Iguana Cage Design

Function

• A cage for an iguana is more than just a place to keep him so he stays contained. It needs to mimic his natural environment, which is the rain forest. The enclosure should be outfitted with at least one thermometer as well as a humidity gauge. Ideal conditions are between 80 and 88 degrees in daytime and 75 and 80 at night. It should be at 80 percent humidity at all times. Keeping the rain forest in mind, iguanas should also be given vines or branches to climb, foliage to hide in and basking areas.

Size

• Adult iguanas can quickly grow up to six feet long. An ideal cage should be at least twice, perhaps three times, as long as the iguana and at least three times as high. The depth should be at least three feet, but five or more is better. This means the ideal dimensions for an adult iguana cage should be 18 feet high, 12 to 18 feet wide and five or more feet deep. This is not some little enclosure that sits cutely on a child's dresser, but is more like the size of a closet. Smaller cages are suitable as starter cages for young iguanas, but you are going to have to upsize eventually.

Features

• Iguanas love to bask and climb, so areas to achieve those essential things should be readily available. Basking platforms are often made from plastic, wood or plastic-coated wire shelves and placed at different heights throughout the cage. The iguana should also have ways to climb to those heights with branches, vines or other tall, sturdy objects he can easily grasp. She should also have a water bowl for drinking out of and a water basin in which she can fit her entire body if she desires. One side of the cage should be set up so she can hide, either with lush plants or a little box or other enclosure where she can retreat if desired.

Effects

• At least two types of lights are needed to mimic his natural environment, as is a way to keep the cage humid. One light should be of the UVB type, which provides the essential rays he would get from natural sunlight. This light should be on a timer which stays on for 12 hours and then turns off for 12, simulating the natural course of a day. The other light should be used for heating the cage and should have its own controls not connected to the timer. Daytime heating lamps can be coupled with infrared lights that mimic moonlight for heating at night. Ceramic heat emitters can also be used, day or night. Humidity can be achieved with twice-daily misting, putting a bubble bar in the iguana's water source and closing off any openings where air can escape.

Warning

• Hot rocks, sold to heat some reptile cages, are not a good choice for iguanas. They are used to getting their heat from the sun and may not realize it is coming from a rock underneath them, leading to burns and damaged skin. Plants, too, need to be chosen with caution. Plastic plants are the best bet, but they need to be checked often to make sure the iguana is not trying to eat them. Ingesting chunks of plastic leaves can clog her digestive tract. Another digestive hazard is cage-lining materials such as gravel, bark chunks or wood chips. The bottom of the cage would be better off lined with a short pile carpet, artificial grass, linoleum or tile.