Iguana Enclosure Ideas?

drewvliet · 10-06-15, 09:04 PM

Hey guys,

I recently rescued 2 baby iguanas, and have decided to keep them. They're small enough to fit in a 75 gallon tank ATM (for probably another month or two), so I've got plenty of time to build an enclosure. I have decided to start staying at my house down in Florida instead of NC, and I would like to get to work on building their outdoor enclosure. Basically, I would like a decent-sized (but not something that will take up the entire yard) cage that I can make natural-looking. I will be building 2 of the exact same cages, one in FL and one in NC, and winters can get a little bit too cold for them in NC, so I think I'll need some sort of shed that they can go in during the winter, with some sort of heat source, no?

Any tips on creating this enclosure are appreciated

chairman · 10-07-15, 11:06 AM

The rule for lizard enclosure dimensions is roughly 1.5x lizard length by 3x lizard length. Using 6' as iguana length, that's 9'x18'. I'd probably change the 9' to 8' since lumber is sold in 8' lengths. Probably change the 18' to 16' for the same reason. I'd go 7 or 8 foot tall because a cage that big should be tall enough to walk in.

Implementation, I'd build a 3' tall box, similar to a raised planter, out of pressure treated 2x6s or 2x8s. Then I'd used pressure treated 2x4s to build a frame to hold walls and ceiling of welded wire. Don't get chicken wire, it can cut the iguanas. Make sure to build a door, I'd cut a hole in the bottom box so there's nothing to step over to enter. The only other thing you'll need is a partially solid roof for shade. Plastic corrugated roofing would work.

Beyond that you're just looking for what will look good or work well for you. Heck, you could build the thing on a trailer so you can park it outdoors in FL and pull it into a garage with a space heater or two in NC.

drewvliet · 10-07-15, 08:39 PM

So I guess I've got a general idea now what I'm doing with this (thanks chairman!).

So the cage will by 20 feet long and 12 feet wide and 8 feet high (I'll see how big a 16x8 is). I'll use 2x4's to build a basic frame, and then fill it in with welded wire. I plan on using wire with very small spaces so that the iguanas (they're a male and female) are able to breed freely, and the babies can be reared in the main enclosure and then sold off once they get larger. After that, I'll leave a side unfenced for a 6 foot long by 8 feet high by 3 foot wide shelter, that will have an upper and lower door that can opened separate. There will be shelves that can be rearranged, so that I can keep them separated if I need to. There will be some sort of ramp between the cage with a door, so that they are still able to intermingle and share the layers. There will be a space heater for each layer for the winters in NC (just on the one). There will be a large hole on the bottom so that they can easily get in, and a ramp leading straight up to the top hide. The slanted roof on it will be made from wood, then covered with plastic corrugated roofing, as well as the small surrounding area so that they have shade. I'm also going to use carpet on the inside of the shelter - outdoor carpet so it doesn't just rot.

The inside of the enclosure will be heavily decorated, with some open spots too. I'll start by digging up and removing all of the grass in there, as it's pretty much all weeds, sandburrs, and dead spots. I'll stir up soil for a foot or two, and then heavily plant grass seed. I'm going to start planting exotic plants, such as dracaeneas, hibiscus plants, and ficus trees. I've got a lot of old, dead oak trees at my NC property, so I'm gonna get to chopping those down (already checked laws and stuff) and hooking some up to a trailer and bringing them down to FL. I'll just bury a good length of them in the soil, and make sure to get them with as many roots as possible so that they will stay there well. I'm going to remove any weak or small branches so that they don't try and climb on them and fall (I'll remove them once they're too big). I'll place a large pile of tiles and slate rocks in a natural formation for a basking spot. I'm liking the idea of taking huge dock ropes, and burning a good portion of them, fraying the ends, tying them between the trees, and doing that thing where you put moss in a blender and grow it on backgrounds and stuff.

That will be the basics of it, but it needs a big water feature. I'm going to take a pond liner, and have some of my friends help build a waterfall with huge rocks and a big pump. I'll make sure that it is heavily filtered. There's going to be a lot of big stones in the bottom to make it really natural.

Other decorations that I'm likely gong to include are some large logs on the ground (probably some of those oak trees, the pieces that got broken off of huge trees). I'll include some burrows - I'm not sure if they use them or not, but if I ever decide to not keep the iguanas, I can convert it over to another tegu enclosure. The burrows will lead to below-ground humid hides and egg-laying boxes. I'm trying to find pampas grass to plant in there for some of the sides so that there isn't open fence around the entire thing. Other than that, the only other things I'm going to do are add a huge stump for a feeding platform and add in some other hide boxes. Sorry for such a long post guys

Let me know what you think!

Doug 351 · 10-08-15, 07:18 AM

Sounds good...I built a smallish enclosure for mine..which was only 3' long...but it didn't spend all it's time there...we let it run around the house...I recommend you do the same..(once they're big enough to keep track of)...

We had cats and he was always stealing food out of their bowls...he pulled a couple of other antics that cracked us up....but having him loose really made him one of the family...

EDIT: (The lizard was only 3' long...the enclosure was slightly larger)

Doug 351 · 10-08-15, 07:50 AM

What the hey...thought I'd go ahead and give you more of the story:

Having the reputation as the local Steve Irwin...a neighbor knocked on my door and asked :"How do you catch an iguana? " I said: "With your hands!" He said: "Well come on...there's a five footer in my backyard! "

So I grabbed my gloves and captured this (more like 2 1/2') iguana....took it home and put it the bathtub.....BTW: It was not a happy camper and very mean. I went asking around the neighborhood and found out the idiot that owned it had released two on purpose....(a death sentence when winter comes)...

