I kept an Iguana for one of our sons who was away from home for two years without any prior knowledge of how to care for one and it wasn’t fun! Since then I’ve learned some things that I think you would find interesting if you are considering one for a pet.

Iguana’s can live for 15 to 20 years. They can grow to a size of 5 to 7 feet. Their main growth is in the first three years of life.

Housing is extremely important. You can use a glass tank or a cage. The cage needs to be at least 8-10 feet in length, 6 feet in height, and no less than 3-5 deep.

The right temperature for an Iguana is 80-88 degrees during the day and 75-80 degrees at night. One side of the cage should be on the cooler side of the day temperature and the other side of the cage should reach the higher temperature of the day time range. You can use basking lights for the day and lights made for night time temperatures. A heating pad (set on low) can be used for the sleep area. Their sleep habits are similar to ours…up at dawn and in bed at sunset.

To keep your Iguana from dehydrating and maintain a healthy skin keep adequate humidity in the cage by misting at least twice a day. You may also choose to bathe your pet each day which will keep their skin soft.

Make the cage a proper habitat for the Iguana by providing a tree branch about as round as the Iguana’s body for climbing and resting on. Putting leaves and other branches in the cage will allow your Iguana to hide on occasion. You may also want to put artificial grass on the bottom of the cage, but be sure to melt or bind the edges so strands or tuffs won’t be ingested. Newspaper also works.

A good diet for your Iguana includes leafy greens and vegetables (shredded). Fruit may also be given (not more than 10% of the diet).

They are fun pets. However, you need to know enough to be well prepared to take good care of them.

• Five Things To Consider Before You Buy A Pet Iguana
• Owner’s Guide To Impaction In Iguanas
• Four Expert Safety Tips For Dealing With An Aggressive Iguana

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pm and is filed under Pets General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.