...outside of freedom in their natural environment, what would be required for proper reptile care?

Especially from an environmental standpoint.


I have ~1/2 of my Iguana Environmental Enclosure project ordered, the enclosure itself will be assembled sometime either this weekend or early next week. It's 80" tall (72.5" tall inside, the remainder is to accomodate lighting, heater/cooler unit(s), tubing to the atomizer nozzles, and the controller unit), 96.5" wide, and 49" deep.

The frame is bolt-fastened 6105-T5 aluminum, the rear enclosure walls are a water-proof (marine-rated) insulating sheet, both the sliding doors and clear side are 1/4" acrylic, and the floor is anodized aluminum-clad corrugated sheet (for weight and insulation reasons).

The plan for the controller is to take 4-6 temperature zone readings and run one or two heating/cooling units to create a temperature gradient averaging 85-90F @ the basking shelf during the day, 75-80F at night, and safety logic that will keep the temperature within 95F in case external temperatures rise above 95F. It will also switch the pump on/off to increase humidity within the enclosure, aiming for 90-95%. Last but not least, it'll switch the lights between day and night modes at intervals as close to an Iguana's natural habitat as possible. Since he'll probably be in there at least 85% of the time due to my work schedule, I want to make sure it's the best possible environment for him.

Am I missing something or incorrect on any of these environmental requirements?



Once the controller and associated parts work correctly, it would be easy to adjust it to the needs of other reptiles. For instance, one of my friends already wants a lighter-duty aluminum/arcylic enclosure of similar construction and an environmental control system for a chameleon as soon as I complete the project...