Iguana Care Guide

Iguanas are wild creatures at heart: even though some are kept as pets, they still hear the call of the wild. Keep a close eye on them whenever you take them from their enclosure since they might try to make a run for it. You can try to prevent this by spending a lot of bonding time with your iguana. Get the large lizard used to your hands and movements—it is always important to move slowly around most animals so that you do not frighten them. Many animals can get frightened easily and may bite as a result. While it can be frustrating that your iguana want nothing to do with you at first, time and patience, it won’t always be like that as long as you take it slowly. 
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Buying an Iguana

Iguanas are a big time commitment and you have to be sure you will be able to keep up with your reptile’s many needs. They need a lot of attention and human influence to remain domesticated throughout their life. You also have to be prepared to house your iguana when it matures to its full length. Iguanas live for 15-20 years in captivity and can grow to about six feet long (tail included), weighing 15 pounds. ​​

Most people buy young iguanas which are quick and jumpy, but you can also adopt older iguanas depending on where you live. Older iguanas are more laid back and docile. No matter what size iguana you have as your pet, however, wear thick clothing (no shorts and T-shirts) that cover your entire body when handling your reptile. Iguanas have very tiny sharp claws which is, to say the least, pretty painful. Another thing to watch out for is their tails. In the wild, iguanas use their tail to defend themselves, so even though it is almost unheard of, some iguanas may become aggressive and use their very large tail to defend themselves. If used its full potential, an iguana’s tail can easily break human bones. Ouch!
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Habitat

Iguanas are very large as an adult, so any regular sized reptile habitat will become too small rather quickly (in just three years you’ll have a huge iguana in your care). Iguanas need a lot of room to move around in. A good sized enclosure for one iguana should be around 8 feet high and 10 feet long. 
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Habitat Decoration

These reptiles also need a lot of climbing and reclining places around their enclosure. Add climbing rocks and plants in your iguana’s enclosure. Just be sure the plants you use are iguana-friendly because who can turn down fresh greens? Sizzle rocks are also a good idea for your iguana so that it can bask on the warm rock to digest it’s latest meal. Get creative with your iguana’s enclosure by adding hammocks and ramps!
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Bedding

No matter what animal you’re caring for, their bedding should always be non-toxic. Not only is this healthy for your pet, but it is also wonderful for our environment. Clean and safe iguana bedding can simply be newspaper, or you can buy recycled paper pellets or a reptile carpet (which is fake grass). Don’t use cat-litter or other materials like it, wood shavings (cedar shavings are toxic to reptiles because of the smells that it emits).
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Cleaning an Iguana’s Enclosure

Keeping a clean enclosure is very important for your iguana’s health and safety. Once a week you will definitely want to take out your iguana’s bedding and scrub the entire enclosure from top to bottom with pet-safe spray (your iguana should be placed in a temporary habitat during weekly deep-cleaning. Wait for everything to dry before replacing fresh bedding materials and all of your iguana’s cleaned ‘toys’.


Every day you should do quick ‘spot cleaning’ be removing old food, water, shedded skin, and iguana waste. Clean your pet’s drinking and eating dishes as well.
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Temperature

In order to properly digest food, iguanas need the temperature in their habitat to be a cozy 80-95 F. Use heat lamps to regulate the temperature. You may even want to get a thermometer inserted in the habitat so that you can be sure the right temperatures are being reached. 

Humidity

Most reptiles enjoy moist, warm environments for their skin, so letting the humidity in their enclosure reach 80% is a good idea. Never let it drop to 50%. In order to be sure this never happens, begin a misting routine by misting their enclosure once or twice a day.
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Feeding

Iguanas are what they eat. If you feed your iguana French fries, its skin will turn a dull brown color and it becomes a risk for more healthy issues. Unhealthy iguanas will look unhealthy because of their lack of bright scale colors. A bright green iguana is a healthy iguana since they eat fresh fruit and vegetables. You can also provide your iguana with calcium supplements. 
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Cut your iguana’s food into small pieces since they don’t chew it—they just swallow.
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Molting

If you notice your iguana is refusing to eat, try to recall when the last time your pet shedded its skin. Iguanas shed their skin as they grow—even as an adult, iguanas still molt. Baby iguanas should shed their skin about once a month, while adults should shed theirs around once a year. Normally there is not a schedule that iguanas will follow, so it is very difficult to determine exactly when to expect your reptile to shed its skin.

If you notice your iguana struggling with shedding its skin, it may be a good idea to soak your iguana in warm water for a little while.