I'm trying to figure out how to give Critter enough basking time after his meal so he can come out of his "house" and hang out and still get enough UVB. I hope this makes sense.
I don't have a basking light outside his enclosure so he needs to be in to get his light but he loves to get up on top and just hang out. He'll stay there all day.
So my question is how much time does he need under the light after eating to metabolize his food?

I don't think they need UVB to digest their food, i think they have to be 85 degrees and up to digest

i believe they do need uvb to aid in digestion. it has something to do with the uvb producing certain vitamins and the vitamins aiding in breaking down their food. but since i'm no ig expert i'm just going by what I glanced at in the caresheet. and as far as for how much time it should bask there I don't know.

it does have to be warm enough but some lizards need the added benefits of uvb too.

i'm sure someone else with more experience will come along and answer the questions you have

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Both correct,..sort of.
The UVB is used by their skin to manufacture vit D which enables them to metabolize the calcium in their diet.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I know they need both heat and light, but if he eats at ,say, 9 A.M. how long does he need to bask. I would like to let him out later in the day, so is a few hours enough time?

Can you add another light to the top of the enclosure since he likes to sit up there so much?

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

It depend on the light that you are using. A high output mercury vapor lamp will suffice for just a few hours. If it is a fluorescent it will need more time.

This is one of the reasons I generally advise against free roaming.
You have to realize that you have the iguana in an unnatural situation. In a captive situation you cannot just let him choose where to be. You have to make sure that, if free roaming, the area he chooses to spend time in has the proper lighting. Their climbing up to the highest level in the wild would put them naturally in the sunshine and supply all the UVB that they need.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I am planning to put a light above where he likes to sit just haven't got one yet.
He has a 100 watt mega ray bulb in his enclosure and his shelf is about 18 inches below.
I wouldn't say he is "free roaming" as he is confined to one room of the house unless he comes out for a supervised walk around which is rare, but his enclosure is not huge so it's good if he can be out at times.

With something as powerful as the megaray, a few hours will be good.
But I would still add the other lamp for good measure!
That will also give you a backup should the cage lamp happen to fail.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

The extra light will definitely give you peace of mind.

I had similar concerns about basking time because my iguana likes to either hang out in the office (where he can see the entire backyard) or the windowsill in my bedroom (where he can watch all the neighbors and passerbys).

So I just installed ceiling hooks using toggle bolts, and ordered a deep dome and another megaray. (I never move the lighting fixture unless the bulb has completely cooled down)