6/21/03

If you just got your iguana , try not to handle it for the first few days to let it get used to its surroundings.

Whether you havejust gotten your iguana, had it for some time, or are thinking about getting one, here's what you should provide for it...

1) Caging - First off you need somewhere to put your iguana. Here are options... You can dedicate a room for your iguana which will need to be warmer and more humid, or an easier alternative is to buy or build a cage. Aquariums are generally not well suited for iguanas, with the exception of babies. Iguanas grow very fast, so anything less than 55 gallon tank is usually outgrown within the first year.

Entire house - While giving an iguana the entire house to room gives them plenty of room to move around, there are a lot of things to consider with this option. Iguanas are tropical and require high humidity and very warm temperatures, and these two things are rather difficult to duplicate throughout most homes. Even if you can get the whole house hot and humid, this is only something that should be considered with LARGE iguanas as the smaller iguanas may end up getting stepped on, or just plain lost. There's also the concern with "iguana proofing" the house, which is similar to child proofing, in that you need to keep any small objects completely picked up and away from where they can eat them. You also have to take into consideration that iguanas are agile climbers, so gates won't work. Iguanas like to climb and larger ones can pull down curtains trying to climb them. They can knock down things up high if they can find a way to climb up (such as on shelves). When "iguana proofing" think ahead and try to prevent any hazards - such as securing lights so that they can't be knocked over, making sure plugs are secure and put child outlet covers in unused outlets (same with powerstrips). There are covers you can purchase for entire powerstrips. My concern with the powerstrips is that my iguanas might poop on them, so attaching them to the sides of cages where they won't be able to poop on them has been important to me. If you have other pets such as dogs and cats, this might also not be a good option. Caution must be taken with doors and windows. Screens in windows need to be secured. A better option would be to only set aside one room for your iguana or iguanas.

One dedicated room - Using only one room is a better option than your iguana having access to the entire house all the time. It's easier to keep just one room hot and humid. 4 of my 8 iguanas free roam in a room I have dedicated for my lizards. The others are in cages within the same room (and this is because they are males and would be having some serious fights if I didn't set it up this way). The lights from the other cages really heat up the room nicely. The room is also "iguana proofed" as you would for a child, but including things at heights that they could possibly get into. I have all the lights wired down to the tops of the other cages and the basking area lights for the free roamers are secured so they can't be knocked or pulled over. I also have powerstrips that hold the plugs in much tighter than some do. The packaging specifically made mention of that and I have noticed a difference.

Build or bought caging - The nice thing about caging is that it's easier to keep your iguana safe and the temperature and humidity levels are easier to keep constant. There are quite a few places online where you can get ideas for caging, buy plans to build your own cage, or even buy the cage. Here's a good place to start when considering a cage design - Basic Iguana Cage Design Problems and from that page check out her caging links. She's got it all covered there.
Some things to consider are the materials from which the cage will be built and where will you put the cage. The few cages I have consist of wood framing, plywood on three sides, framed plexiglas for the doors, and hardware cloth for the tops (I'm replacing it with PVC coated as Mandelbrot and Hemme have been trying to get at each other through it and they have been damaging their faces on it; Mandelbrot sitting on top of the cage, and Hemme in the cage with Chester - they're both rather dominant females). Using the hardware cloth (PVC coated) is great for ventillation and makes it really easy for lighting placement. I can even wire the lights to the top so they can't be knocked down by the free roamers in the room.

Fish aquarium - Once your iguanas is around a year old, chances are an aquarium will just be too small to accommodate it. The shape of aquariums are designed for fish and are usually very narrow - not good for iguanas who get very long tails and will be finding it very difficult to turn in them over time. It's also difficult to get a good temperature gradient in such small caging. Unless you're given an aquarium or are borrowing one from someone until you can build your little iguana a cage, I suggest going another route with caging. Aquariums should be temporary housing for an iguana.

