Iguana Care Sheet

This brief iguana care sheet would help you understanding how to take care of your young iguana.  Make sure you understand about your pet so that you are able to do justice to your pet.

1) Make sure you do your research and homework and do not rely on your pet store fully.  Sometimes, it so happens that even pet stores do not have the complete information.

2) Ensure you buy the right set before you get your iguana home.   You need to keep the cage ready before you get this mammal home.

Plan ahead so that you do not end buying a smaller size aquarium. Your iguana would grow very quickly and you would have to reserve a separate room for him.

3) Your iguana would require a basking lamp, fixtures like tube light for keeping the cage well lit.  An under tank heating pad would also be required and this would depend on the iguana’s size.

The iguana’s cage would include basking limb, water, hide box.  Young iguanas like to drink fresh water.

4) The diet would include fresh greens like collards, mustard, turnips, dandelion greens.  You could also feed him a salad made from peas, green beans, sweet potatoes.

Enough amounts of calcium supplements without adding D3 should be fed.  Make sure you read the labels on the supplements.  Make sure you do not overdo the supplements.

5) Ensure that the lights are not on even during the night time.  Just like humans, iguanas do not need lights all night.  Make sure to place at least 2 thermometers in the cage to monitor the temperatures.  Thermostat devices are helpful since they help in controlling the temperatures.

Ensure that your iguana is receiving the right amount of warmth.  This is important for it to help in digestion and the temperatures needs to be maintained at 85 degrees. The temperatures can be correctly monitored if you use the thermometers.

6) Iguanas should be fed a proper diet.  Do not be slack in this.  Make sure you chop the pieces of food, so that it is easier for your iguana to eat the food.    Iguanas do not have the habit of chewing the food; instead they gulp it down completely.

Make sure you take your iguana to a qualified vet in your locality for regular check-ups.

7) Do your own research and find out facts for yourself.  Also get in touch with other people who own iguanas.  They would be able to guide you properly.

Green Iguana Care Is Not An Easy Task

It is a shocking fact that more than 50% of iguanas do not survive beyond four years of age and that is only because majority of people do not know how to attend to these wonderful reptiles.

The implications are not difficult to understand. When you buy your pet iguana from the store, the dealer could give you advice that is misplaced and that could cause severe problems to your iguana. It could be something as inane as advising you to only feed your iguana with cricks or recommending you to keep the temperature of the enclosure at 25 degrees Celsius; both of these may not be the right advice and you may not realize it until too late.

You therefore must be well prepared with information that you can pick up from specific literature about reptile care and must ensure that you buy your iguana only from experienced breeders. The need to identify the right vet and consult him prior to making your purchase will equip you with the correct information and put you in the right frame of mind, when you approach the pet store.

You must also be aware that iguana care is much different from the care you would extend to other animals. It can be very demanding and unless you are prepared mentally to go the distance, you should not look at the iguana as your pet. Hence you need to know about all the different aspects of Iguana care ranging from its terrarium, diet, lighting and temperature before venturing out to buy your iguana.

If during this learning process, you harbor any doubts about how you are going to manage all of it, then you need to relook at your decision. You must also remember that the physical space required for a growing iguana is huge and unless you can ensure this space, you would be guilty of improper iguana care and that could prove quite costly in terms of the mortality of this reptile. Finally, even if you can manage all the other requirements to satisfaction, you need to ask yourself one more time, whether you will be able to stay with this animal for an extended period of time and give it your personal attention and love. Only if the answer is an emphatic yes, you should go ahead with your purchase.