You just bought your first iguana, now what?
Behavior
Iguanas can make a great pet under the right conditions. As juveniles, they tend to be super energetic, and sometimes can be more difficult to handle. Although through patience and time, they can become very calm. However, every iguana is different, and you should base your level of handling on the temperament of your iguana's personality.
When it comes to housing an iguana, we recommend to only keep one iguana in an enclosure at a time. Iguanas are know to be highly territorial. They love to bask in the sun/heat, and a tamed iguana could spend hours basking in a sunny spot in your home! Each iguana is so different, and they all have unique personalities that over time, you'll be able to recognize and adapt to!
Essential Facts to Know:
- Iguanas should have yearly vet checkups
- Common issues include: Egg binding in females, parasites, kidney problems, and MBD (Metabolic bone disease) MDB can be caused by the lack of UVB light.
- Many of these issues are preventable through proper diet, supplements, and cage conditions. If you are not sure that their cage conditions are right, just ask an employee in store or message us through our online chat!
- Iguanas are a large reptile, and their habitat will need to grow as they grow, with their adult habitat usually being custom built to your pet!
- Although a very popular pet in the reptile community, Iguanas need a lot of attention, care, and space to thrive properly in a home setting.
Habitat
Before your iguana arrives home, take this time to ensure that its habitat is prepped and ready to go.
Enclosure:
Iguanas such as Red, Green and Blue iguanas are arboreal and need lots of space to climb vertically. For this type of iguana, we would recommend a reptibreeze as one of their first enclosures.
For Iguanas that are arboreal at youth, but terrestrial as they age a cage that would work well for them would be a large Knock-Down Terrarium that allows both vertical and horizontal use.
Habitat Checklist:
- UVB Light
- Best Option
- Economy Option (Bulb + Dome)
- Heat Lamp
- Basking Bulb & Dome (dependent on cage size)
- Vertical climbing space with branches & foliage
- Substrate
- We would personally steer clear of any small chips that can be digested
- Water System (Bowl, feature, mister, etc.)
Diet
Iguanas are herbivores and should eat a strictly vegetarian diet without protein as protein can cause damage to organs such as the Kidney.
When it comes to their hydration, make sure to have either an automatic misting system or a misting spray bottle you can use. Iguanas have issues seeing still water, so giving them water through misting will help keep their hydration at a good level.
Diet Checklist:
Edited: March 23, 2022 Updated: December 31, 2022
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