Ijust boughtmy iguana a 6 ft cage he lovesit but whatdo I do to keep him warmother than his heat rock and lamp

Question

should I put a sheet over the cage at night?

Answer 1

Hopefully you don't really have a heat rock! They are the leading cause of severe burns in reptiles. You need at least one powerful heat lamp, sometimes 2. Depends on what kind you are using. The important thing is to measure the temperatures on his main basking spot--a shelf or branch or whatever. Use a digital probe thermometer and make sure the temp at the basking spot reaches 100F. The heat source should be above his heat, along with a strong reptile UVB bulb. At night you can use an infrared bulb, but only if the house temperature goes below 65F. They do need a cool down period at night. A sheet won't increase the heat or hold it in.

http://anapsid.org/

http://www.greenigsociety.org/credits.htm

Answer 2

Heat rocks are a BIG no no, they can cause serious burns.
The best way to supply heat day and night are w/ CHE (ceramic heat emitters). You should not place them where you ig can possibly sit or touch. CHE's produce no light, so it's perfect at night since igs should have 12 hrs night (meaning no light), 12 hrs of light (uvb, basking light). Some colored bulbs stress iguanas out they try and hide from the light, and they usually burn out too fast, CHE's can last up to 5 yrs, depending on use.
My iguana lives in a 6ft tall x 8ft long x 4ft wide enclosure. The opening of the CHE should have a cover/screen on top, so your ig can't possibly burn him/herself, also you need to think of where to place, in case your ig thinks of sitting/laying on top of the cover, they too can get hot. The safest place would be for it to be coming from the top, cutting a whole big enough for the rim fo the dome/clamp lamp could sit. I use (1) 250w CHE, and it seems to do just fine, during the day, I do not run it at night, I also use a thermostat, that lets me control the temp of the 250w at certain hours (250w is very high, and if ran for too long could overheat your ig). If you ig is in a big enclosure you can place a heating pad (human) on his/her basking shelf area, but make sure it is on a low setting, and place a towel/blanket on top of that.
What is your enclosure like, does it have solid walls? Does it have a screen top? Remember humidity rises, if you have a screen top the humidity is pretty much escaping from the top. What type of screen material are you using? If it's chicken wire, that can be dangerous and hurt your iguana.
Your igs temp never let drop below 70F during day or night ... basking area should be around 92-96F if temp is too low digestion is slowed too high food digests too fast and nutrition is lost ... middle/medium 88-92F ... cool 75-84F ... night 73-84F ... best way to actually know what your iguanas body temp is, is having a temp gun ( http://www.tempgun.com/main.html ) but having a temp reader inside the enclosure is a recommend, you should have the type that has the probe at the end, the give a more accurate reading, but temp gun would give a more accurate reading for your igs body temp.
If you can post a picture and link the photo we can possibly help see where the flaws could be, and where to hang the necessary lights/heating.
Also, if you have a female iguana, make sure that you have an area for the nesting/egging box, if and when your ig goes into breeding season. Also make sure you have a cat litter pan (ONLY filled w/ water - no cat litter, bark, etc) for your ig inside so it can go to the restroom when needed.
Sites that may help w/ enclosure set up:
http://www.greenigsociety.org/habitat.htm
http://www.iguanaden.org/housing/index.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/cagedesign.html

Answer 3

i have a python and my way to keep him nice and warm is a heating pad on the bottom of the cage (outside of the glass cuz it HOT) and one regular light and a night lamp to keep the heat in the cage at night as well

Answer 4

DONT USE A HEAT ROCK
we got an igguanna from some one and it had a big burn from one....

dont put a sheet over his cage...that wont do anything

try useing 2 red heat lamp and 2 under the tank heat pads...put them in his cage and he will be happy...

here is a care sheet
Green Iguana







Common Name: Green Iguana.

Scientific Name: Iguana iguana

Size: 5' - 6' Total Length.

Life span (Captive): The normal life expectancy of a Healthy Iguana is around 15 years.

Origin: Central & South Americas.

