Iguana Costs
It takes a surprising amount of money to properly house and care for an Iguana. They are definitely not a cheap pet. Correct caging, diet, supplementation, lighting, and vet care add up very quickly! And along with the monetary commitment, you also need to be prepared to sacrifice a lot of time for your green friend. Along with the 'fun' time spent hanging out and socializing with your Iguana, there's also more time spent cleaning enclosures, preparing and packaging their food, giving baths and subsequently disinfecting the tub, Ig proofing the house for free roam, and much more! Below is a breakdown on the cost of keeping an iguana.
- Initial vet visit for Well Baby Checkup: $35-45
- Yearly vet visit: $35-45
- Fecal check every 6 months: $15
- Cage: $100 or more depending on if you build it yourself or have it custom made.
- Humidifier: $20
- Digital thermometer/hygrometer: $25
- Timer for lights: $10
- Dome light fixture with porcelain socket for heat bulb: $12
- Dome light fixture for secondary basking bulb: $12
- 100w GE lightbulbs for second basking area: $1
- CHE bulb for night heat: $25
- Porcelain socket fixture for CHE: $12
- Timer for CHE: $10
- Two 4' UVB lights (replace every 6 months): $40
- 4' UVB fixture: $20 from Home Depot
- Shallow kitty litter box for lagoon: $10
- Cage Carpet: $12
- 2 Surge protector strips @ $10 each: $20
- Heating pad for nighttime: $15
- Timer for heating pad: $10
- Spray bottles for misting: $5
- Nolvasan disinfectant 16oz: $20
- Weekly grocery visit: $10 per iguana
- Carrier for vet visits: $20-30
- Heat packs for carrier / in case of power outage: $15
- Rheostat (thermostat) for controlling heat: $20
Now, this doesn't even begun to figure in the cost of electricity for the bulbs and humidifying devices. Lightbulbs (both heat and UVB) need to be replaced periodically, and there are also all the lovely unexpected costs, like more vet visits or a humidifier that suddenly burns out. UVB bulbs should be replaced every 6 months, and your iguana should have a yearly vet visit for a checkup. There are lots of little 'incidental' costs too, such as cage decorations, harness and lead, neosporin and bandaids for all those scratches your ig gives you, and more. Iguanas themselves are not expensive, it's their CARE that is. Pet stores sell baby iguanas for $15-20, but the ones from pet stores are often stressed, ill, and full of parasites, requiring a larger initial vet bill. Rescues and shelters have healthy iguanas available, usually for a low adoption fee of $10 or $20.
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