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Topic: Iguanas

Expert: Diane
Date: 4/23/2008
Subject: Temperature

Question
A friend and I both have iguanas and are having a debate about temperature control. We both have decent enclosures (hers 8x8x3, mine 6x6x2). Her Ig is 6yrs old, mine is 3yrs old, hence the difference in cage size.

We both use thermostats for temperature control to set the hot part of the cage to 90-100 degrees during the day, however I turn mine down to 76 at night and she leaves her's alone. Both of our iguanas sleep like babies, finding their sleeping spots shortly before the lights go out.

Is it important to have a lower nightime temperature? Are there side effects to having a high nightime temperature? Her opinion is that her iguana can go sleep in a cooler part of the cage if it wants to (but never does). My opinion is that the iguana is too stupid to make the right choice about where to sleep, and therefore I must adjust the thermostat for it.

thanks..

Answer
76 is fine for night....you are both right to some extent...
Having the temperature 90-100 is actually too high for daytime basking...the temperature really shouldn't go about 96..basking temperatures are 92-96 degrees gradient..this is the temperature gradient they need to properly digest foods...too hot...food digests too fast and they don't absorb the nutrients..too cool and digestion slows.(see caresheet below for other temperature ranges)
They do need to have the temperature ranges...especially during the day. Night time, they really shouldn't have temperatures above 80....85 is fine for baby igs...nothing higher than that though.
They will choose the area they want to sleep in..be it the cool area, the warmer area or an area in between.
My igs night time temps are what ever the room temperature is, with a heat emitter on a thermostat that will come on at 80 degrees...only one of the 3 sleep under the heat emitter..the other two sleep as far away as possible...except when it is bitter cold out, its like they know and will sleep closer to the heat emitter. Each of there cages are large enough that they can choose where they want to sleep.
I've included a basic care sheet that I wrote that may explain temperatures a bit more.
BASIC CARE OF THE GREEN IGUANA©:
Iguanas have many, many special care needs...when those needs are not met,
iguanas will suffer in many ways...which can include metabolic bone disease, no growth,
kidney and liver disease....and death...its important to give an iguana all the
recommended care to help them thrive in captivity....below is the basic care
an iguana needs...anything less and they will not do well in captivity.. If their
care is not right...they will not be active or eat..PLEASE read the entire care
sheet...and print it out if needed...also be sure to read the enclosed links I
listed at the bottom.....
HOUSING:
Don't let the pet store tell you that an ig will only grow as
big as the cage it is in!!! That's NOT true!!! Don't waste your money on a
10 gallon tank...that's big enough to bring them home in, but that's about it.
To give you an idea how fast they grow, an iguana will outgrow a 75 gallon
tank within the first year. Start with nothing smaller than a 55 gallon tank,
but, since iguanas are arboreal, a tank does not offer the height an iguana needs.
That's a very good reason to start with a cage
that is bigger.The size that is required for an adult iguana is 6-7 feet high, at least
6-7 feet wide and no less than 3 feet deep.
Its important to remember air circulation and also
that you have to keep the humidity up. Also, that you have to be able
to provide the lighting and heating from the top, so a screen or mesh top
is needed, or a solid top with holes cut out and covered with screen for
the lights to shine through.(the screen covering the opening prevents the
ig from being able to touch the heat source) If not, you will harm your ig health wise.
LIGHTING:
Supplying uvb can be done in a few ways. By special lights
that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs
(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat.
The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the Iguanas
to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat.
With out the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease.
With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and
uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 10.0 and the Repti Glo 8.0's
are a great source for uvb. The old "favorites" are the repti sun 5.0 or the
Iguana light..which are the same tube, just different package.
There are tubes that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.
These need to be positioned 6-8 inches over the iguana for the 5% and 8%
and 8-10 inches for the 10% so
that they get the uvb that is needed. The tubes need to be replaced every 6-9
months as that they stop producing UVB long before they stop producing light.
Using a fixture that holds two uvb tubes of at least 3 feet in length will
provide adequate uvb for your iguana. There has been new studies that have proven that compact uvb lights, both the spiral/coil type and the ones that look like long "U's" laying on their side and a few other brands are causing what basically amounts to snow blindness in reptiles. To read more on this, you can go to
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also
produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the
Mega Rays.(http://www.megaray.com) The distance from these are greater
than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that
are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor
lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for
heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.
For daytime heat, if using the tube uvb, regular household
incandescent light bulbs produce heat. The wattage will
depend on the size of your iguanas enclosure. and the room temperature.
Of course, the best uvb is from the
sun and if you are in an area that you are able to take your iguana outside in
a proper enclosure, (Never a tank or enclosed, solid cage)
BASKING AREA TEMPERATURES:
Igs MUST HAVE a basking light...they digest their food by the heat.
This light/heat can be provided by a regular household light bulb that
produces heat.(or if using a mercury Vapor light as mentioned above)
Depending on the size of the cage, you may need
anywhere from a 60 watt to a 100 watt bulb.
The basking area temps must be maintained at about 92 to 96 gradient ...no lower..no higher...
they NEED the heat to digest their food!! If the temperatures are too low,
digestion is slowed, too high and the food digests too fast and nutrition is not utilized as it should be.
This, again, is for 12 hours of daylight (the same time your UVB lights are on).
You can place this bulb in a silver dome fixture(be sure it has the ceramic
socket) and it MUST be placed
so that your ig cannot climb on it..or touch it. On top of your screen
cage is safe but..if your ig likes to hang from the top of the
cage..you will have to raise it up some how to prevent burns.
Remember..if you must move it, monitor the temps again!!!!!!
This cannot be stressed enough. In order to maintain those temps,
it is VERY important to use thermometers. Using a GOOD digital is a necessity!!
A THERMOMETER IS A MUST!! It needs to be at the igs level....where he lays in the basking
area to see what the temp is there...if your thermometer is NOT where he lays,
you will get an improper reading for his basking area and you will burn
your ig (watch for panting or mouth gaping open - signs of overheating)or the temperatures
in the basking area will not be in the correct range. The best are the digital
ones that have the probe. Some also give the humidity reading along with
the temperature in two different areas.
You will need a basking shelf or branch. The placement of this depends
on what height you need to maintain the temps mentioned above and keep
your iguana within the recommended
distance of the uvb source. Be sure to make it at least twice the width of the ig. Keep in mind the distance
the UVB light needs to be from the ig also. This is almost the hardest
area of the cage to get correct..it requires a lot of monitoring of
the temps until YOU ARE SURE they are correct.
WATER:
Keep a shallow dish of fresh water for your ig at all times.
Some igs will 'poo' in their water dishes, so you may have to change
it more than once/day. Providing a 2nd water source, such as some type of
low pan for a small ig,
or a cat litter box(filled with water) for an adult ig is a good idea.Keep water
shallow enough that your ig can touch the bottom freely, as too many younger igs have been known to actually drown!
HUMIDITY:
Igs MUST HAVE humidity. They are of the Tropical Rain Forest.
This means you need a humidity gage. Humidity needs to be high!!!
Almost raining!! 60% is the minimum... I wouldn't go above 70-75%, although
most of us can't get that high...that's why misting your ig several times a day
helps. You can use humidifiers or vaporizers can be necessary to get a
humidity level that is needed.
TEMPERATURES:
in the entire cage need to be varied. The basking area
(branch or shelf nearest the heat source) has already been covered.
You need to have a gradient temp in the area of 75-96. Sound confusing?
Basically, you need the "basking" area, a middle temp area and a cool
area. Basking area..92-96.....mid range gradient temp..88-92 (Ambient)and
cool side 75-84.
Igs cannot regulate their body temps. They rely on the sun

