Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in western Canada where it is very dry. What is the best way to raise the humidity in my ig's cage. I mist 5-10 times a day and there is a pool in his cage, but I am having trouble keeping the humidity level high enough.

There are several ways to increase and maintain humidity in a cage. As iguanas do need alot of space when reaching adult size, it may be more difficult, especially if the cage is wire mesh. Partial glass/plexi-glass and wood cages with ventilation on the sides, instead of the top of the cage will help keep humidity in while allowing sufficient air flow to prevent mold build up.

For really large iguana cages, or room sized cages, a small humidifier could be setup directly in the cage, enclosed in a wire cage to prevent the iguana from biting or otherwise interacting with the humidifier. The humidifier can be set to maintain a steady humidity year round. The entire room the cage is placed in could also be kept at optimal humidity thus making it easier for the cage humidity to be maintained (better to have room humidity a bit lower, to ensure enough air flow to allow things to dry out and prevent mold etc from building up in the cage.

A larger wide topped water dish over a heat source will also increase humidity in the cage and give the iguana a place to swim/soak in as necessary. Water in such dishes will need to be changed regularly, especially if the iguana defecates in it.

Other options is to cover part or all of the top of a cage with a screen top, just make sure enough air flow gets into the cage for air circulation. Also, the humidity can fluctuate during the day with it being more humid during the morning and early evening, thus giving the cage/substrate time to dry out.

I am planning a much larger cage for him for this winter and will be incorporating a humidifier in it. He is only 6 inches long right now, but I will be building a 5x5x6 foot corner cage for him. Right now he is in a 50 gallon tank, which he will outgrow by next spring, and I cannot fit a humidifier in there, though he has a pool. I mist him and the inside of the tank constantly. I live in Alberta where it is always dry and either 30 above or 30 below zero ( 34 today), so I have to cope with the dry western canadian climate. Is it worth buying one of those fogger machines I've seen in pet stores for him?....or are they kind of useless?

I don't think the foggers increase humidity too much but I could be wrong. I have not really researched them much.However in a 50 gal glass tank it should be easy to moderate humidity by covering most of the top (assuming screened cover) with a cloth or piece of cardboard. This way the mistings should not evaporate so quickly out of the top. Most likely the primary reason the humidity is goign quick, is the heat lamp drying out the air. This is just one of the disadvantages of basking lights. Unfortunately, nothing can really be done about it.

If your iguana is shedding fine, doens't look dehydrated or otherwise looking distressed due to low humidity, he may be fine for now, with just several mistings a day (early morning and just before lights out is good, as this is typically when moisture is more common in some areas). Covering half or more of the top (just leave some area uncovered for ventilation), should help with the humidity. In nature the humidity always fluctuates through the day and every day, so some lows and some highs during the day is fine. The important thing is your iguana has access to plenty of fresh water, is eating fine, shedding fine and not looking dehydrated.

If you can put the small tank in a room that can have doors closed, you could always buy a regular sized humidifier, which you can later use in teh large tank, to keep the room more humid as well.

ALso, the large cage you are building may still be too big by next spring, depending on the growth rate of your iguana, but worse comes to worse you can always divide the tank in half (lengthwise) and move the divider as your ig gets bigger.