can i put a regular light in my iguanas cage instead of the heat light?

Answer 1

Do you have a UVB light in there for him/her already? If so, you don't even really need an additional heat light, as long as the enclosure has a heater and the iggy has like a heated rock, an additional light really isn't necessary.

If you don't have a UVB light, you need to get one IMMEDIATELY. Your iguana needs the rays in those lights to prevent Metabolic Bone disease.

But hopefully, you already know this much.

Answer 2

It doesn't matter what kind of bulb you use for heat, as long as you can get the basking spot up to the correct temperatures. The UVB should also be above the basking spot as it is the heat that will attract the lizard to the UVB bulb. Both should be on for about 12 hours a day, with a cool down period at night. An infrared bulb or ceramic heat emitter can be used at night if temps drop below 70. UVB bulbs need to be changed every 6-8 months as they lose potency (even though they will continue to give off light for a much longer time).

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

Answer 3

Absolutely. There is no difference between a heat light specially made for reptiles or one from the hardware store; the only difference is one is $12 and the other $2.

You do need to have a UVB light specially made for reptiles, but a basking light can certainly be a simple one from the grocery store, as long as it gets the cage warm enough (use a good digital thermometer)

*Don't use heat rocks. Iguanas bask in the sun and need a basking site. Heat rocks are also notorious for overheating and burning reptiles

Answer 4

You can use a house bulb (wattage depends on enclosure size) instead of buying the pet stores pricey basking bulbs. House bulbs will supply light and heat, just as the basking bulbs at the pet store do, just not w/ the price of one. CHE's (Ceramic Heat Emitters) are great to use for heat during the day and at night, they do not produce light just heat, they aren't too badly priced, and they last years, again wattage will depend on enclosure size.
If your ig is under 8-12 months old make sure that he/she isn't in anything smaller then a 55 gallon tank. If older then 8-12 months you should have an enclosure suitable for his/her size. Enclosure needs to be at least 1.5-2 times it's total length. Make sure that you aren't using any floor covering of bark/sand/dirt/pellets/rocks these are all bad floor coverings and can possibly lick and swallow some, which then could cause blockage in time which then means surgery to remove or death. Safe floor covering, unprinted newspaper, paper towels, towels, indoor/outdoor carpeting, anything w/ lose fibers remove replace.
You still need to make sure that you have UVB tubes (2 UVB's not just one) of either ReptiSun 10.0 or Repti Glo 8.0, the 5.0 are okay, UVB tubes need to be changed every 6 months.. Make sure that the 5.0 and 8.0 are a distance of 6-8 inches from your igs body, the 10.0 distance is 8-10 inches from your igs body. The coil compact brand do not produce the UVB your ig needs, the "U" shaped UVB's can actually cause eye damage.
Make sure that you have a thermometer that has a probe at the end, you can place them more where you're igs body is. The stick on type to glass can give incorrect readings.
If you are using a smaller tank then a 55 gallon, you can not produce the different areas of warmness to coolness an ig needs. Temps should be:
never let drop below 70F ...
basking 92-96F if temp is too low digestion is slowed too high food digests too fast and nutrition is lost
medium/middle 88-92F
cool 75-84F
at night 73-84F
Heat rocks are bad for iguanas, they can cause serious burn to there under bellys. You can use a heat rock, but you need to remove the wires, but then if you buy a heat rock your supply the company w/ the money. If you can find a good sized rock outside, wash, clean, etc you can use on it's warm basking area to sit/lay/bask on, the heat will warm the rock up.
The following sites are great sites, and full of correct information on igs, if you'd like to read:
http://www.greenigsociety.org/
http://www.iguanaden.org/
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

Answer 5

As long as you have a UVB light in there then the answer is yes. I have a uvb light for my iguana and use a regular flood light as the heat lamp. I tried the combined UVB/Heat bulbs but could not get a good temp. I know have 3 bulbs, one UVB, one for the warm side (in addition to UTH) and the flood light for the 100F basking spot.

Answer 6

No you cant.You can use a very low wattage normal bulb just for display/viewing use which can be kept on a timer so its on 12 hrs a day and off 12 hours through the night. you do need a ceramic heat bulb to create a hot spot and basking area at one end which will help give a good thermal gradient through to the cooler end.You do also need a full spectrum bulb (uva & uvb).both the normal and heat ceramic need to be guarded off to stop the iggy burning itself and the ceramic must be on a pulse thermostat aswell.the full spectrum bulb also needs to be at a height where the iggy can get quite close to it to get the full benefits of the uv being emmitted.

Answer 7

I use just a regular light bulb 60 watts in my snankes cage and it heats it up to 24 degrees c on its own no other heat required. If you have another source of heat as well you can still have a light just make sure its low watt and doesnt over heat the cage!

Answer 8

All easy beer, Zima, wine coolers, and those malt liquor beverages like Mike's annoying Lemonade are sissy beverages. Mike's is okay in case you combine it with a shot of vodka. you could desire to dirnk a British Ale, a German lager, or a micro brew. P.S. by no skill placed fruit in a lager.