Albert Einstein
Brief Iguana Care & Cost Sheet
This is a very brief care sheet for Green Iguanas that I have come up with myself after much reading and research. Please do not stop reading here and read, read, read! You cannot collect too much information before obtaining an Iguana.
1) First of all do not depend solely on the pet store to give you proper care instructions. Most (not all) are sadly uninformed when it comes to reptiles, iguanas in particular. Don't let them sell you a 10 gallon tank and a heat rock!
2) Obtain the proper set-up BEFORE the iguana comes home. This is not a mammal that you can bring home and put up temporarily in a box overnight! This includes AT LEAST:
a 30-50 gallon aquarium or equivalently sized vivarium/terrarium (at least $50) which your iguana WILL grow out of rapidly. Think about how big this little lizard will get (4-6 feet in length). Plan ahead and maybe start building a custom cage right away. Better yet, plan ahead and reserve that spare bedroom for him!
UVB producing fluorescent tube light (i.e. ZooMed Reptisun or Iguana light etc. ($20) Aquarium lights, bird lights etc are NOT sufficient. I use ZooMed's Reptisun 10.0 and the newer Mercury Vapor bulbs such as Megaray or Powersun.
fixture for tube light ($15-30)
basking lamp ($10 at hardware store)
basking bulb or ceramic heat element (CHE) (ranges from less than $1 for a reg. 60-100 watt bulb to $20 for the ceramic heating element (CHE) that can be left on all night and which also lasts for years.) CHE's emit heat with no light but screw into a fixture like a light bulb.
undertank heating pad (not a heat rock) ($15-70 depending on size etc.)
cage furniture including basking limb, hide box, water (yes, iguanas need fresh water at all times) and food dishes (cost varies, some can be obtained for free such as the basking limb or you already might have dishes around that you can use.)
proper food items including mainly collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens,...
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