How to Make Iguana Cages

Green iguanas are charming reptiles that make fascinating pets for those who are willing to provide the care and environment needed to keep these tree-hugging lizards healthy and happy. A twenty gallon tank with a tree branch, a light bulb and a screen top may be fine for a baby iguana but as he grows, he needs more room and a place to climb if he's going to flourish in your care. Build him a simple environment that suits his needs and he'll reward you with years of companionship and little lizard kisses.

Things You'll Need

• Lumber
• Wire mesh
• Tree branch
• Plants
• Newspaper or newsprint
• Large shallow pan

Instructions

1. Make a plan for your iguana domicile. It should be at least three feet high and have a rock and a "tree" with several branches for your iguana to lounge. It should have a "lagoon" for him to play in and a place for food. A removable bottom or side access to the cage would be helpful for cleaning.

2. Start with a frame. Cut a base out of plywood and build a frame out of 2x2 or 2x4 inch lumber. Sand and seal the wood with wax or non-toxic varnish before assembling.

3. Staple wire mesh with no more than 1/2 inch openings around the outside of your cage. Make any cuts so that there are no "seams" in the open section of the cage but ragged edges are stapled to the frame.

4. Cover the frame of your cage by screwing 1x2 or 1x4 boards cut to fit over the outside of the frames. This will hold the stapled wire mesh securely and give you a surface to stain or paint. If you'd rather have a glass side to the cage, have plastic or aquarium glass cut to fit as many sides as you want covered and glue the glass in with silicone glue. Top the cage with a screened or mesh top, framed with one by twos so that it can be lifted off.

5. Your iguana needs warmth and humidity, so either purchase a lizard-warmer (manufactured "rocks" with heating elements inside) at a pet store or install a heat lamp and focus it on a rock in the habitat. Check with the pet store to be sure that your heat lamp is the right size for your lizard. Since they're cold-blooded, you want to warm, not bake, them. If you've put your habitat near a heat source like a heat register or radiator, you'll need to be sure that Iggy's pond is kept full at all times.

6. In the wild, iguanas lounge in the tree tops, eating and soaking up sun until they're too warm, then fall in the river to cool off. All your iguana has is his tree branch and a bowl of water, so make sure he has an interesting--and safe--tree. Pet stores sell petrified and composition material "trees" for lizards. If you want to make your own, remove the bark, sand and thoroughly dry a branch with enough forks to keep Iggy interested.

7. Put shredded newspaper or newsprint in the bottom of your iguana's cage. Do not use anything he might try to eat like pebbles or coco hulls. He could choke. Clean the cage often with a damp cloth and replace the water in his "lagoon" at least once a day from a jug of water that has been sitting for a day to allow all the chlorine, flourine and other chemicals in city water supplies to evaporate.

Tips & Warnings

• Iguanas do "their business" in water. A trap door or removable bottom would be a convenience since you'll have to change the water in Iggy's lagoon frequently.

• Be sure to sand all lumber smooth before assembling your cage. Iguanas don't like splinters any more than you.

• Green iguanas in captivity are susceptible to diseases for which wild iguanas have inherited immunity. Don't bring anything into your iguana's environment that may harbor bacteria that might endanger him.

• Check any varnish or shellac with your pet store or vet before using to make sure it's non-toxic before using it on habitat surfaces.

• If you're using manufactured or treated lumber for your project, make sure that it doesn't contain formaldehyde or arsenic. Most processes don't use these chemicals any more but it's always a good idea to check.