What is the best way to heat my Iguana's cage at night?

Question

My brother just purchased an Iguana without doing much research so I have been the one spending countless hours finding the info. I know they need the tank to be kept at 70-75 degrees at night and it must be dark so they can sleep but it gets kind of chilly in here 60-65, and I am not sure what to use.

Ceramic heat emitters seem like they have some cons- Please help- the little Iggys life can possibly be in danger!!

Answer 1

radient heat panels might work, but are SO expensive!! I would take the exo_terra rainforest large heat pad and put it on the side of the cage, where he usually sleeps at night. Just an idea.

Answer 2

NO! Do NOT feed crickets, or any other insects! Iguana's can NOT digest protein from insects, meat, or rodents, and over time, they will develop kidney failure. They are strict herbivores, so they should only get Fresh Greens and Veggies. Iguana pellets are c**p too, they are not healthy. It is okay to offer a few occasionally, but they are NOT a staple food item.  ----sorry if you knew that, but I didn't want you to think the previous poster was correct about feeding crickets, gutloaded or otherwise.

They also CAN'T ever have yogurt. The only reason they should have that is if they were on antibiotics, and needed something to restore their gut flora. If he gets put on anti-biotics in his life (20+ years), then you should use probiotics like BeneBac to restore the gut flora. If you couldn't find that, then SOY yogurt would be okay. Other then for that reason, never give yogurt.

Okay, on to the heat problem. Ceramic Heat Emitters are okay to use, but you must be careful with them; you don't want the iguana to get burnt. Put the CHE in a dome clamp lamp, with a ceramic base (the part you s***w the bulb into), then clamp the lamp onto the top of the cage. You don't want CHE's or any type of bulb in the cage, because if the iguana touches it, he/she will get serious burns. The only way you could keep a CHE or other bulb in the cage is to build a wire safety cage around it.

If you just don't want to/can't use a CHE, then you could use heat tape, or radiant heat pannels.

Just be sure to check the temps with a digital thermometer with probe to make sure they are correct. Do NOT use the cheap stick on/dial thermometers, they can be up to 20 degrees off! Put the probe directly on the branch (or whatever) the iguana will be sitting/sleeping on, and leave it for at least 30 minutes to get an accurate reading. If the iguana is on/touching the probe, the reading will not be accurate. If the temps are too high, make adjustments, and check temps again. Remeber, if the temps are too high at night, the iguana will not be able to get a good night's sleep; which can lead to agressive behavior, and/or illness.

You should also be using the digial thermometer with probe to check daytime temps.

Here is a good site with great iguana info. It also has a detailed list of what they can/can't eat and why.  http://www.greenigsociety.org/  

It is very sad that your brother would get such a high maintinence animal without doing the proper research for it, but it is really great that you are taking responsibility and helping out.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

you can get a heat light from most pet stores. be sure to get the ones that are red. the light will glow red, but the iguana can't see it. it is like being totally dark to them. i have to iguanas that we used that for. you can also use a heat rock. they plug into an outlet, and it will heat up and they will lay on it. P.S. my iguanas grew 2ft in just one year! they are now in an outside cage that is 8ft long and 8ft tall and 4ft wide. they are only 3 and are already 4ft! they got to big for their 3ft long by 2ft tall cage. be prepared to build a big cage cause they get big fast.

Answer 4

ceramic heat emitters are c**p . radiant heat panels are gold remember if ya cant afford the set up you shouldn't keep the animal. radiant heat panels are expensive but they are the best. anything else is just taking th cheep way out and our animals deserve the best.

Answer 5

There is no easy step to heating reptiles.  It reguires a heat souce, and a monitoring device.  Reptiles need to regulate their body temperature by the location in their environment.

Reptiles require heat to digest their food.  Their diet is very important, as is their heat.  They are cold blooded, and need to cool, or warm themselves, within their environment.

Caging determines the kind of heat you need, to provide for the animal's needs.   Is the reptile in a closed aquarium, or a netted enclosure?

Since you indicated a tank - let's go from there.  Iguanas need UVB.  They are not nocturnal, and thus require "sun."  So, purchasing a good UVB light is essential.  These are not as warm as a basking, or ceramic bulb, so won't contribute much in the way of heat.

You should tame the animal enough to handle.  It needs sun, and should reach a point where you can carry it outdoors to be basked on a porch, etc. while perched on your arm, during the warm months.

Within its tank; it should have either a ceramic heater above (these are hot, and require a lot of themometers), or an under tank heat source (again... you must monitor the temp. at the bottom, where the animals lives), and it should be on only one end of the tank.  There should be a cooler region, where the animal can move to, to lower its body temp.

Iguanas are diaural, which means they need the day... the sun.  You must provide them with a UVB basking bulb.  This enriches their color, and supplies the vitamin D they won't be getting from the sun, while captive.

It is also a heat source, but not as hot as a basking bulb, or a ceramic heater.  You will have to use thermometers, to obtain what the reptile needs during the day, and at night.

You can use under the tank heat pads, too.

As well as the heat it needs; it's just as important that the lizard has cool spots in its environment.  The floor area of one end of its enclosure should be the cool zone.  This is also the best place to place its feed bowls, to reduce baterial growth/spoilage.

You should provide for the "branches" in its enclosure to be up under the UVB light/heat sources, and for the cool spaces to be on the flooring of its home.

Improper temperatures can result in death.  Moisture is also an issue, for iguanas, which are from a tropical location.  It's a good practice to cool steam their cage daily (steamers can be purchased at area reptile shows, or from your local pet store).  This is a good practice for most reptiles, no matter their origin.

"You are what you eat" is vital, when discussing iguanas in captivity.  You should offer gut loaded crickets to suppliment their basic diet of soaked dry iguana food and fresh fruits/vegies daily.

In the wild - these creatures eat MANY things.  As their captor - you must replicate that as close as possible.  If you are lazy?  This is NOT the pet for you!

A typical meal should consist of shredded raw sweet potato, kale, carrot, yellow squash, zachunni, atop a layer of soaked dry Iguana food.  Treats should include strawberries, blue berries, bannana, mango, melons, etc.  Again, the insect should be included, but only after it's been gut loaded for 2-3 days.  Cucumber is a good treat, but not a staple item.

My large male begs for a bite of my yogurt.  These are special times, and won't hurt him on occasion.  Iguanas in the wild don't come upon opportunity to ingest dairy!  They do not digest fats as we do, and you need to be aware of that.  If your iguana is not extremely healthy: I would not permit giving it a taste of dairy!

I would never recommend feeding your animal cheese.  His body is not set up to process/digest it.  But - he WILL wolf it down, given the opportunity.

So, heat and diet are key.  Reseach your animal.  Google him on the net.

I can't stress enough that you should vet your new pet.  Know the healthy baby you start with, and let the vet guide you from there.  Reptiles are long lived, if given the chance.

It may be a chore, to set up his tank, and provide what he needs - but from there?  It's years of enjoyment, for both of you.  "Inforeamed is forewarmed."