Outdoor Caging - This would not be the primary cage, but an addition cage used on nice warm sunny days when you can be around to supervise. You really need to supervise while your iguana is in the outdoor cage to make sure it's not overheating (usually mouth gaping is a good sign it's too warm) and also to make sure other animals can't get in. Half the cage should be protected from the sun/heat, so the iguana can regulate its body temperature as it would in its indoor cage. Some owners provide a misting system to help from overheating. I think the ultimate outdoor iguana enclosure would consist of two areas with a door between the areas. You'd enter the first area, close the door behind you, and then enter the second area where the iguana would be. This would prevent the chance of escapes, especially for those younger skittish iguanas that are easily spooked by new sights and sounds. Also it's important to remember that an iguana that has been outside basking for some time may often seem like a wild animal when you go to take it back in the house. It's warm and has been getting lots of UV and can be difficult to handle. You might want to bring a pillow case or a towel to make sure it doesn't escape between the outdoor cage and the house.

 

2) Lighting - Your iguana is going to need a UV light for its heath and well being. This is not for heating, but for your iguana to produce vitamin D3 to absorb calcium. A UV light in addition to a proper diet will prevent your iguana from getting MBD (metabolic bone disease). For more information on MBD, check out Carmen Iguana's website. It can be a very disfiguring and debilitaing condition. UV lights need to be changed every 6 months. Even though they still emit light, the UV diminishes over that period of time to where a new one is needed. There are many people that will only get the ones specifically made for reptiles. Some can be very costly ($50/bulb). I have found that Verilux worked well for my iguanas, and one was an iguana I took in with severe MBD (Oobleck - she recovered well from MBD using Verilux). When shopping for UV lights in home improvement stores and not a pet store, remember get full spectrum, NOT broad spectrum. I can't stress this enough - your iguana needs a proper diet in addition to the UV light. The UV lights are extrememely important when iguanas are very young and growing at their fastest rates.

Make sure to turn off all lighting at night as your iguana needs a day/night cycle needs to be provided. Using a timer can be very helpful with keeping the on/off times constant.

 

3) Heating - Incandescent lights can provide heat as well as light or you can get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) CHEs require porcelain fixtures because they get too hot for the regular fixtures. They only give off heat and because of this CHEs work well when you need that added heat at night without the light. Your iguana needs a basking area, but also needs areas in the cage/room that are cooler to be able to get away from the heat. Iguanas will move to their basking spot to warm up and digest their food, and when they feel they're getting too warm, they'll move to a cooler area in their cage/room - this is called thermoregulation. The gradient temperature range in the cage/room should be 75F° (24C°) for the cooler end and 85F (29C°) for the warmer end and a temperature range in the basking spot should be 88-95F° (31-35C). At nighttime the temperature should drop around 5 degrees throughout the cage/room (70-83F° or 21-28C°). For babies and adults the daytime ranges apply, but at nighttime, baby iguanas need slightly warmer temperatures.
Iguanas sense and react to heat on their backs more efficiently than through their bellies. This is why you need to be careful when choosing a heat source that will be under your iguana. Skip using hot rocks. Hot rocks can often have hot spots and are usually just too hot. A better alternative, if you need some added heat source, is a human heating pad (on low setting).

Run tests on all your heat sources for at least 24 hours prior to getting the iguana in there. You need to make sure the temperatures are all stable. There are thermometers with alarms that you can set to go off if the temperatures go too low or too high. And... there are thermometers that you can point and click to get a reading - very handy when taking readings when first setting up, or when getting any new heating equipment.

 

4) Water/Humidity - They are from a very tropical climate and require high humidity. Care must also be taken to make sure your iguana gets the humidity without being just plain wet. One way to provide humidity is in the form of misting the cage and iguana with a spray bottle of water several times a day. If your cage is large enough you could purchase a misting system and have it programmed to go on at certain intervals - which can work better if you can't be around during the day to mist. A humidifier is also another good way to provide humidity. I use a warm mist humidifier in the fall and winter which provides my lizard room with added warmth. In the spring and summer I use a cool mist humidifier.
Always provide your iguana access to a bowl of fresh water. Make sure it's not impossible for them to climb out - especially babies. They are excellent swimmers, but being stuck in a deep bowl of deep water might prove fatal. Keep the water shallow.
Allowing your iguana frequent baths in the tub (supervised) is another way to make sure they stay hydrated and is an excellent way to remove stubborn shed. Make sure to disinfect your tub after your iguana uses it. And make sure to rinse the tub well before you put your iguana in, especially if you know you have just cleaned it with chemicals (bleach, tub cleaner, etc.).