Physical Appearance:Full-grown green iguanas are usually between four and six feet, although they have been known to grow up to seven feet long. This includes the tail, however, which can make up about half the body length and, in addition to its green color, has black stripes. Green iguanas, not surprisingly, are green in color, but can be found in many different shade ranging from bright green, to a dull, grayish-green. Their skin is rough, with a set of pointy scales along the iguana's back. The first thing to keep in mind is that green iguanas, if taken care of properly. will grow rather large. Many people buy a baby iguana on impulse, and then when it starts to grow larger than they were prepared to handle, they don't want it anymore. In our experience, these iguanas usually end up for sale in the papers, or pawned off onto local herp societies, who already have their hands full trying to find suitable homes for some of the lesser known,. Remember that iguanas do not only grow as large as their tank. When they get older, they will usually either need a large, custom-built cage, their own "iguana" room, or, if you choose, free roam of the house with a well-heated basking spot. Caging: use full spectrum 5% "UVB" lighting around 12 hours per day, this mimics natural sunlight. Provide a Spot light for a basking area with access to a cooler area. . Supply branches and logs for climbing and exploring. In captivity, adult Iguanas requires at least 6' x 5' x 4'. (This would need to be even larger if you have a full grown Iguana) more space is better if possible.
Substrate: Sand, bark, wood chippings etc can all be ingested with resulting impaction! (the only safe loose substrate that is totally digestible is alfalfa pellets.....Lino, carpet, paper and astroturf are all safe to use.

Temperature: Daytime temperature should be: Basking area around 85-95 degrees F. Cool area 75-85 degrees F.
Night temperatures can fall to around 70 degrees, even perhaps as low as 60 F, as long as they have somewhere to warm up in the morning.
Extra care should be taken during times of power cuts / failure, try to give this some thought so you are prepared if need be. Basking area temp may be a little higher, as long as the Iguana is able to move to a cooler spot to thermoregulate.
Hot rocks should NOT be used to help with temperature regulation, these have been known to over heat and the resulting hot spots may cause burns on reptiles, leading to disfigurement or even death. Humidity: Iguanas being from the tropics require high humidity. The ideal 80% is difficult to obtain and even 50% can be difficult. The humidity can be raised by having a wide pan of water in the habitat and regular spraying of the Iguana with a bottle sprayer, some people with large habitats even have waterfalls and humidifiers installed....having a high humidity helps with the shedding of the Iguana's skin, on the downside it can also aid growth of moulds! so it is a matter of finding a happy medium.

Lighting: Iguanas need UVB light to convert Vitamin D into its active form in its active form it then assists in the absorption of calcium into the body. Sunlight -or in the absence of it, at least 12 hours of full spectrum light (UVB) is required daily to ensure your pet remains healthy ...(most popular are the 5%UVB tubes)
Food: Iguanas are HERBIVORES. Feed up to 50% of: leafy greens, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, nasturtiums (leaves & flowers), dandelions (leaves & flowers), escarole, parsley, leeks, hibiscus leaves and flowers and carrot tops. Up to 35% of: green beans, zucchini, squash, bean sprouts, okra, grated carrot, red yellow or green bell peppers (sweet peppers), peas, cucurbits, parsnips and celery.
Around 10% of: fruits such as papayas, blackberries, kiwi, peach, banana, grapes, plums, oranges, clementines, satsumas, mango's, apples, figs, strawberries, pear, cherry, melons, fuchsia fruits and rose hips. Up to 5% from the occasional foods below:
The following contain "oxalate's" and should not be fed : chard, spinach, rhubarb stems (leaves are toxic), dock, sorrel, beets and beet greens.
The following contain "goitrogens", feed in small quantities only: cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and bok choy.
Note, bread, pasta, and rice are grain foods and may be offered once or twice a week as treats. Iguanas like to bathe, so a large pool/bath should be provided several times a week. Clean drinking water should always be available...

Temperament: Newly acquired animals can be very defensive and may bite, scratch and tail whip. Both sexes can and should be handled frequently to help with taming, will sometimes struggle to get out of your hands, but are also known to actually enjoy being stroked or rubbed on the body and will sometimes sit still for a while and accept this petting. Care should be taken during breeding season when behaviour can be erratic. It would be common sense to avoid the facial area. Avoid leaving Iguanas with young children and keep your eyes on them at all times. Breeding and Sexing: Exact sexing especially in juveniles is difficult and can only be done with certainty by someone with veterinarian experience, by probing the cloacal vent. However the characteristics that develop as they get older are: In males...usually larger heads, dewlaps and subtympanic scales; the femoral pores which are a row of glands along the underside of the thighs are much larger and more pronounced in males, and also exude a waxy substance that is used to spread the scent around, also erratic behaviour during breeding season which may consist of biting, nipping and sometimes aggression but note this behaviour is not shown in all males. For females, generally the opposite of the above ...smaller dewlaps, heads and subtympanic scales; the rows of femoral pores are just small dots, and in breeding season they sometimes start digging or scratching as if looking for somewhere to lay eggs. They may become gravid and actually lay eggs but these would be sterile if no male has been in attendance. Iguanas reach sexual maturity at about 18 months.