Iguana Cages
When people think about the purchase of an iguana, a variety of questions spring to their minds. Usually one of their main questions they will ask themselves is Where do I keep it? People then try to find out the components of an iguana cage. If you are trying to find the best iguana cage for your pet, the following will act as a gude for you:
1) Size � The first thing you need to know about is how big the iguana cage has to be. Some people quite wrongly believe that the cage will limit the size of the iguana. This is not true. An iguana under ideal conditions will grow up to 6 feet long. This means that you will need to have a huge iguana cage in order to accommodate your pet. In fact, some people provide a whole room instead of an iguana cage for their pets!
Naturally, you do not have this necessarily as a consideration straightaway as you could choose to delay implementiing this until your iguana grows to its full size. However, the iguana cage that you obtain does need to be large enough for the the iguana to indulge itself in it's normal daily activities. It should not cramp the animal in any way. If you choose to wait until your iguana has grown to full size, you should at least prepare and make plans for the time when you are going to need a bigger iguana cage.
2) Temperature � an iguana is cold blooded. This means that they need to regulate their body temperatures by making use of the environment. What are the implications of this? This means that you need to provide a variety of temperatures in the iguana cage. This is so that the iguana can move from different spots to properly control its body temperature. You should also try to include a source of heat without light which will be used during the night time.
3) Humidity � iguanas require high levels of humidity to live comfortably. They are easily dehydrated because of the fact that their lack of their daily intake of fluids is naturally low. This is because in their natural environment their is high humidity and this keeps them from being dehydrated. Dehydration can actually cause kidney failure. This means that not having enough humidity can shorten the life of your iguana. Another reason to keep your iguana cage humid is the fact that humidity helps loosen skin. This means that an iguana will have an easier time shedding skin if it is kept in a humid environment. If you want to keep your iguana healthy, you need to provide an iguana cage that has a humidity of 65 to 75 percent of the air.
4) Lighting � iguanas need a source of UVA and UVB light. Naturally, the optimum source that you can make use of is the sun. This does not mean that you should place your iguana cage in a sunlit area. The glass or plastic of iguana cages filter out the UV light much needed by iguanas for production of vitamin D3. This vitamin aids in calcium consumption. This means that you need to let your iguana bask in direct sunlight as much as possible. This helps in developing strong bones and preventing Metabolic Bone disease which is a very common cause of death among iguanas in captivity.
Other than the sun, your iguana cage should also include an artificial source of UVA and UVB light. This is in order to make up for days when the sunlight is not enough for your iguana.
About the Author
The author is Mark Williams who is an Iguana enthusiast. For more information and facts about cages for Iguanas visit http://www.iguanacarebook.com
