All About Iguanas

This web page is for anyone who wants to own or care for a pet iguana. You are now following a guide on the whole process of iguana ownership. My pages will teach you how to purchase an iguana, how to care for it, and how to have fun with it!

On this hub, we are going to talk all about some types of iguanas you might consider buying. There is a lot of information coming up, so get ready!

This article is split into two parts.

1. Part 1 (this article) - Cost and Supplies

2. Part 2 - Iguanas for sale: Where to find them, how to buy them

The buying process

How much do they cost at the store? Not much: $10 - $25

Getting an iguana is a many step process. As Associated Content wrote in a recent article entitled "Iguanas - Buying and Caring for This Exotic Reptile", Iguana owners are known for rushing headfirst into purchasing Iguanas without doing the research. Why?

The price is low, and they are considered cool. But how low really? The price may seem cheap, but a lot more goes into it than just the sticker price.

The Associated Content article writes this:

"First, you need to buy lights. You need a UVB ray strip light and a fixture to put it in... It also needs a heat light to increase the temperature in the cage and give the iguana a spot to stay warm... Also, the iguana’s cage needs to have a designated basking area. An iguana will not digest food unless its body is a certain temperature, so the heat light should be positioned so that there is both a basking spot and place for them to cool off.

Iguanas are NOT cheap."

Iguanas also can weigh up to 15 pounds--not light! If you are getting one, don't forget to grab a digital scale!

What supplies will I need to buy?

There are a lot. The Iguana Spot wrote an excellent article about items you need to buy for your iguana. Here is the list:

55 gallon aquarium $180.00
table or stand for enclosure $100.00
solid top for enclosure $40.00 (cost of materials to construct one)
UVB light source $35.00 - $79.99 depending on which type you choose & where you purchase it
fixture for UVB source $12.00 - $30.00 depening on which type you choose & Where you purchase it
basking light $9.00
fixture for basking light $12.00
radiant heat panel $54.00 - $109.00 depending on size required
thermostat for panel $30.00
food and water dish $17.00 (for both)
thermometer & humidity guage $12.00 (for analogue combo)
substrate $20.00 (you can use newspaper instead, which is the better)
cage furniture and decorations $20.00 (we bought some fake plants and a small piece of drift wood)
humidifier or other humidity source $40.00 (for a room humdifier)
$25.00 (for an air pump and stone to place in the enclosure)
_______
TOTAL COST $599.00 plus depending on the choices you make

Notice: That's $600 just to bring the iguana home with you,

So what's the total cost of ownership?

After you add on some recurring payments, the cost of ownership becomes more. The site above estimates

$1040 per year for food
$240 per year for replacing the cage floor
$250 per year for medical care
---------
$1530 / year

That means that, the total price of ownership of an iguana is $600 + $1,530 per year. So, if you own your iguana lives an average lifespan (25 years) you can expect to pay $38,850 over the total lifespan! That's more than the total cost for a dog! (about $15,000 over 12 years).

Continue to part 2 of this article on and find out about Iguanas for sale: Where to find them, how to buy them.