(natural or by way of light bulb) and the shade (cooler area of the cage)
to do that.
NIGHT..... LIGHTS OUT!!!!!! At night, if
the temperatures drop below 75-80 degrees(depending on the iguanas age)
you need to provide a heat source in the form of a ceramic
heat emitter(which can also be used during the day) or a
special nighttime bulb(red or deep purple) that does not
produce any bright white light.Some iguanas do not like the colored lights
and do try to hide from them. Its up to you to see this and switch to a
ceramic heat emitter to prevent your iguana stressing
DIET:
Iguana Iguanas are herbivores.... They DO NOT need animal
protein, they cannot digest it... it will KILL them!! (Kidney disease)
Basically, the diet needs to consist of Collard Greens, mustard greens, turnip greens,
dandelion greens,escarole, endive, chicory, arugula,(torn in pieces smaller than
their head) winter squash (butternut or acorn squash), parsnips
(grated or shredded) all placed in a shallow dish. (This is not
a complete foods list, but is a good start.)
There are 'good' foods and foods for treats (those
used only once in awhile). Fruits are treats..to be given a few
times a week. (This doesn't mean that you cannot give your ig a
piece of fruit every day..one small piece a day is fine.) Again,
I cannot stress enough the importance of diet. NO COMMERCIAL
prepared ig food..no bugs, worms, tuna, chicken, monkey biscuits,
dog or cat foods, eggs, cottage cheese... NO animal protein!!!!!
SUBSTRATES:
This is what you use on the floor of your igs enclosure.
DO NOT USE anything that is bark, litter,chips...no loose substrates!!...Many are toxic
and more so, your ig will ingest these items and it will KILL them.
You can use paper bags, newspaper, paper towels, no pile carpeting or towels
(wash first,and be sure there are no loose strings )
HEAT ROCKS KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they can overheat, they cause burns (igs cannot feel
the heat) they will KILL... if you have one and you ig loves it..
cut off the cord and place it on his basking shelf and it will absorb the heat of
the basking light. Never use heat rocks or heated caves!!!!
This list is by no means complete!!!! Below are listed some very good informational sites.
They will be with us for 15-20 plus years with proper care and
a little luck. Providing them with the proper needs will help them live
a long, healthy, and happy life. Remember, we are the ones that pulled them out of the natural
environments..it's our job to give them as close to a natural habitat as possible.

http://www.iguanaden.org/

http://www.greenigsociety.org/

http://anapsid.org/ (contains some outdated information on uvb)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/ a yahoo group dedicated to
raising baby iguanas
Find a Vet before you need one!!! Reptiles need Vets trained to treat them..to
find one in your area:
http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/
The information contained in the caresheet was originally written by me for use at the iguanaden website(2003) and also in the book"The Iguana Den's Care and Keeping of Giant Green Iguanas"(2005)

If you have any questions, or don't understand something please let me know.

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