Anyway, my wife insisted I build a cage for it...(even though it wasn't going to get out of that tub) before bedtime..

I did....but next day...I let it loose...and it was scurrying to the kitchen (where my wife was)...and she literally jumped up on the kitchen table....screaming "don't let it get my feet!"

Two days later....she sees me petting this thing and it taking a nap on my chest...and she got up the courage to try it herself.....well...she fell in love with it immediately after finding out it was a lap kitty without fur...lol...

So....one thing that was funny was we bought a bag of cat food that had a little circle on the front that pictured the food....this lizard was chomping at that circle....and couldn't figure out why it wasn't able to get a bite!

Another time....it found a fluorescent feather that came off something my daughter had....I reached down to get it away from him....and I never saw that lizard move so fast....he wanted that feather and was going to do his best to keep it!!!!

sirtalis · 10-08-15, 09:41 AM

Letting a lizard free roam is a recipe for disaster, i mean a cat could easily kill a 3 foot iguana, plus they need high humidity, but a house is usually in the 40 % range, not the 70-90% that they should have, look up gout in reptiles, usually that will happen when humidity is to low

ManSlaughter33 · 10-08-15, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirtalis

Letting a lizard free roam is a recipe for disaster, i mean a cat could easily kill a 3 foot iguana, plus they need high humidity, but a house is usually in the 40 % range, not the 70-90% that they should have, look up gout in reptiles, usually that will happen when humidity is to low

Alot of people let their iguanas free raom their home during the day ( while still having access to it's encloure) and put it away at night. iguanas get bored and destructive if left in the cage ALL the time.

Buddy's cat and iguana nap together on the couch all the time.

Now i'm no expert and I don't own an iguana but thats what I've seen/been told/read.

jjhill001 · 10-08-15, 09:20 PM

Not to discourage you from giving your Iguana as large of a cage as you can, but an 8x8x8ft setup is going to be a lot bigger than most other setups (larger than even some zoos I've been to). Plus it'd be a lot easier to build, and a lot cheaper on the wallet in terms of screening.

I looked into building a screen cage for a chameleon a bit back and was really surprised that wood is actually very cheap and the pricy thing is actually the screen!

RAD House · 10-08-15, 10:20 PM

I wouldn't recommend using pressure treated wood on any part of the cage the animal will come in contact with. Pressure treated wood has some pretty nasty chemicals that can leech out.

Doug 351 · 10-08-15, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirtalis

Letting a lizard free roam is a recipe for disaster, i mean a cat could easily kill a 3 foot iguana, plus they need high humidity, but a house is usually in the 40 % range, not the 70-90% that they should have, look up gout in reptiles, usually that will happen when humidity is to low

Wrong...wrong...wrong..and that cat better be a mountain lion...a 3' iguana can tail whip the hell out of a house cat!!!! Really? Give me a break....I'm talking about letting them out...besides, guess what? we had two big dogs too!!!!

ManSlaughter33 · 10-09-15, 06:31 AM

I should add to my free roam part, the the owner was home lol. Otherwise he was in his cage. Total sweet heart too

drewvliet · 10-09-15, 06:41 AM

I have to disagree with the fact that a cat can kill a 3 foot iguana too. I worked with a reptile rescue for over 8 years and there is no way that a cat could take out anything but a newborn hatchling, and only a hatchling if it could catch it. And it would still put up a fight.

As for the actual cage discussion, I think I'm moving to an indoor enclosure, just because I don't even have room for another large outdoor enclosure! I'm working on a large pond for my nile crocodile that I will be getting next year (I have one reserved from someone), and I physically have no space in my yard for a massive iguana cage. The reptile room has plenty of open space left though. Would the Reptile Zoo House from Big Apple Herp be good for a pair of females? It's 85x61x79 - massive! Would it be okay for a breeding pair? I've got a friend who needs a new cage for a pair of breeders too. Thanks

chairman · 10-09-15, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

I wouldn't recommend using pressure treated wood on any part of the cage the animal will come in contact with. Pressure treated wood has some pretty nasty chemicals that can leech out.

Pressure treated wood used to contain nasty chemicals, among them arsenic. It was determined that the process was bad for the environment so now they use a copper-based solution. Would be terrible for invertebrates but is otherwise safe.

chairman · 10-09-15, 07:26 AM

Some normal house cats could kill iguanas. My aunt had a cat that successfully hunted wild adult rabbits. But teenage iguanas can injure people so they could probably hold their own with a cat.

On cage size, the iguanas will grow to 72". The question, then, is should I house a lizard in a cage that he cannot fully extend himself in. I do not keep iguanas because I feel that they take much more space than I have available but that is just my opinion. If you can find someone that has made a smaller space work then see if you can't duplicate their setup.

RAD House · 10-09-15, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chairman

Pressure treated wood used to contain nasty chemicals, among them arsenic. It was determined that the process was bad for the environment so now they use a copper-based solution. Would be terrible for invertebrates but is otherwise safe.

It is true they have stopped using Chromated copper arsenate, but they replaced it with things like azole biocide and quarternary ammonium. They still recommend the use of gloves and masks while handling the wood. As reptiles are quite sensitive to many chemicals I wouldn't recommend using pressure treated wood for this application.