Now that you have your habitat built and set up with the right amounts of heat and light, the next part of the three part equation for your iguana is that of humidity.

Humidity is the amount of moisture that is in the air. Since iguanas come from areas that are generally very high in humidity all the time, you’ll need to mimic that here in your habitat. But, how in the world do you create the right amount of humidity?

The right level of humidity for your iguana will be between 65 percent and 75 percent, which are fairly humid conditions. There are several ways for you to get this high of a humidity level within your habitat.

First, there are the simple methods to doing this. You can just spray the habitat down with water throughout the day. Don’t spray less than an hour before the lights go out for the night though. You can also place large containers of water in the habitat, which will help to make for the right amount of humidity within the habitat, too.

In the later chapters, you’ll learn about how you need to bath and mist your iguana, but for now, realize that is a good way to gain the benefits of added moisture, too.

If you built your iguana’s habitat correctly, the heat and humidity levels will remain high enough with these methods as you’ll have a pretty decent way of keeping it in (Plexiglas is a great option for this.)  But, it may not be enough.

You see, one of the largest problems with iguana’s in captivity is that of maintaining the right amounts of moisture in their bodies. They just don’t drink lots water on their own and for that reason they need to absorb it from the air around them.

For this reason, a better system of providing for humidity in the habitat should be considered. You can do this by purchasing a misting system. Another option is that of an ultrasonic fogger. These work on timers that will mist the entire habitat several times per day to provide for the right amount of humidity for your pet.

Don’t Over Do It

The hardest part of the project will be not overdoing it. You see, with too much moisture within your iguana’s habitat, you are putting him at risk, too. Sounds like a trick?  The fact is that too much mist will allow for problems.

For example, your iguana’s habitat needs to be cleaned properly. If you provide for too high of a level of humidity within the habitat, you’ll be encouraging bacteria and even mold to grow there. Mold that is growing on the habitat in any location or that is growing on your iguana itself is a sign that too much moisture is in the habitat and you need to lower it.

Since these things can make your iguana ill, it pays to take the time necessary to monitor the levels of humidity within your iguana’s habitat. To do that, look for tools at your local pet store, or better yet right online. You want to have some methods that can provide the right amount of humidity to your iguana, but maintaining a high level of humidity is not okay either.

Now that you’ve covered the three important elements of taking care of your iguana, we’ll move into more every day considerations you’ll need to pay attention to. If you have questions about the construction and set up of your iguana’s habitat, you’ll find plenty of resources around the web to help you.

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