how many hours should I leave on the light per day in my Iguanas terrarium?

Answer 1

I used to have an iguana. He was one of the best buddies I've ever had. He had a very intelligent way of communicating with me. Here's what he did. When he was just a little green guy, I used to keep him in a terrarium. I would take him out to play and then return him. One time when I was leaving the house for an over night trip, I left him alone at the house but I made sure to keep him well provided for. When I returned to the house the next day, and tried to bring him out, he tried to bite me and whip me with his tail. I didn't quite understand why he was so moody. So, off I went again on another trip and left him behind. Alas, I was greeted once again with the same open mouth and lashing tail. OK, I said. I'm obviously NOT catching what he's saying. I think it must have taken my thick skull three times to figure out that he DIDN'T WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE. He wanted to be considered like the rest of the family who always went places together. Once I figured that out, I never had a problem with biting or whipping of the tail. I took him with me everywhere just like I did with the dogs. He even learned to come when I asked him to. The point I'm trying to make is, learn how to communicate with your iguana-- watch his body language closely. Learn his "moods" and why he/she might be in one. Iguanas really do love snugly warmth--mine loved to snuggle into my dogs (if they'd let him) and my Persian kitty. I always kept a source of warmth available for him--sometimes I kept the light on, sometimes he used a warm stone. If I were you, I might study the climate in their natural habitat. How many hours does the sun shine there? What is winter like there? How many hours of sun is there in the winter? The closer you can come to a natural habitat, the happier your iguana will likely be. Most places I know fluctuate in temperature and number of hours of daylight-- depends on the season. I used to be afraid my iguana was cold, but sometimes he would move away from heat. When I went camping, I put him under the covers and he would sleep on my body for the heat. We managed just fine. He never ran away and he easily could have. HE LET ME KNOW what he needed. I stayed as attentive as I could to the signals he was giving to me. I would suggest that you learn how to tell a happy iguana face from a sad iguana face. Can you tell when he/she is content? Can you tell when he/she is unhappy? Believe me, they tell you. Sometimes the best thing you can give them is a hug and a little treat. They really love to be loved. You just have to learn how to "read" them. I always wanted to give my iguana giant trees for him to play on and a place for him to play like he would in the wild. I truly believe my iguana tried really hard to change his inherent instinctual lifestyle to be my friend. (Don't tell, but he really loved to eat Taco Bell burritos) I'll be grateful forever for the gifts he brought to me. We sure had a lot of fun together. Hope you have fun with your iguana. They truly are intelligent "green people".

Answer 2

For best results, iguanas require 12 to 14 hours of light per day to function properly. I recommend getting a timer which can be purchased for a couple of dollars at your local Home Depot for a couple of bucks. Set the timer to come on at 7 in the morning and turn off at 7 at night. I've been doing that with mine since I got him 4 years ago. Iguanas are diurnal (active in the daytime).

Owner of a 4 year old, 6 foot long, male green iguana

Answer 3

Usually 12 hours on and 12 hours off is recommended. I found it useful to use a timer. That way I wasn't always plugging and umplugging lights. However there should always be a light of some sort on. During the day there should be a day lamp for heat plus your UVB for sunlight and at night the infrared heat lamp for warmth. Hope that helps. Good luck.

Answer 4

12 on 12 off feed in mornings they love peaches...fresh fruit

Answer 5

I left my light on a lot .i just used my own judgment because they stay cold..plus i had a heated rock also.

Answer 6

just turn it on when you get up in the morning and off when you go tobed. we have leopard geckos and thats what we do

Answer 7

half the cage should have a heat lamp over it and the other half shouldn't have any heat over it and the heat lamp should be on all the time!