Important Subject so long post.

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Posted by Kayo on September 11, 1999 at 11:56:38:

In Reply to: PLEASE! Tell me what kind of lighting you use, and where can I get it. msg. posted by Katie on September 11, 1999 at 08:29:29:

There are two needs that lighting is used to fulfill. One is providing the necessary UVB, the other is providing Heat. Both are necessary for the health of your ig. UVB and daytime temps should be provided 12-14 hours each day.

Iguana's need UVB for vitamin D3. Without proper UVB exposure they can develop Metabolic Bone Disease. I personally use ZooMed's Reptisun 5.0. They also package this same tube as the Iguana light. Reptisun also produces a 2.0 tube which I don't recommend for igs. There are other companies that produce UVB tubes, but I cannot comment on their products never having used them. There are also companies that produce UVB lights in bulb form. I do not recommend these as they produce a narrow spot of light limiting the exposure the ig receives. Depending on your set up you may be able to buy a florescent fixture from the hardware store instead of the expensive hood type fixtures from pet suppliers.

Igs need heat to properly digest their food. There are several ways to provide this heat. I use a simple household bulbs place in reflector hoods (once again cheaper if bought from a hardware store). If using reflector hoods get the ones with ceramic fixtures rather than plastic which have been known to melt. The wattage need to properly heat your enclosure will depend on several factors including ambient room temp and size. You will probably need to experiment. Use thermometers to be sure you are getting it right as humans can be poor judges of temps.

Nighttime heat should be something that does not produce light that keeps your ig awake. If the animal cannot sleep they will become stressed and possibly sick. To keep my ig warm at night I replace the regular bulbs with red party bulbs. Yes, they still produce some visible light, but it is a small amount in a color that does not keep the ig awake.

Some people use Ceramic Heat Elements (CHEs) to provide heat instead of bulbs. The benefit to these as they produce no visible light and can also be used at night. I may go with these when I build my new enclosure, but cannot comment now as I don't use them already.

Keep in mind with heating that the ig should be surrounded by the proper heat, meaning you should be heating the air around the animal. Do not use hot rocks. These only heat the belly and have been known to malfunction and cause thermal burns.

To read more about lighting visit Melissa Kaplan's site (link below). She has artilcles that cover every aspect of ig care.

Most of the items I mentioned should be available at your local pet store that sells reptile supplies or the hardware store. However you can order them online try HerpSupplies.com. If you don't have the proper lighting currently I would go locally in order to get things set up quickly. If not possible to get them locally (remote location) you can replace the 12-14 hours of UVB bulb exposure with 15-30 minutes daily of natural UNFILTERED sunlight. Unfiltered sunlight is that which shines on the ig directly not through glass, plexiglass or other things that block the UVB rays. Natural sunlight is just plain good stuff for igs and if you can you should be giving them 15-30 minutes daily regardless of whether or not you have a UVB bulb. Some advice don't leave an ig alone outside and always provide a shady spot that they can retreat to when they have had enough. For heating a human heating pad set on low can be used temporarily. Keep in mind that this method is only heating the belly.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helped.

Kayo

Melissa Kaplan's Site

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: There are two needs that lighting is used to fulfill. One is providing the necessary UVB, the other is providing Heat. Both are necessary for the health of your ig. UVB and daytime temps should be provided 12-14 hours each day. : Iguana's need UVB for vitamin D3. Without proper UVB exposure they can develop Metabolic Bone Disease. I personally use ZooMed's Reptisun 5.0. They also package this same tube as the Iguana light. Reptisun also produces a 2.0 tube which I don't recommend for igs. There are other companies that produce UVB tubes, but I cannot comment on their products never having used them. There are also companies that produce UVB lights in bulb form. I do not recommend these as they produce a narrow spot of light limiting the exposure the ig receives. Depending on your set up you may be able to buy a florescent fixture from the hardware store instead of the expensive hood type fixtures from pet suppliers. : Igs need heat to properly digest their food. There are several ways to provide this heat. I use a simple household bulbs place in reflector hoods (once again cheaper if bought from a hardware store). If using reflector hoods get the ones with ceramic fixtures rather than plastic which have been known to melt. The wattage need to properly heat your enclosure will depend on several factors including ambient room temp and size. You will probably need to experiment. Use thermometers to be sure you are getting it right as humans can be poor judges of temps. : Nighttime heat should be something that does not produce light that keeps your ig awake. If the animal cannot sleep they will become stressed and possibly sick. To keep my ig warm at night I replace the regular bulbs with red party bulbs. Yes, they still produce some visible light, but it is a small amount in a color that does not keep the ig awake. : Some people use Ceramic Heat Elements (CHEs) to provide heat instead of bulbs. The benefit to these as they produce no visible light and can also be used at night. I may go with these when I build my new enclosure, but cannot comment now as I don't use them already. : Keep in mind with heating that the ig should be surrounded by the proper heat, meaning you should be heating the air around the animal. Do not use hot rocks. These only heat the belly and have been known to malfunction and cause thermal burns. : To read more about lighting visit Melissa Kaplan's site (link below). She has artilcles that cover every aspect of ig care. : Most of the items I mentioned should be available at your local pet store that sells reptile supplies or the hardware store. However you can order them online try HerpSupplies.com. If you don't have the proper lighting currently I would go locally in order to get things set up quickly. If not possible to get them locally (remote location) you can replace the 12-14 hours of UVB bulb exposure with 15-30 minutes daily of natural UNFILTERED sunlight. Unfiltered sunlight is that which shines on the ig directly not through glass, plexiglass or other things that block the UVB rays. Natural sunlight is just plain good stuff for igs and if you can you should be giving them 15-30 minutes daily regardless of whether or not you have a UVB bulb. Some advice don't leave an ig alone outside and always provide a shady spot that they can retreat to when they have had enough. For heating a human heating pad set on low can be used temporarily. Keep in mind that this method is only heating the belly. : Sorry for the long post. Hope this helped. : Kayo

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