When should I turn off the light for my Iguana?

Question

Alright. So I just got the Iguana. And all that. And I did tons of research. But I realized I never found out WHEN I should turn off the light. So, when should I turn off it's heating light? Cause I know it's not always supposed to be on.

Answer 1

10 - 12 hours of light.  if you dont have a heat mat for the iguana get a red bulb for night time for some heat and change it out.

Answer 2

if you have a heating pad or mat for it then you can turn it off during night time, but if you do not have any other source of heating for it then you should probably leave it on.

Answer 3

Reptiles run on a PhotoPeriod..Which means when the sun goes down the light should go off...And when the sun goes up the light comes on.

Answer 4

First, yes the iguana goes by daylight. The basking light should reflect the hours of sunlight.

Second, at night you could use heating pads or heating lamps that come in colors such as red, blue or green (and yes some iguanas act differently to different colors).

I currently have two lamps set up one for basking and one for heat at night. Don't forget you also need a bulb during the day that gives off UVA/UVB waves. This aids in preventing Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and increases appetite and physical activity.

Good Luck!!!!

Answer 5

You do not want to leave the light on.  Iguanas have a "third eye" on top of their head which detects light.  When it detects light, they don't want to sleep.

When the sun goes down, that is when the light should go out.  You can buy timers that will turn the lights on and off for you, and this is advisable.

As far as heat goes, you need heating pads in the enclosure (although it is very unlikely that it gets cold enough in your house to actually kill an iguana).  You can also use blacklights for heat.