Iguana owners? help with a question please?

[featherfinder]

I have an iguana that i have had for about 2 years now and he is about 4-5 ft long including tail. his tail is curently only 8 inchs long because the previous owner grabbed him by it and broke it off really close to the body

but anyways since he is such a big boy i have a wodden cage that was built for him and he lives outside on my patio. Well when it gets cold we have trouble keeping the heat in because of all the open chicken wire area's. We have come up with the idea of at night when the temperature drops to put a tank over the heat light and a comforter over that all around the cage to lock in the heat for him at night. I was just wondering if anyone has a better idea of keeping him warm because we have no room to put him inside. I live in florida so it doesnt get that cold but cold enough for a lizard like that. Anyone have a better set up idea?

 

[carolinagirl58]

you'd be better off wrapping the cage with plastic. Plastic will hold the heat in better. Be sure to put the heat lamp on a thermostat though so it does not get too hot in there.

 

[featherfinder]

Quote:
There is a thermometer in there. I thought of plastic but i was worried about air flow and if that would block it to much that he couldnt breath as well.

 

[carolinagirl58]

not a thermometer, a thermostat to turn the heat lamp off and on as needed depending on temperature. That way he can't overheat. On nice warm days, open a section of plastic so air can flow and then shut it back down at night.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Do you have a garage? It's just not very convenient to keep a lizard outside in winter, even in Florida. Large iguana are not as heat dependent as young but are still cold blooded animals. They really need to be inside. When we had iguana they had a tank as younf and the one of your size was mostly potty trained to the bath tub and had the bathroom as a lair, complete with drift wood to climb with perch, and run of the living room. Was a bit creepy to awake in the middle of night if falling asleep on the couch to a lizard as long as you cuddling up for warmth

Hope it works out for you and your right, it will need ventilation.

 

[silkielover5]

we had one she was indoor living in a huge tank with a fake tree to climb in and out until she smaked my sister in the eye with her tail, we sold her to a family with 3 kids they loved her! free range of the house with their kitten. one day kids came home and there was a trail of blood, kitten climbed into cage and killed her

one week later kitten ran away never came back. the family baught a new iguana after that. but she lived in a huge tank with heat lamp and fake tree next to it to get in and out

 

[Skyesrocket]

I wonder if you put a wooden box in there with the heat lamp above it and a hole in the side if it would climb inside to stay warm?