What type of cage does my iguana require?
You can start a smaller, juvenile iguana in a 10- or 20-gallon aquarium. The average adult iguana is 3–5 feet (1–1.5 m) long; however, adult male iguanas can weigh 15–20 lb (7–9 kg), and larger ones can grow up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long when fed and housed appropriately. As an iguana grows, it must be moved to a larger enclosure, with accommodation for both horizontal and vertical movement.
Iguanas should be provided with a horizontal area for walking around, exploring, eating, drinking, and defecating, and a vertical area, such as a branch, on which to climb and bask in the UV light and heat. You may choose to purchase or build a cage for your pet.
If you choose to build your own enclosure, your veterinarian or pet store can likely provide you with details about how to set up the proper and safe habitat for an adult iguana. Glass or Plexiglas® enclosures with good ventilation are ideal, although galvanized wire mesh cages are also relatively easy to construct.
The cage bottom should be easy to disinfect and must be cleaned every few days. The cage should have a screened top to prevent the iguana from escaping, while still allowing some ventilation. You must provide a source of heat and ultraviolet (UV) light for iguanas to thrive in their cage. As the iguana explores its environment, it may rub or strike its nose on the glass, causing sores. To prevent this situation, you can set up a visual barrier, such as a strip of dark-colored duct tape placed at the pet’s eye level, around the lower perimeter of a glass or Plexiglas® enclosure.
Does my iguana need bedding in his cage?
Yes, substrate, or bedding material, should be non-toxic and easy to clean and disinfect.
- Good substrates for the cage floor include newspaper, butcher paper, commercially available recycled paper pellets, or artificial grass made for reptiles (commonly called “reptile carpet”).
- Avoid sand, gravel, wood shavings, corn cob material, walnut shells, and cat litter, as these materials are not only difficult to clean, they are also indigestible and can lead to gastrointestinal tract obstructions if eaten.
- Never use cedar wood shavings as reptile bedding, as the aromatic oils on the cedar shavings are toxic to reptiles.
If you use a reptile carpet, be sure you have an extra piece available so that one can be placed on the bottom of the cage and the other can be kept as a spare that is ready to use when the first one is soiled (typically at least once a week). Clean the soiled turf with soap and water or diluted bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) to disinfect. After washing, be sure to thoroughly rinse the carpet and hang it to dry until it is needed at the next cage cleaning.
What else do I need in the cage?
Iguanas are arboreal, meaning they like to climb trees in the wild, so pet iguanas enjoy having access to tree branches in their cages. Branches that are clean and pest-free can be purchased commercially at pet stores. Natural branches from trees outside may contain fungus, bacteria, or parasites, so to kill these infectious organisms, natural branches must be cleaned, disinfected with bleach, and baked in an oven or left outside in the hot sun to dry.
Make sure any branch will support the animal and not fall onto the lizard and injure it. Ideally, the branch should slope from the bottom of the enclosure to the top and should be near a source of UV light and heat, so the iguana can sit on the branch and bask.
Heating elements and UV lights should be placed 10–12 inches away from the top of the cage to make sure your iguana does not incur a thermal burn. Large rocks in the cage also allow for basking. Iguanas also typically love a place to hide. Artificial plants or live, non-toxic plants can be arranged to provide a hiding place, as can clay pots, cardboard boxes, large pieces of bark, split hollow logs, and other containers.
"They should have a range of temperatures within their cages to allow them to regulate their internal body temperatures."
Reptiles are ectotherms, meaning that they depend on external sources to heat their bodies. Their body temperature adjusts in response to their external environment. They should have a range of temperatures within their cages to allow them to regulate their internal body temperatures. Iguanas slow down in cooler temperatures and tend to be more active when it is warmer. All reptiles require a heat source in their tanks to provide warmth, such as a ceramic heat-emitting bulb. Alternatively, you can place a heating pad under the enclosure to provide heat. Hot rocks or sizzle rocks that are meant to provide heat to a reptile when they sit on them can burn a pet and should never be used.
Ideally, you should set up a heat gradient in the cage, with one end warm and the other end cooler. This way, the iguana can move around its environment and warm or cool itself, as needed. It is easier to establish a heat gradient with a heat bulb over one end of the tank than with a heating pad placed under the tank, because the heating pad will only heat the tank where the pad is in contact with it.
Monitor the cage temperature closely, either with a point-and-shoot temperature gun or with two thermometers, one placed in the cool zone and the other in the warm zone. The cooler end of the cage should be approximately 70°F-75°F (21°C-24°C), while the warmer (basking) end should be 90°F-100°F (32°C-38°C). Heat bulbs should be placed outside and above one end of the cage, which should be covered by a screen top to prevent the iguana from escaping or burning itself on the bulb.
At night, the UV and heat lamps may be turned off, as long as the enclosure’s temperature does not fall below 65°F-70°F (18°C-24°C). If the cage temperature falls below this level, especially in winter, in cold climates, additional heat for the enclosure may be necessary. When an iguana’s body temperature dips below 65°F, their metabolism and digestive mechanisms slow down, and their immune system may become susceptible to infectious organisms.
Does my iguana need ultraviolet (UV) light?
A wild reptile may spend many hours a day basking in the sun, absorbing UV light. UV light is essential, as it enables their skin to manufacture the vitamin D3 that the iguana needs to absorb calcium from their food. Lack of UV light can prevent an iguana from absorbing adequate calcium and can predispose it to nutritional metabolic bone disease (MBD). This common, completely preventable condition of pet reptiles is fatal if left untreated.
"Lack of UV light can prevent an iguana from absorbing adequate calcium and can predispose it to nutritional metabolic bone disease (MBD)."
The UV bulb should emit light in the UV-B range (290-320 nanometers). Most bulbs sold for use in reptile housing provide both UVA and UVB; however, UVA does not contribute to the formation of vitamin D3. There are many excellent, commercially available UV lights made for reptiles. The UV output of these lights decreases with time, so they should be replaced every six months or as directed by the manufacturer.
For UV light to be effective, it must reach the pet directly, without being filtered by glass or plastic between the pet and the bulb. For the pet to receive maximum benefit, the bulb should be no more than 12 inches away from the animal and be on for 10–12 hours per day, mimicking a normal daylight cycle.
Regular exposure to direct sunlight outside, such as on a porch or an untreated lawn, is ideal for an iguana when outdoor temperatures reach above 80°F and when the pet can be supervised to keep it safe from injury or attack from wild animals. If you take your iguana outside, you must also provide it with a shaded area so it can move out of direct sunlight if it gets too hot.
Consult a veterinarian familiar with reptiles if you have any questions or concerns about proper lighting or other housing issues for your iguana. You can search for a reptile savvy veterinarian in your locality on the ARAV.org website (Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians).
