To keep your iguana healthy and thriving, you will need to create a cage cleaning schedule. In this post, we will discuss how to properly clean an iguana cage – for regular cleaning, weekly and monthly cleaning, cleaning nasal salts, poop and substrate.
How often to clean iguana cage?
- You will need to clean the poop from the cage daily, as soon as you see it. Most iguanas poop at the same time of the day – which can also be in the bath if it’s potty trained.
- Washing the food and water bowls is also a daily cleaning task.
- You will have to remove any uneaten food from the cage daily. Uneaten foods cause bacterial growth.
- Remove your iguana from the cage and disinfected the accessories and the cage weekly.
- Clean your iguana by bathing at least 3-4 days a week, but preferably every day. Also, mist it twice a day (morning, early evening).
- Throw away any shedding skin that you might find daily, when your iguana is shedding. The skin might be infected with fungal infection, so will cause its spreading.
- Wipe the cage glass few times a week to remove sneeze salt deposits.
How to clean iguana poop?
To clean iguana poop, you will need to remove soiled water or substrate straight away when you see it. Most iguanas poop in the water, and if it’s potty trained – that will be in the bath tub every day. If you use a plastic dish with water inside the tub – change the soiled water as soon as you see that iguana has pooped.
If your iguana is not potty trained – it might poop on the substrate in the specific spot of the cage. Make sure to NEVER use loose substrate for an iguana because it will ingest it. For substrate, you can use a reptile carpet like this or place newspaper, puppy pads or something similar. This will make cleaning of the poop easier.
Make sure to remove poop from the cage immediately – whether it’s on the substrate or in water. This is because iguana’s poop carries Salmonella and possibly other parasites. Your iguana might also drink the soiled water if it poops in the tub. Wash the tub with antibacterial soap before returning to the cage.
If your iguana is free roaming, you can train it to poop in the specific room or the spot. You can the full guide on potty training your iguana in this post.
How to properly clean an iguana cage?
- Once a week, perform a proper deep iguana cage cleaning.
- Remove your iguana from the tank and let it sit in the plastic dish or let it free roam in another room.
- Unplug all light bulbs and other electric accessories. Let the bulbs cool down before your wipe them, or they might crack and even explode.
- Remove the carpet, paper or other substrate that you have in the tank. Wash the carpet with hot soapy water and hang to dry before using again. It is good to have a spare carpet to use when washing another one.
- Throw away any poop from the cage – wash the soaking dish with hot soapy water and dry well.
- After you have removed the accessories – disinfect the cage. One of the best ways to disinfect the glass cage is to use a steam cleaner. You can use a small handheld steam cleaner like this that will heat the water to around 110 degrees Celsius, or 230 Fahrenheit. Hot pressurized water will kill any harmful microorganisms without the need to use any chemicals.
- In case you don’t have a steam cleaner – you can use a herp-safe terrarium cleaner like this to wipe the tank once a week.
- For daily wiping of cage doors and sides from salt deposits – you can use homemade reptile cage cleaner – cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide (both diluted 1:1). Make sure to wipe it slightly, too.
- If there are any accessories made from porous materials, for example wood branches, ropes – bake them in the oven for half an hour at 250 F (121 Celsius). Boil big rocks, ropes in hot water for 20-25 minutes. This can be done once in two weeks.
- To clean the branches that you disinfected before – wipe them with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar once a month. Wash thoroughly and dry before returning to the cage. If your iguana has an infection – disinfect the wood and ropes more thoroughly.
How to disinfect newly bought, or infested with parasites wooden accessories or ropes for an iguana
- To disinfect the wood that is too large, you can soak it in a diluted disinfectant. If possible, use the disinfectant that is safe for kitchen surfaces or children, for example.
- Using bleach is not recommended, but if you decide to use it, dilute bleach in water with 1 parts bleach and 16 parts water. Soak the accessories in there for 12 hours, then soak in fresh water for another 12 hours. Then, wash and rinse thoroughly, and dry in the sun if possible for up few days (make sure the accessories are dry before returning to the cage).
Make sure any accessories and the cage itself off-gas before you return your iguana back. Keep your iguana in a different room while cleaning and wear the mask yourself.
There are other reptile safe cage disinfectants, such as surgical Novalsan. Novalsan and some other products can be move expensive. But if you decide to buy one, make sure to dilute it (3 ounces in 1 gallon of water).
Remember, bleach or ammonia fumes are very harmful for your iguana, so keep it in another room. Also, never mix them!
Do not use any alcohol to clean the cage, and never use it for iguana’s skin! Alcohol will cause severe burns in your iguana.