Basic Care Instructions for the Green Iguana

Reptiles are rapidly growing more popular as pets, and iguanas are no exception.  However, how to care for iguanas is not common knowledge.  Many iguanas are improperly cared for, and end up dying early.  Many people just do not realize how difficult and time consuming it can be to take care of these lizards.  These instructions will go over some of the basic care owners must give their iguana. The three main topics that will be covered are: habitat, feeding/ diet, and general care.  Included in the diet section is a basic iguana salad recipe.  Caring for these creatures can be a daunting task.  Taking the time to do some research on them, and setting aside time in your daily life is a good place to start. 

Step 1 Materials Needed

You need to make sure you have these materials available before you start getting ready for your iguana.

- Cage which is preferably 4x3x5 ft. (length x width x height) or larger.
- Reptile heat lamps (day light, and a blue night light)
- UV light which provides at least 7 watts per cubic foot of UV radiation
- Newspaper
- shelving or branches
- Spray bottle or humidifier
- Nail clippers
- Tub or a bath
- Plants (real or fake) to decorate habitat
- Water bowl
- wash rag

Materials needed for iguana salad:

- Food processor
- 1 quart freezer bags (20 should do)
- B1 vitamin
- food plate or bowl
- The following fruits and vegetables: 1 mango, 1 cantelope, 1 sweet potato, 4 yellow squash, 1.5 cups of green beans, 2 parsnips, 2 carrots, 1 cup dry alfalfa pellets, 1 bunch of collard greens

Comments

[carlosmogvip]

Loved it

[Wynd]

Please advise that you need a UVB light, not just any old UV light ;)

http://iguanaden.org/care/uvb.htm

[j626no]

You should try to avoid metal mesh for the cages. Plastic is far superior.  The metal can cut them and actually rip out nails.  PVC, plastic, and lots of zip-ties make a great cage for your herp.  Other than that, good job.

[j626no]

Also....purchase a "scissor-style" nail clipper for you ig....the normal style for humans doesn't really slice but more of squeezes. This causes the nail to crack and can cause more bleeding.  You can pick up the scissor style for only a few bucks at a pet store and since they have finger holes, its easier to clip the nails without worrying about dropping the clippers. 

[bamoser]

 Yea I have the scissor clippers too, couldn't find them when i took the picture.  Plastic is definitely better for a cage, like you said they are less likely to get hurt and the plastic will keep in heat and humidity.  However I"m a full time college student at ISU and didn't have the money or the time to go this route.  Thanks for your comments though.

[j626no]

 Here is a (mess) shot of the cage I had built for my ig a few years back.  I used the lid from a storage bin as a pull out litter box and had a swinging door made from pvc.  The rope was just my quick solution to hold up the sides I made.  I realized that I was losing too much humidity and heat so I went out and purchased a thick vinyl shower curtain, some spline, and the frame for making screens.  I used a hacksaw to cut the screen frames to length, used the connectors to make connect them into a frame, then I used the spline to make vinyl "walls" that worked very well.  In total this cage only took about a day to make.  I gave it away though with my iguana before I left for school.  Good luck with your ig!

[lemonie]

Nice, I thought Iguana to be omnivorous, what is the B-vitamin a substitute for w/ref natural diet?

L

[bamoser]

In the wild juvenile iguanas are known to eat insects from time to time, but animal protein is very hard on their kidneys and can cause death eventually.  Heres a link to an interesting article about this: http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/animalprotein.html

[lemonie]

Interesting link Does the B-vitamin replace some minor but essential natural food source?

L

[bamoser]

The natural B1-vitamins leach out of vegetables during freezing so they need to be added back in before feeding.  Iguanas need the B1-vitamin to help them in digesting their food.