamps or ceramic heaters. The temperature should be kept at around 86F in the day and about 75F at night. The basking area should be at between 90F and 94F and special reptile basking lamps can be used. Iguanas like to climb high to bask so set your basking lamps at the top of your cage close to a branch or shelf for the iguana to sit on.

In order to ensure that the terrarium is at the correct temperature for your iguana you need at least two thermometers. One in the basking area and one in the cooler part of the cage. It is difficult to get an accurate reading if you place the thermometer in the direct rays of the lamp. Place it to one side or cover with a piece of paper. It is vitally important that the temperature is correct. Observe your pet and see if it keeps close to the heating source, it is possible too cool, or moves right away from the heating source, it is possible too hot.

A note about hot rocks - do not use them. They can get very hot and severely burn your pet.

Feeding Your Iguana

Provide fresh water daily for your pet. Either provide a bathing area or spray your iguana with a gentle mist of clean water daily. The main meal should be dark green leafy plants such as cilantro, mustard greens, lettuce, dandelions, green beans, chicory, ocra etc, a healthy diet should be 80% leafy green vegetables, 10% other vegetables and 10% fruit. Suitable fruits include papaya, figs, grapes, raspberries and blackberries. Foods high in oxalic acid are toxic to Iguanas and should not be used. These include kale, cauliflower, spinach, rhubarb, beets,turnips and brussel sprouts. Iguanas should never be fed on dog or cat food, cheese, eggs or meat.

A commercially prepared diet can be used but so not use for more than half of your pets diet. Supplement it with fresh vegetables. Dries food needs to be moistened before giving it to your pet and chop up any food into small pieces as iguanas are not capable of chewing food. A juvenile iguana should be fed daily, an adult can be fed twice a week. Iguanas should always be given a supplement once or twice a week containing vitamins and calcium.