Homemade Iguana Cages

Building a homemade iguana cage is not difficult, but it should be large and secure. If you bring home a juvenile iguana, keep in mind while making your cage that it is going to grow much larger; some reach eight feet in length. Homemade iguana cages are large and can take up a significant part of a room in your house.

Size

The cage for an adult iguana should be large enough for the iguana to climb to a sunning area and have a hiding area, which may mean up to 6 feet tall. Your iguana cage should be at least 6 feet long and 3 feet wide, allowing room for your iguana to turn around easily.

Features

Because iguanas are cold-blooded reptiles, they need a sunning area to warm up at each day. Hang one or two heat lamps from the top of the cage as well as UVB and UVA lights to help with vitamin absorption. Then build a landing area about two feet below the light with steps to reach it, where your iguana can sun itself. Be sure to make the platform large enough to accommodate your full-grown iguana.

Considerations

You will want to have easy access, enough to clean the bottom of the cage and to take your iguana out for walks, so consider using a full size door. Play or reptile sand work well for bedding and can easily be sifted clean each day. You also need to prevent escapes and injuries. Make sure the wooden areas are sanded smooth. Use Plexiglas for window areas to prevent breakage. If using screen, find a style that your iguana cannot tear that has holes small enough to prevent entrapment. Iguana harnesses and leashes are available to keep your iguana safe whenever you take it out of its cage.

Function

Iguanas do not like to live with other iguanas; they prefer to live alone. Build your homemade iguana cage to accommodate just one iguana, its food dishes, sunning area, and hiding area. They also like to climb, so consider adding several levels or steps to reach the top sunning area. Because iguanas are so large, you may want to consider an indoor-outdoor cage.

Warning

While iguanas eat dry iguana food, they should also have fresh vegetables and fruits each day. You may want to create a small access door for feeding and removing dishes because iguana can bite hard enough to remove a piece of finger. Scoop out uneaten food and stools daily to prevent disease caused by bacteria, mold, and insects.