Iguana care sheet

So you're thinking of buying a pet lizard, and that pet lizard happens to be an iguana. Think long and hard about this decision.
Even though they can be wonderful and tame pet lizards, a lot of work goes into producing such a pet. You don't want an iguana bite from a giant green iguana for example.

Suffice it to say, this lizard is probably not the best beginner pet lizard. Hopefully the iguana facts on this page will help.

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Cage

One reason a pet iguana can be a challenging lizard is the fact that they can grow between 4 and 6 feet long.

In addition to this length they like to climb and actually prefer to hang out high up in the trees.

A minimum 6' x 6'(height and width) with a minimum of 3 feet in depth is needed to maintain a happy healthy igy.

Some people dedicate one room of their house, like a spare bedroom, in providing an iguana habitat.

They need their cage misted at least once a day -preferably twice, this is done to maintain the near 85% humidity level that is needed.

Because they like to climb, branches or something similar should be provided.

As far as substrate -newspaper paper towels or reptile carpet should work fine.

Want to learn how to build your own iguana habitat? Check out reptile-cage-plans.com and learn how to build the perfect snake, iguana or other reptile cage. They guarantee ways to save you money and have fun with plans that make it so simple, anyone can build homemade reptile cages and save money. Building a iguana cage can be fun, but take the time to do it right -your iguana will thank you.

Iguanas need a UVB light. This type of light provides your pet iguana with simulated sunlight. Without this, they cannot control the absorption of vitamin D.

You also need to provide a heat lamp. An iguana needs a body temperature of around 85° to be able to digest its food. A mercury vapor bulb provides the necessary UVB light, in addition to providing heat. It's also considerably more expensive.

They need a basking spot(hottest spot in cage) of around 95°

You need to have the light(s) on a timer, so you don't have to either -remember, or wake up at a certain time like 6 a.m. They need around 12 hours of light to simulate their natural iguana habitat.

Never use a heat rock with an iguana, they have been known to cause burns in many different pet lizards. Take these iguana facts to heart as they might save your pet from injury.

You need to create a temperature gradient with all pet lizards. This allows them to heat up or cool down depending on where they are in their cage. Food

Iguanas are vegetarians. All studies show that a strictly vegetarian diet produces the healthiest, happiest and longest lived pet iguana.

At least 50% of an iguana's diet should be made up of a variety of dark leafy greens(so should yours!-human). Greens such as mustard greens, dandelion greens, parsley, collard greens and turnip greens.

30 to 40% of thier diet can be made up of other vegetables such as bell peppers, green beans, butternut and a yellow squashes (cooked and then allowed to cool), zucchini and asparagus.

Other foods such as fruits can make up five to 10% of the diet of a pet iguana. Fruits such as tomatoes(yes that's a fruit) apples, pears and berries.

Water needs to be provided in your iguana habitat. If you choose to use a water dish it needs to be changed and cleaned daily. Another method involves an eye dropper and you applying drops to the iguana's nose. Yet another method is putting an ice cube on top of the screened lid, and letting the water drip down as if it's raining.

Check out this link! Best Reptile Sites Directory - Listing the best reptile and amphibian sites on the Web.

If you're serious about acquiring a pet iguana then you need to do much more research in the form of multiple different care sheets and reading a book or two on this wonderful pet lizard. The above iguana facts should help you in deciding if this lizard is right for you.

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