Iguana Care Sheet

Green, or common, iguanas are among the largest lizards in the Americas, reaching sizes of around 200cm long and weighing about 5KG. Iguana’s can live up to 20 years. The word "iguana" is derived from the originalTainoname for the species,Iwana.

Origin and Habitat

Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. They typically live in tropical and subtropical forests, deserts and coastlines. They spend most of their lives in the canopy, descending only infrequently to mate, lay eggs, or change trees.

Diet and Needs

Primarily herbivores, iguanas are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. Like with any captive kept reptile, what we feed them is paramount to their direct health. They have no choice with what’s on offer, so it's down to us to make things as nutritionally beneficial and worthwhile for them as humanly possible.

This diet will be restricted somewhat by seasonal vegetation varieties, but you’re still looking at hundreds of plants, flowers, herbs and fruit varieties being consumed.

Firstly, I’d suggest planting some flower and weed seeds such as:

Dandelion, Alfalfa, Plantain, Ribwort, Bittercress, Clover, Mallow, Hedge-mustard, Pansy, Hibiscus, Rose, Nasturtium, Dahlia, Viola, Lilac, Fuchsia, Marigold, Snapdragon, Apple blossom, Lavender, Chrysanthemum and Optunia.

I wouldn’t choose shop purchased flowers; they have generally been treated to enhance growth and colour and some have even had pesticides used on them.

Nettles, Birch leaf, Beech leaf, Hazel leaf, Hawkbit, Chickweed, Sowthistle, Bindweed

You can also purchase shop or supermarket greens, salad, herbs and fruit like:

Spring Greens, Florette mix, Lambs lettuce, Water-cress, Pak choi, Basil, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary and Sage.

All Squash varieties:

Berries, Mango, Papaya, Mellon, Fig, Wild rocket, Pumpkin, Parsnip, Sweet potato, Carrot, Bell Pepper, Marrow, Cucumber, Spinach (not too much of the Spinach, as can stop the absorption of calcium. But a little weekly is beneficial)

No acidic fruits should be fed.

Housing

You are going to need at least a 180cm x 180cm x 90cm set-up. The bigger the better though, so people dedicate a whole room. Owners also need to ensure their Iguanas have the required UVB (ultraviolet light) and temperature needed to remain healthy.

Use a full spectrum 10% UVB lighting 12-14 hours per day. Provide a basking area with access to a cooler area. All reptiles like a thermal gradient in their tank. An Ideal set up would be a UVB bayonet bulb at one end of the tank for basking, with a heat mat under the same side. Supply hides, branches, reptile plants/leaves, and substrate such as Orchid Bark is very good. Although personal preference does count, try to stick to wooden hides and leaves etc. as do remember, these animals live in trees, so sand for substrate and caves for hides do not match its original environment.

TEMPERATURE:During the day, the warm end of the tank(basking area)should be around 90ºF(32ºC), with a gradient to the cooler end of the tank of about 80ºF(26ºC).Night time temperatures should range between 70-80ºF. To keep a good heat use a reptile ceramic bulb and thermostat. Use the thermometer to gauge the temperature.

HUMIDITY / WATER REQUIREMENTS:Iguanas require moderate to high levels of humidity. Mist the vivarium every other day. Also supply a large, fairly deep water dish for drinking an bathing. Place the water dish over the half of the basking area so the heat will create a water vapour making more humidity. This will need cleaning out thoroughly everyday as water makes stimulates the bowls of all reptiles, also, every time you are near your tank check the water levels, making sure it hasn't all evaporated. Also, only use Luke warm water.

Exercise

All iguanas shouldexercise 1-4 hours daily. While iguanas in the wild get enough exercise on their own, those in captivity often require assistance to ensure they burn enough calories. Regular exercise helps to build muscle and prevent obesity in iguanas. You can let your iguana out to climb around the house as long as the environment is safe to do so and you are watching them, you can also let them out into the garden and encourage them to walk and run, again watching them all the time.

Many iguana owners also let their pets swim in the bathtub. Just make sure the water is lukewarm so that their body temperature doesn’t drop too quickly. Walk-in showers are another place where an iguana can exercise in the water.

Make sure they have plenty of braches in their enclosure to climb on.

Maintenance

Make sure you spot clean the enclosure every day and a full clean every 4 weeks. It’s vital for the health of the iguana for it to be in a clean environment. Make sure you change their water daily. Inspected daily to ensure that they are in good health. A good time to do this is during your weekly cleaning session.

Enrichment

Make sure you have lots of fresh branches in the enclosure and change the layout around often. A good variety of food is essential.

Common Health Problems

Although they’ve been seen to eat a few insect species in wild conditions and under certain circumstances - this is not something they have evolved to need. And you should not feed them.

They struggle to process the meat and proteins, putting a huge strain on their liver and kidneys - which ultimately can be fatal.

Kale is high in goitrogens and too much of this can cause thyroid issues. Spinach has a high oxalate content and too much of this can bind the calcium absorption of the Iguana (as with all reptiles). This can cause issues that lead to MBD (metabolic bone disease).

Metabolic bone disease (MBD), this is caused when not enough UVB is given.

Temperament

Green Iguanas are very intelligent reptiles. Iguanas can also react to different colours; for example, bright colours scare the Iguana. When handling Iguanas it is advised to wear earthy colours, such as browns, dark greens, blacks etc. They require a lot of handling, perseverance, and tender loving care. You will not have this animal tame in a couple of months, even from a hatchling. To get an Iguana dog tame it will take at least a year, at a minimum. Expect your Iguana to whip you when you first get it, and maybe even attempt to bite you. This will not hurt, and do not be alarmed when it whips you, it is nothing personal; persevere with it to build trust. Also, Males do become territorial, and should be kept separate from other males. If they are together, and argue, then they will nearly always fight to the death, or at least one will be seriously injured, if not both.

Difference between Female and Male?

Visually determining the sex of an iguana is only possible once it has reached sexual maturity, usually at around two years old. Males are larger, grow bumps on their head, and have a large dewlap.Females are longer, more slender and lay eggs.