 

5) Furnishings - You need to make sure to provide things for your iguana to climb on and a place for it to hide to feel safe. Using materials that can either be easily washed or thrown away when soiled will make it easier to clean, so you'll likely clean it more often. If the furnishings are easy to clean, non-toxic, and can be secure to prevent injuries (falling on the iguana or pinching toes) they should work just fine.

PVC pipe (you can secure rope such as sisal for ease of climbing) or attach long, lightly filled pillows using velcro (and you can secure the other side of the velcro to the PVC pipe using velcro adhesive). I've yet to try this, but have really wanted to do so for some time now. This would work better for more horizontally placed pipes as it could be difficult to grip onto the pillow forms if placed more vertically. The PVC pipes are easier to sanitize than tree branches and you won't have to worry about any pests like mites.

For a hide box, I have cut open a half circle on one end of a flipped over cat litter pan. I see Brigadune hiding in his quite often. Cardboard boxes are great to use too because they can be disposed of when soiled (and they accomodate some larger iguanas as well).

6) Substrates - There seems to be more unsafe sustrates than there are safe substrates when it comes to iguanas. Avoid substrates that your iguana can ingest and cause a blockage (impaction) - some substrates that you should AVOID are sand, gravel, mulch, dirt, wood chips/bark (Cedar and pine shavings are toxic as well as causing a possible impaction), and even the astro turf can be dangerous as some of the fake grass can come loose and be eaten. These following substrates are OK for iguanas - newpaper/newsprint (use older papers first as the ink is better set), paper towels, and rabbit pellets as long as you remove any wet pellets because they will get moldy).

 

7) Diet - Preparing food for iguanas can be quite time consuming. It's easier to prepare food for the week at one time and refrigerate in a storage container or zip bag. Feeding a variety of vegetables and fruits is the best for your iguana. See the diet page for more information.

 

8) Vet - Have a vet lined up that can take care of your iguana if a problem arises. Not all vets know much about reptiles, and this sometimes is the case for the ones that claim to be reptile vets, so if you can try to have someone recommend a reptile vet for you. It's also a good idea to keep certain items on hand so you can take care of minor problems.

 

antibiotic ointment - such as Neosporin for minor scrapes and scratches

Betadine - add a little to water so it looks like weak tea - for use on cuts and scratches before applying the antibiotic ointment

bandages - gauze squares and rolls of cloth are good to have on hand, sterile and non-sterile, as well as some non-stick which is nice to put on the wound without worry that when the dressing is removed, the scab will come with it and the injury will reopen. I put a small amount of antibiotic ointment on the non-stick dressing before applying it to the wound (and then either wrap with the roll gauze and then tape, or just tape, depending on the injury). Hopefully you'll never need to use it, but it's always good to have it on hand. It's especially necessary of you have multiple iguanas and they have access to each other (toe nail scrapes and bites).

tape - to secure the bandages

mineral oil - to aid in removal of shed on spikes. Keep in mind that you don't want to slather the iguana with the stuff. Massage a small amount on the spikes and it generally loosens the shed free.

cotton swabs - to apply Betadine solution to wounds or loosen stubborn shed

nail clippers/scissors - for trimming claws - Just snip the points off only. If you cut too far down the nail will bleed, which takes us to the next item to have on hand, styptic powder... Make sure if you have nail clippers or nail scissors to have styptic powder as well. I have one of the Henry Lizardlover's Nail Melt-It tools. It's great for sculpting the nails and losing the sharp edge of a freshly trimmed nail. It's also great for little nails (babies and juvies) - just a quick touch of the nail with the heated end and the point it gone. The only downside is the burnt nail smell.

styptic powder - for use with toe nails cut too short, or if they happen to snag a toenail on something and rip it out (you can find this in the pet stores for dogs and cats, used to stop the bleeding of a nail cut too short). Use a generous amount as it will stop the bleeding faster. Cornstarch is an alternative, but doesn't work nearly as well as styptic powder.