Lucky for me, Google lets me see what search phrases and keywords people type in to find my blog. A couple times a month I pick the most searched keywords and write a blog about them, hopefully helping future visitors find what they need. Today's topic is of great importance.
Temperature is such a crucial factor in the health and happiness of your iguana. It is not something to take lightly, ignore, or fix later. As I mentioned in earlier posts, my family meant well when they purchased Iggy but just didn't have the iguana husbandry knowledge and it was a struggle to keep Iggy's temps in the appropriate range.
Even today, I struggle to keep the temperature "steady" but know that Iggy's environment is the best I can give her at this point. As you can see from the pictures she is growing and looking beautiful as ever! So, here is my advice based on my own iguana care beliefs and information I've gathered from books and fellow igg owners.
Temperatures
Ambient temperatures: (temperatures throughout the iguana's cage or enclosure, but not at the basking area) should be kept at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Chances are your iguana is not going to venture too far or too long from their basking spot- but you want to make that if they do, their temperatures are comfortable and not drastically low.
Basking spot: (temperatures directly under and close to the area where your iguana lays during most of the day- this should also be where his UVB is located) should be kept around 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Older iguanas may like it a bit warmer but the goal here is to make sure it is hot enough for the iguana to digest her food properly. Some people make the mistake of thinking it's only a comfort level thing- but it's also more than that!
Remember- should you want to purchase an iguana or if you already have one- you must also purchase, not one but at least two (or more!), thermometers. The more the better because some are unreliable or become inaccurate over time. They have a variety of styles to choose from but have found the super cheapies read false a lot. For Christmas, I received a Mastercool Infrared Temperature Gun. This thing is amazing. I point it at the surface- whether that is Iggy's back, legs, or her basking area- pillow or blanket, and I receive real time- very accurate readings. As I move the gun across the surface each new reading is shown.
I have learned that Iggy is actually much warmer than I thought she was. After having her out in our apartment for a couple of hours- her temperature stays around 78-80 degrees. The following link is the digital thermometer and ever-so-important hygrometer which measures the humidity:
Glass Habitats
Can I be honest? I hate them. When I look at a glass aquarium tank, I envision an iguana trapped in 110 degree plus temperatures and having no room to move around in; no where to escape, hide and thermo-regulate. Glass tanks are really only good for the first 6-8 months, depending on how big your iguana is. I don't want to get off track since this post is about temperatures but, remember, your baby iguana will grow (FAST!) (And no, they won't stop growing if you keep them in a small tank.)
Glass tanks, especially if placed next to a window that gets sun, will heat up very quickly. Iggy used to be in a 20 gallon tank which would get very hot and dried out, very fast.
Mesh/Screen Habitats
Can I be honest, again? I dislike them (I don't hate them like I do glass tanks.) I know that you can make these work- I've seen some pretty awesome set-ups BUT these usually are very involved and require a large system of heat lamps, UVB lamps, fans, humidifiers and plastic to cover up certain areas of the habitat. It just seems annoying to me. The problem is that they let all of the heat and humidity escape out into the room and unless you can set up a pretty intricate screened-in habitat it's going to be a constant struggle to maintain your temperatures. Unless you like to keep the room temperature around 75-80 degrees, which hey!- if you like that, go ahead. (It still doesn't solve the humidity problem, though)
Wooden/Glass or Plexiglass Habitats
Iggy's habitat is a combination of wood and plexi-glass. It isn't perfect and I'll be honest- again- I'd really rather have her out of any closed in "habitat" and just devote an entire room to her! But, I can't do that yet.
Her ambient temperatures are 75-82 degrees Fahrenheit. Her basking area changes depending on the day. Even though she only has a small plexiglass window- when the sun shines it- it raises her basking temperatures 6-8 degrees higher! So, on a normal day her basking temperature may be 90 which is what I like to keep it at but around noon, if that sun peaks out of the Chicago clouds- it can reach up to 98 degrees. This is a big difference- but we are still in the comfort zone.
She likes to walk a few steps to the other side of her basking shelf if she is too hot. She will look out the other window towards the TV and bring her body temperature down to about 90 degrees.
Night Time
Depending on what part of the world you are from, your iguana may need a night time heat source. Despite being in Chicago, our apartment stays above 72 degree- often it is 75 (yuck!) so Iggy stays 'room temperature' all night. Back in New Jersey however, the room she stayed in as a juvenile iggy was around 68 and sometimes cooler if the fan was on. My brother set up two black heat lamps which worked good for her. Today I would advocate for Ceramic Heat Emitters as they only emit heat and no light (remember iguanas need total darkness for at least a 10 hour night time period.) CHE do get very very hot, so remember to properly install and keep out of reach from your iguana.
Cooling Off
Remember to always provide a cooler area for your iguana to retreat to should they get too hot. Sometimes a well insulated/contained habitat may be too warm during the spring or summer months. I read in "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual" by James W. Hatfield III, that you may want to purchase a small fan like the ones used in computers to cool the system down- and install it in your iguana's habitat. They do an excellent job of cooling down the area.
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