Iguana
ABOUT
Iguanas are cold blooded reptiles. They are not easy to care for and often die in captivity. They should never be purchased without careful consideration. Iguanas are very expensive to care for, you need to make sure that they have the proper heat and lighting conditions, that they are fed the correct foods, and that their cage offers them enough room to grow to their full 4-6 feet. If you are considering buying an iguana, think how it will cost to spend the majority of your money making sure they are properly cared for. They are not a throw away pet!
Basic Care Plan for Iguana
Give your iguana a lot of sunlight. Iguanas need lots of natural sunlight so they can absorb the U.V.B. and U.V.A light.
U.V.A light keeps your iguana feeling good and happy. U.V.B. light allows the iguana to digest their food and absorb vitamin D which allows them to absorb the calcium that they need to help prevent metabolic bone disease.he best source of U.V.A light is the sun or room lights in your home. U.V.B. light is more difficult to come by. Larger pet stores like Pet Smart offer fluorescent bulbs that are designed specifically for U.V.B. output. One of these bulbs is necessary to keep your iguana healthy.This bulb should be changed every 6 months.
It is also very important to provide adequate heat for your iguana. These reptiles are native to warm climates such as Central and South America, and they are not used to lower temperatures. When keeping an iguana as a pet it is important to have a heat lamp to keep the iguana warm. Average temperature needed on a day to day basis is between 80 and 90 degrees. Once you have a heat lamp in place it is important to make sure that you watch your iguana to see how they react to the heat. If they are constantly under the heat lamp it needs to be warmer, if they are never under the heat lamp it needs to be cooler. Night time temperature shouldn't drop below 75oF, day time temperatures should be in the range of 85-95oF, with a hot stop between 97-99oF. Check your temperatures. These temperatures can be attained by use of heat lamps hooked up to a dimmer. Iguanas are cold blooded and cannot regulate their temperature like humans. Therefore when they get to hot or cold they move to where it is cooler or warmer. Do not allow your iguana direct access to the heat lamps. They may burn themselves. Electrically heated terrarium rocks, though aesthetically pleasing are potentially dangerous and should not be used.
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Prepare your iguana's home. You'll need a nice large house for your iguana. An aquarium that you get from a pet store is not big enough, even for your baby iguana. A good size for an adult iguana cage is 3 feet deep x 6 feet wide x 6 feet high. This will give even an adult iguana some space to move around.
Other things to consider include the need for branches, as iguanas love to climb. As well as a way to regulate the humidity within the cage. Consider buying a humidifier to put moisture into the air. The most important thing to remember when buying or making your pet's home is that iguanas grow very fast.
Feed your iguana properly. Iguanas are vegetarians and a variety of dark green leafy vegetables will keep your iguana healthy. Recommended greens are -collard greens, mustard greens, alfalfa, dandelion greens, watercress. Iguanas do not eat head lettuce! Romaine lettuce is acceptable. Iguanas also need a wide variety of other fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet. These include -yucca root, snap peas, parsnip, papayas, okra, mango, kabocha squash, green beans, butternut squash and acorn squash. As treats you can give them - dahlia, hibiscus, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, whole wheat bread pieces. Do not be afraid of giving your iguana "Commercial Iguana Food". It does provide the nutrients they need. However, it is highly recommended to give them the vegetables and fruit before stated, so they have a broad source of vitamins and nutrients they need. Iguanas also need a constant supply of fresh, clean water to drink from!
