iguana

bob_thesnowman · 10-19-03, 10:04 PM

this is quite odd,somebody here on prince Edward island found an iguana in there backyard,obviously someone was either very careless,or decided to release it and let it fend for itself,which is pretty cruel considering it would never make it through the winter, anyway the atlantic vet colledge was called in,they captured him(or her) and she's no in a pretty large room living it up,obviously it can't stay there,lol,they told be in was only about 18 inches at the moment,it's at least two and a half feet,but it is missing most of it's tail,very beautiful iggy though,lol,she's alot bigger then i thought she was going to be,but i've decided to adopt her regardless,well the point of this forum is how big do you guys think the minimum space should be for her?i want her to be happy,a tank big enough to house her would obviously be very expensive,especially since iggys are mostly arboreal,so do you guys think it would be o.k to build a cage out of wood and wire??thanks!also i've never owned an iguana(well besides my desert iguana's,but there is a huge difference is size there,lol) if anybody has any suggestions for cage idea's husbandry,etc. that would be so great!!!thanks to all for any help at all!

bob_thesnowman · 10-20-03, 01:30 PM

any suggestions at all?

Pixie · 10-20-03, 02:29 PM

I am in a very similar predicament as I am adopting a rescued iguana shortly also! I've been getting an enclosure ready and learning as much as I can about them also.

What I am doing for an enclosure is converting a closet, actually the top half of a closet which measures 3'W x 2.5'D x 4'H. Not the biggest but will be adequate for some time. I lined the shelf with linoleum for easy cleanups and am installing 2 basking lights as well as a neon fixture for heat and lighting.

The door is being homemade, a frame of wood with hardwire cloth securely attached to it.

Enclosures for adult iguanas are almost always made out of wood and some form of hardware cloth. So go right ahead and plan out an enclosure for your soon to be iguana!

Here are a couple of links to tons of information on green iguanas. Get your notebook out as they aren't very easy to care for and there is a lot to remember!

www.anapsid.org
www.greenigsociety.org

Good luck,
Pixie

eyespy · 10-20-03, 06:37 PM

I actually don't like hardware cloth for igs, I've seen so many broken or missing toes and claws from it. If you can find PVC-coated hardware cloth to soften the wire edges that is some help. Most of the folks I know who make cages use plexiglass. Not only does it protect their toes, it helps to keep humidity in better. Most glass or home improvement stores will precut it for you and even drill ventilation holes.

J-Man · 10-20-03, 07:05 PM

Hey Pixie, I'm also adopting an iguana soon and I'm also also converting a closet into an enclosure. ARe you thinking about having it free-roam as well as have a place to go to always find food and water? That's what i'm doing, since it's a closet in my room I can keep in confined to only my room.

bob_thesnowman · 10-21-03, 03:17 AM

hey guys,thank-you so much your help is very much so appreciated!this was kind of an unexpected project for me,so i didn't really have the time to research,i was just called up a couple of days ago,and was told that this iguana needed a good home,they knew i worked with reptiles as i set up at their open-house a few weeks ago,lol,i really wasn't expecting this "edition" to my herps,but it's a welcome edition,they're even giving it a free fecal for me,to my knowledge she's eating great,but is skittish but not agressive,thanks again to pixie for some good dimensions for her home,and to eyespy for the pvc coated wires!