how to iguana proof a room?
Wondering About the Ideal Iguana Cage Set Up? Ideally, most iguana owners would live in an area that could support an outdoor iguana enclosure, since iguanas need lots of exposure to UVB rays to thrive. If you can’t keep your iguana outdoors, you still want to give your pet lots of space.
Most iguanas need a small room in order to be comfortable and your iguana’s enclosure should give your pet enough space to climb up and turn fully. For a baby or young iguana (up to around 18-inches long), a 20-gallon aquarium is adequate. An adult iguana, however (which can grow to 6-feet in length and weigh 11 or more pounds), requires much more room. An adult iguana tank should be at least 12-feet long by 8-feet high.
Different material, such as wood, mesh, plexiglass, can be used to build a custom made tank. A glass tank should not be used, due to the lack of ventilation. Glass tanks are extremely humid and can quickly lead to an overgrowth of mold or fungus without proper ventilation and daily cleaning.
Once you’ve set up your iguana’s cage, you want to fill it with lots of “enrichment” toys. Choose a selection of live, safe-for-iguana plants to create hiding spots. You can also put in some different shaped branches with varying widths and lengths. Make sure they have been checked in advance for any ectoparasites.
What Substrate Should I Use in My Iguana Tank? While loose substrate may make the enclosure look more “realistic,” it can increase the risk of disease, GI tract impaction, molding and more. Without consistent changes, loose substrate can be very dangerous for iguanas. We recommend putting Repticarpet or paper towels on the bottom of your iguana’s enclosure.
Does My Iguana Like to Play?
Iguanas are generally sedentary beings. Given proper basking and cooling areas, many iguanas will be more than happy to rest for large portions of the day. Do not let their calm nature fool you; when stressed or threatened, a full-grown iguana is extremely fast and can cause serious damage.
It is very important to tame and train your pet iguana when he or she is young to make sure that they behave more appropriately when they are much stronger. An iguana that is scared can very easily break the arm of their owner. With proper training and care, however, many iguanas become docile and would never do such a thing!
Do Iguanas Need to Bathe?
Some iguanas do enjoy soaking in water, and if yours is one of them—go for it! You can offer them a bath weekly ensuring that the water does not go above your iguana’s stomach. As long as this activity isn’t stressful, it should be added to your pet iguana’s life as a form of enrichment. An iguana shows that they are stressed by breathing more heavily, opening their mouths, thrashing their tail, and generally trying to escape from the activity.
Baths are more important during shedding periods. Like other reptiles, iguanas periodically shed their skin. When they are about to shed, you want to mist and soak them regularly. Many iguanas will shed in pieces, so it’s important to keep an eye on what has been shed and ensure that no small pieces of skin are still attached to your pet iguana. If some skin is still stuck, contact your local reptile vet to avoid complications from improper blood circulation.
Providing the Right Climate for Your Iguana
You want to use a heat bulb to keep your iguana’s tank at just the right temperature. Heat is very important, as it helps facilitate your reptile’s growth and digestion. Ambient temperature of an iguana enclosure should be 85-90 °F, with the hottest point of your iguana’s tank reaching 95-105 °F. It’s important that the heat source come from above, since iguanas regulate their body temperature using a “third eye” located on the top of their head.
Make sure you also have a designated cool area in your tank so that the iguana can thermoregulate itself. Depending on the size of your pet iguana’s tank, you may need two or more bulbs to maintain the right temperature.
What Temperature Should the Tank Be at Night? At night, you can lower the temperature in the tank to 75-80 °F. We recommend using ceramic heat lights, red, or purple light at night to prevent from the disruption of your pet’s light cycle (or yours), since these fixtures only emit heat and no light. Iguanas should have a light cycle of 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Keeping these times steady allows for proper hormone production and regulation. For references on our UVB lighting recommendations refer to our Lighting Guide here.
Reptiles Like it Steamy!
Humidity is also critical for any reptile and your iguana’s tank should have 70-80% humidity. This kind of humidity can be achieved with consistent misting and a high ambient enclosure temperature. To help keep a consistent humidity level, you may want to invest in a commercial misting system, such as the ones made by ZooMed and ExoTerra.
Don’t Forget Your Hygrometer! Be sure to include a hygrometer in your tank to measure humidity. This will let you monitor the true level of humidity in your iguana’s tank. Electric fogger and monsoon systems can also be used. Gravity drip systems can also be utilized but multiple may be necessary in a larger enclosure.
An Important Note about Electricity
