I'm getting a beautiful red iguana baby soon and I want to make sure his enclosure is set up perfectly. Sorry for the repetitive newb questions! - Can I use sand or Eco earth? I've read that you should not use any substrate capable of being ingested to avoid compaction, but does this actually happen or is this a common care sheet misconception? - Should I provide nighttime heating? I plan on providing a UVB/A lightbulb and a heat light during the day and I don't imagine the temperature ever going below 65 in my room. Should I provide a red heat light to keep on constantly and the UVB lamp during day? - I plan on buying collard greens, turnip greens, and butternut squash in a finely chopped mixture as a daily food with occasional mango and of course some variety every week like green beans and others. Does this sound sufficiently supplemental as a daily staple? I'll be buying whole greens and fruits so I doubt I will feed it all before it goes bad. What's the best way to preserve greens and fruit? Thank you for any help and extra information or experience!
Which species is it exactly? What's the ambient room temperature? Generally speaking I'd say any form of wood chip substrate is good for all iguana species—minus the desert iguana of course. You have to be careful they don't ingest any of it however. They do this mistakenly, they wouldn't try to eat it normally but it might get caught in their food. If the room is warm enough nighttime heating shouldn't be necessary, unless maybe you live somewhere cold, like I do. As for food, I'd also add in some iguana pellets as well. Iguanas for the most part are herbivorous, but that doesn't mean they won't pass up the occasional bug or small animal. The pellets will fill in the protein needs. I wouldn't suggest feeding them animals often because it can have disastrous results. Young ones consume insects a lot more often than adults do (considering this is a green iguana). Just keep any unfinished food items in the fridge. If you have any further questions feel free to ask!
