If you own any iguanas before, you know how seldom they actually drink water. It’s quite a common question among iguana pet owners. They never seem to ever drink water in front of us.
So, I decided to spend the whole day with my iguana for 2 whole days, and finally, I saw it happen! My iguana drank water out of his bowl, but how do they do it?
Iguanas drink water using their tongues just like how dogs and cats do. They use their tongues to scoop the water up into their mouth but this is a rare scene.
It is important to make sure your iguana is hydrated all the time for optimal health. Iguanas can get dehydrated if you don’t take care of it properly.
Sometimes, you have to force your iguana to drink water to make sure they are fully hydrated. They almost never drink water on their own without stimulation.
How Much Water Do Iguanas Need?
Iguanas need about 20 ml of water for every 1 kg they weigh. For example, an adult iguana that is 4 kg will need 80 ml of water a day. This is actually not much at all.
That being said, iguanas can never drink too much water. It’s better for an iguana to drink more water than it requires than a little less as they will risk dehydration.
Should I Make My Iguana Drink Water?
Most of the time, an iguana doesn’t need to be forced to drink water if it’s fed a proper diet. Most iguanas get most, if not all of their required water intake from vegetables and fruits.
However, it can be hard to know how much water your iguana got from those vegetables you feed it. You should definitely make your iguana drink water if it shows any signs of dehydration. One of the most common signs of dehydration is wrinkly or dry skin.
Other than that, you can also do a test on your iguana by gently pulling the skin on your iguana’s legs or arms. If the skin doesn’t return back immediately, your iguana is dehydrated.
Making your iguana drink water has no harm and you can make sure they are properly hydrated.
Methods to Make Iguanas Drink More Water
Making your iguana drink more water might seem like an impossible task for many. Sometimes, it feels like there is nothing you can do to make this animal drink more water.
Those days are over because here are some methods you can use to make any iguana drink more water.
Putting Fruits In Water
The first method is putting some fruits in the water bowl that’s in your iguana’s cage. The sweet taste from the fruits is enough to entice the iguana in drinking more water.
Some fruits you can put in your iguana’s water bowl are blueberries, strawberries, bananas and etc. However, don’t do this too often, fruits should only be given once or twice a week in small amounts as treats.
Misting Iguana’s Food
Another way you can increase the water intake of your iguana is to mist your iguana’s food. Every time you put food into your iguana’s cage, mist it with water. This will add additional moisture on top of the liquid your iguana will get from the vegetables.
It might seem very little but if you do this every day on every meal of your iguana, it can add up quickly. Remember, iguana only need 20 ml of water for every kg of body weight.
Water for Iguana
When you put water inside your iguana cage, make sure to change it every day. Iguanas tend to bath and go to the toilet in the bowl of water you put in its cage. If you want your iguana to get used to drinking water, make sure it gets clean and fresh every day.
Also, make sure you never give your iguana untreated tap water. If you want to use tap water, make sure to use a water conditioner. This will help to remove any chlorine, heavy metals, chloramines, and ammonia that’s in the water.
You can get this water conditioner for yourself on Amazon with this link (#ad). Just a few drops for every one cup of water is enough to clean the water.
How Long Can Iguanas Live Without Water?
This will depend on the size and age of the iguana. On average, iguanas can live anywhere from 5 to 10 days without water before severe dehydration kills it. They cannot go too long without water as it’s too essential for their body to function properly.
Conclusion
Iguanas don’t always drink water on their own but when they do, they use their tongues to scoop the water into their mouth. These animals don’t need much water and they usually get all their water intake from their food.
Despite that, there is no harm in making your iguana drink more water. That way, you will be 100% sure that it’s hydrated. Training your iguana to drink water will not only be beneficial to you. Make sure to utilize at least one of those two methods above to increase the water intake of your iguana.
Lastly, make sure you don’t let your iguana drink untreated tap water for maximum safety. Treat all water with a water conditioner before giving it to your iguana.
