Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I am not new to the reptile world (have 3 uromastyx and fire bellied toads) but new to iguanas. I was hoping to gain some knowledge here about them. I know some of the basics such as the need for heat, humidity, and feed greens.

I am hoping if you guys could share more info. I got this wonderful gal from our local humane society. they were thrilled I was taking her as I rescued 2 uro's from a bad store that I along with them sued and won the case .

I also plan on checking out Melissa Kaplan's website since it is a wonderful source of information.

A couple things I was wondering...do they need a constant water dish? Also, I know they need a heat gradiant, but since she is too large for an enclosure (she's 5' long) how do I make sure she is getting the heat she needs?

Thanks!
Renee

>>I also plan on checking out Melissa Kaplan's website since it is a wonderful source of information.

Cool. Here's the direct link to my Iguanas section.

>>A couple things I was wondering...do they need a constant water dish?

Absolutely! Plan on getting a humidifier, too.

>>Also, I know they need a heat gradiant, but since she is too large for an enclosure (she's 5' long) how do I make sure she is getting the heat she needs?

You still set the enclosure up with the horizontal and vertical gradient - she'll just move around more as she thermoregulates. The one compensation you'll need to make for her size is to make sure she is within proper range of the UVB-producing fluorescent. Because baby igs are so much shorter (ground to dorsal crest) than adults, the light fixture may need to be mounted lower down, raised up as the iguana grows.
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Melissk
anapsid.org
Iguanas for Dummies

I am using my sunporch as her "enclosure" so to speak. It has 10 windows around it and will be heated in the winter. The porch is about 10x20. I constructed somewhat of a basking area for her on top of a 3 shelf kids bookshelf. The top I have the basking light (what wattage is best???) and the uv lamp. Does this sound sufficient for her? I can email you a pic of the setup if you would like to see how it is. I want to make sure I keep her in the best ideal setup as I can

thanks!
Renee

>> The top I have the basking light (what wattage is best???)

What temperatures are you getting? You cannot go by wattage - you have to use thermometers. Please see my Heating: Watts It All About article for more on this. As for the temperatures you need to attain and maintain for green igs, you'll find that in my ICFS article.

>>and the uv lamp.

Make sure it is installed at the right distance for her.

Other than that, a large sunporch sounds fine, especially if you can outfit it with shelves and climbers for her so that she can utilize space not typically used by any humans sharing her space.

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Melissk
anapsid.org
Iguanas for Dummies