Heating/Lighting

Your main goal in setting up your iguana's heating and lighting is to provide a warm basking area (90F-94F) and a cooler area (75F-84F) so that your iguana can acclimate itself to the temperature IT chooses to be in at any given time and get the necessary UVB rays so that it can metabolize calcium. All lights must stay on for 12-14 hours and be off for 10-12 hours. Iguanas need to sleep at nighttime in darkness (black lights are available for nighttime heat but will usually disrupt your iguana's natural sleeping patterns).

UVB Fluorescent Lighting

UVB Fluorescent Lights are cool lights and give off no heat, they must be used together with basking lights. You will need to provide your iguana with a UVB light in an area of its enclosure that it spends most of its time in, preferably high up where it can climb to. It must be positioned 8-14 inches away from your iguana, shining on it with no glass or plastic cover (large holed screen is okay to shine through). Wherever you set up your basking spot is where you will also put your UVB light. This type of light gives off no heat, so other bulbs will be needed to create a basking spot that is (90F-94F) degrees. These type of lights need to be replaced every six months because they loose their effectiveness even if they don't burn out. Iguana Light, Reptisun, and Vitalite are popular ones and can be found in most pet stores in different sizes. You can save some money if you buy the fixture from a hardware store and just take off, and do not use, the plastic cover that most come with.

(I Do Not Use A UVB Light.I Use Solar Drops.I Give My Iguana One Drop On A Green Bean Every Week.)

Lighting It has long been thought that full-spectrum bulbs are necessary for iguanas to produce Vitamin D3 which helps iguanas absorb calcium. Recently, studies have been done that prove that this type of lighting DOES NOT work to duplicate natural sunlight. In fact, in a study done by Dr. Fredric L. Frye, it was determined that you would need 6 to 8 of these lights(commonly called Vitalites) within a few inches of the iguana, 12 to 14 hours a day to have any effect at all. We also know of a university student who did her master's thesis on full-spectrum lighting for reptiles. She used living tissue samples for the study and came to the same conclusion as Dr. Frye. Studies have also been done to show that iguanas can absorb Vitamin D3 through a proper diet. Full spectrum lighting can give off light that LOOKS similar to natural sunlight, so it may be psychologically beneficial for your iguana, but if you are just buying the light for calcium absorption reasons, don't waste your money. Instead, if you can provide them as much natural sunlight as possible, along with a good diet, this would be a far better thing to do as well as cheaper. There is no replacement for the benefits that your iguana can receive from natural sunlight. It does wonders for their coloration and their overall "pep". Remember to always provide your iguana with some shade to get out of the sun if they wish, and to never bring them outdoors in a glass aquarium as the heat inside the tank will quickly rise to lethal levels.

Basking Lights

Basking Lights are responsible for heating your iguana and MUST be used with UVB fluorescent lights. In setting up your basking area (90F-94F) you can use any of a number of basking lights available. However, there has been some controversy as to whether these special lights do anything special at all. Using regular white incandescent lightbulbs like the ones you use in your lamps will do the trick just as well. Use round bulbs (not spot or reflector lights) in a silver dome fixture. If you do decide to use spot or reflector lights, use them in a fixture without a dome, otherwise the light may get too hot. The silver backing on spot/reflector lights take the place of a dome. Do not make your iguana's entire cage 90-94 F. The basking area should be at that temperature and your iguana should be able to escape to a cooler area of the enclosure any time it chooses. The cooler area that you set up in your cage should be about (75F-84F) degrees. Your basking area should be the highest area in your cage, a place where your iguana can climb up to like a branch or shelf.

Ceramic Heaters

Instead of using basking lightbulbs, you may use a ceramic heater. Be sure you use these in special porcelain light fixtures that are specially made to withstand the high heat that the base of the ceramic heaters give off. If you decide to use a ceramic heater be very careful to monitor the temperatures in your cage and basking area. Ceramic heaters can get VERY HOT!

Heating Your Iguana At Night

For juvenile iguanas (about up to two years old), the enclosure should be about 78-84F degrees at night. Adult iguanas can tolerate nighttime temperatures of 74-82 and even prefer it a little cooler than juveniles. This can be accomplished by using either ceramic heaters or black night lights. You can also find red ones available for night. I personally believe that blue or red light disturbs the natural sleeping patterns of the iguana, therefore I will only use ceramic heaters. When the weather is warm, an adult iguana can safely stay without any heaters on at night if your house temperature is around 74. Never position your iguanas nighttime heating device to aim directly at your iguana, it should always be off to the side of it, so as not to cause burns. Your nighttime goal is not to create a basking area, but to create a warm (not hot) climate according to the above nighttime temperatures. Ceramic bulbs are hotter than light bulbs according to wattage, so you will need to experiment with different wattages and a good thermometer.

Thermometers

To make sure your temperatures are correct use a thermometer. It is a bit difficult to get an accurate reading by just sticking a thermometer in your iguana's cage. Here are some tricks I use: First of all you should have at least two thermometers in your iguana's enclosure. One should be in the cooler area and one in the basking spot. When I test the temperature I try not to face the thermometer in the basking spot directly in the ray of the light or ceramic heater because it can give a false reading (so my vet has told me). I try putting it in upside down or covered with a piece of paper or move it all around while my iguanas are roaming the house(supervised of course!). After I read it I take it out. I do have one attached to the wall besides the one I test with. In closing this section let me take the time to say, please make sure your iguana is heated correctly because this is one of the main things people do wrong. Check, double check, and triple check, then check again. Don't only trust thermometers, watch your iguana's behavior. Does try to get closer and closer to the heat source? (and I don't mean fluorescent-they give off almost NO heat) then it's probably too cool. Are they running away from the heat source? Staying far away in the other corner? Then it's probably too hot. Use your judgment.

Nail Trimming

Nail Trimming

Unless you enjoy pain and scarring, you will need to trim your iguanas nails. This will probably need to be done a couple times a year depending on how fast your iguana's nails grow. There is really no time schedule. When I get scratched, it's time. First, make sure your iguana is as relaxed as you are going to get him/her to be. Having two people work on this task is helpful, but one can do it alone if need be. If you have a partner, one person should hold the lizard with both hands, one around the neck and front area, and the other in front of the hind legs. The other person, using a clean reptile (cat, rabbit, etc.) claw clipper (found in most pet stores) then clips off the sharp pointed TIP on the claw. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CUT INTO THE BLOOD VESSEL!!!! Using a bright light behind your iguana allows you to look through the nail and show you where the blood vessel starts. Don't cut all the way up to it, leave a little bit of room from where it becomes visible to where you cut. Cutting into the blood vessel will hurt your iguana and upset him, which could result in injury to the both of you.