Iguana Cages

Selecting an iguana cage is not easy.

The main reason for this is that there are so many choices of iguana cages available to you, and that iguanas grow at such a pace as to quickly outgrow their existing cage.

Can't you just buy a full-sized iguana cage?

Well no, not really.

You see, iguanas, like any other pet, need to be "tamed". They need to be given a chance to get used to you and feel comfortable around you. You need to build up some mutual trust.

If you don't, processes such as cleaning the iguana cage or even just feeding him can be a real nightmare.

Your iguana should therefore be in a cage big enough to make him feel comfortable, but also small enough to enable you to find him and try to hand-feed him. Also, if necessary, to catch him without too much hassle for trips to the vet, nail clipping sessions, health checks etc.

Also bear in mind that the smaller iguanas cages are also cheaper to buy, to heat and to light than their larger counterparts, so requires a smaller initial investment from you.

Your iguana is likely to go from 8-10" long hatchling to 5-6' monster in 3-5 years, and in that time you can probably get away with three separate cages.

For the first of my cages, for a single green iguana I use a cage roughly 2 feet (60cm) in length, as tall and deep as you can get it.

As iguanas are arboreal, that is, they climb trees, whilst you can't ignore the other dimensions completely, you should be thinking all the time about the height of the cage.

Generally all-glass fish tanks make ideal first iguanas cages, and can be bought 15-18" high and deep from most major petstores.

These can be fitted with a special vivarium lid like this one where one can fit the iguana heater and lighting setup to provide a safe and secure environment for your new pet.

Set up the tank as we discussed here.

The real benefit of starting off like this is that firstly glass aquaria are relatively easy to come by, are strong, don't scratch as easily as acrylic cages and are easy to keep sterile.

Also, when it comes to cleaning out your green iguana you can remove all the decor, use a hoover to remove the last few bits of debris, then give it a wash with a reptile-safe disinfectant like this one.

Easy!

When your iguana gets towards 18-24" in length, it will be necessary to start thinking about the next size iguana cage which should be a minimum of 3 feet in height (36" or 90cm). Again, get the highest cage you can find.

There are some great intermediate-sized cages made of wire mesh which enables iguanas to climb easily as they normally would.

Click here to see the baby iguana cage I use.

A larger, sturdier version, for older iguanas can be found here.

Once your igauna starts to outgrow this cage, when he reaches 3' - 3 1/2' in length it's time to go up to the final iguana cage, in which he should remain for the rest of his days.

Very few suppliers sell anything suitable for a lizard of this size, so it generally necessary to build your own, though this needn't be difficult.

Make your life as easy as possible by getting hold of one of the books published on how to build your own reptile tanks, such as this one.

And that's your basics covered!

Choosing an iguana cage is a bigdecision that will impact your igauna's life for years to come, so please think carefully about it.

The above is based on my own experiences of 4 iguanas over the years, and I highly recommend you start your search by taking a look at this online petstore which contains loads of stuff for reptiles. Click here.

Iguana Care Covering the care of iguanas in captivity, we look at everything from iguana sexing to ideally suited iguana cages, an iguana lighting setup, non toxic plants for iguanas which you can use to decorate your iguana's cage and even my sneaky, personal way of choosing great iguana names every time! We also take a look at feeding iguanas, iguana diet and an assortment of iguana food. This section can also be printed out as an iguana care sheet.