Can someone recommend the best UV and Heat lighting for an Iguana Cage?
sparrownightmare asked:
I am building a new enclosure for our Iguanas and I was wondering if someone could give me some advice on the best UVB and Heat lighting to use for them. The enclosure is going to be a duplex of sorts, with a total length of 6′ and a depth of 3′ and a height of 6′, divided in the center into two seperate units. I am not sure what is the best brand, model and type of lighting for the Iguanas. Any help appreciated.
I am building a new enclosure for our Iguanas and I was wondering if someone could give me some advice on the best UVB and Heat lighting to use for them. The enclosure is going to be a duplex of sorts, with a total length of 6′ and a depth of 3′ and a height of 6′, divided in the center into two seperate units. I am not sure what is the best brand, model and type of lighting for the Iguanas. Any help appreciated.
mega ray for uvb and any kind of heat can be used but make sure its the right temp. [who] hugo m
For a large enclosure MegaRays ( ) are the best on the market for UVB … DO NOT recommend them for tanks unless you know what you are doing because they do get extremely warm
For long tubes … the best on the market for UVB are
US: ReptiSun 10.0 distance 8-10 inches from your igs body
Repti Glo 8.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
ReptiSun 5.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
UK: Arkadia distance 6-8 inches from your igs body
… again these are long tubes, you need to use at least 2, and need to be changed every 6months, the MegaRays need to be changed at least every year. There is a distance for the MegaRays but they will say on the packaging, for the long tubes listed above w/ the the brand/type. Your iguanas basking area under the UVB needs to be a flat surface not at an angle.
DO NOT get the compact coil type they can cause more damage then good. You can read about that on
For heat lighting, MegaRay has a product called Heat Projector, ppl w/ igs love it. CHE (ceramic heat emitters) produce no light just heat, great for night time if gets too cold, I use personally during the day along w/ just a 100W house bulb.
Make sure that you heat lights are outside on top of the cage if possible, if not you NEED to make sure that you do have a dome cover to protect your iguana from possibly burning himself/herself
You want to make sure that you dont try and heat every crack in the enclosure, be way too much. Make sure that you are using a good thermometer. Also if you are using a humidifer or vaporizer inside the enclosures you are using some type of cover to prevent your iguanas from possibly sitting on and tipping over, or other issues.
Since you say iguanas and your dividing the enclosure … if they are both males this will not be a good idea. Specially during the breeding season IF they can see each other. If you have a male and female this still may become a problem. Just something to think about.
The enclosure in few years may be too small for them. Enclosure needs to be at least 1.5-2 times it’s total length.
Sites for you to read: – -
A great book to read and have on hand:
Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan
Yahoo has some great sites for Iguana owners… these groups helped me and still help w/ questions .. if you’d like to join: – [who] evanescence_fr3ak