Iguanas are large and intelligent lizards, which also need a lot of space. Many iguana owners contemplate whether their iguana will be happy being kept in a cage. In this post, we will talk about how to iguana proof a house or a room, and give you a full guide on an iguana room setup and essentials.
Advantages of a free ranging iguana
- Free roaming iguana will have more space to move around and exercise.
- Iguana without a cage is more likely to be happy because of more space and stimulation.
- You can iguana proof a room or a house. An adult iguana cage is big anyway, and most people have a room dedicated for their iguana. You can turn the room into an ‘iguana room’.
- You will not need to build or buy a cage for your iguana.
- If your iguana can free roam the house, it can go to the toilet by itself (if it’s toilet trained). Or it will approach the bathroom, letting you know that it needs to go.
- You will be able to see your iguana’s personality – captivity doesn’t allow iguanas to show their true colors and makes them even lazier.
Disadvantages of a free ranging iguana
- You will need to plan your iguana’s supplies in the room or the house.
- Iguana-proofing can be hard, especially if it’s the whole house.
- Providing optimal heating, lighting and humidity can be hard and needs planning.
- You will also need to remove all small objects that your iguana can swallow (iguanas are very curious), cover the lamps and hide the cables that can cause fire.
- Your iguana can escape (if your back yard or front has no barriers) or hide in different places causing you stress. Iguanas are very good at squeezing through tight holes and entrances.
- You will have to potty train your iguana and make sure that it’s pooping in the designated area. Cleaning will be also harder because your iguana will be touching everything (due to a risk of Salmonella contraction).
- Your iguana might start perceiving the whole house as its own territory. This might cause it to become aggressive to strangers and even you in some situations (for example during the breeding season).
- There is a risk that your iguana might break and rip things, as well cause fire. You will need to be very diligent if you want your iguana to free range.
Can you let iguana run around the house?
If you have young or older people in the house, as well as those who can become scared of an iguana, it’s not a good idea to let it free roam. Same goes if your iguana can escape – there’s a little chance that it will return. If your iguana has anger issues and is not fully laid back – free ranging can only worsen behavioral issues.
Make sure that your yard is completely surrounded by a fence – or your iguana will escape through the house door or windows. Also, please remember that iguanas act just like curious babies – tasting and trying to eat everything that they see.
They also jump from very high spots and buildings. So, if your decide to let your iguana free roam, that is your responsibility to plan everything ahead.
Should you let your iguana free roam one room or the whole house?
It might be a much better idea to let your iguana free roam one or two rooms instead of the whole house. One or two rooms will be enough for your iguana to walk around and will have all of its supplies. It will be also less work for iguana-proofing and cleaning. It will be also easier to regulate temperatures, humidity and lighting in one room rather than whole house.
You will not need to hide everything in other rooms (iguanas can get to everything). Your iguana is very likely to spend most of its time in the room that will have its accessories, anyway. A good way to decide the best rooms for your iguana is to place thermometers and hygrometers there first, to see which room has the best suitability.
If you don’t have children, older or vulnerable people in the house, you can let your iguana free range the whole house. But this will need more planning and regulation.
How to iguana proof a room or house – important tips
If you decide to let your iguana free roam one room, you will need to prepare everything. In this section, we will cover everything that you need to do to setup an iguana room and remove any potential risks.
Step 1: Hiding, covering and organizing all the cords and cables
Your iguana can cause serious fire if you don’t cover and hide all the cables. It can also bite the cords, causing wires to become exposed- there will be a risk of electrocution. The risk is that your iguana might chew on the cables or rip them with sharp claws.
To avoid any issues with your iguana biting or ripping the cables, you will need to hide or cover them.
One of the ways to do that is to hide most of the wires behind the large pieces of furniture. Another way would be to cover the cables with a cord protector like this that is intended to protect cables from chewing pets. You can also use split loom tubing, tough plastic piping or a cord winder.
Step 2: Preventing falls from high structures
Whether you are iguana-proofing the room or the house, you will need to take into the account all the structures that your iguana can climb. These include bookshelves, TV stand, tables, lamps, chimney, drapes and so on.
Iguanas love climbing everything. On top of that, they tend to jump off the structures, no matter how high they are.
Knowing this, you will need to both remove your valuables from the structures and make them safe for climbing and clinging. On top of that, you need to make sure that your iguana can safely go down from the structure.
If there are any high tables or shelves, make sure to arrange spots that will help your iguana to go down, or place something soft on the floor as iguanas tend to jump a lot.
Most iguanas also love climbing and clinging on drapes, so make sure to cover them or hang cheaper material drapes. Also, make sure that all the structures (including drapes) can hold the weight of your iguana.
Also, don’t forget about open windows – your iguana can jump out easily. Make sure to keep them closed or secure them properly.
Step 3: Remove anything that your iguana might eat – it can be toxic to your iguana – plants & small objects
When iguana-proofing the room or the house, you must not leave any potentially toxic plants. You should also take care of any small objects that your iguana might swallow.
Remove any small objects or loose materials – such as loose sand or soil (in the plants). Instead of real plants, you can also get fake plants – such as this fake Boston Fern made for reptile habitats.
If you don’t mind your iguana potentially chewing on your real plant and laying on it, then it’s fine. But make sure to cover the soil with large rocks (that can’t be swallowed) to prevent impaction with soil.
Your iguana is a very curious lizard that can ingest lots of small objects or loose substrate, causing impaction or choking. You will notice your iguana trying to lick and eat a lot of things around the house. This even includes carpets with loose fibers that your iguana will try to chew and swallow.
If proofing one room, it might be easier to clean and monitor. But if your iguana is free ranging the whole house, make sure to warn other people in the house not to leave any small objects anywhere in the open space – this includes jewelry, toy pieces, coins, hair, small clothing etc.
Step 4: Remove all the things that can be broken
When your iguana tries to climb the structures, it will also walk on the objects, pushing them onto the floor. This means that your valuables can not only get broken, but also cause a hazard. For example, your favorite cup can get broken, leaving sharp glass on the floor. These sharp glass pieces can cut your iguana, causing injuries.
Make sure to only leave necessary things on top of the surfaces that your iguana can climb onto. Hide everything else – once again, this can be easier achieved in one room that is dedicated to your iguana. Lock everything else in cupboards that your iguana can’t open or reach.
Step 5: Provide a stress-free environment
Make sure to provide your iguana with a stress-free environment. This can be done easier if it’s only one room. In this case, the room door will be mostly closed. To provide your iguana with a stress-free environment, you will need to limit its interaction with other pets and inexperienced people – such as children and easily scared people.
A quiet environment and routine will often keep your iguana happy. Any new people and pets (including other iguanas) will cause stress. This can, in turn, make your iguana aggressive – especially if it’s been roaming the whole house. It will start protecting its territory and will be hard to deal with.
Plan all of these things through in advance if possible, and make any changes slowly.
Step 6: Don’t leave any tight spots for your iguana to squeeze in
You might think that you have lost your iguana as it will try squeezing in various tight spots – behind the cabinets, drawers and so on. When iguana proofing the room, make sure not to leave any tight spots that your iguana might squeeze and hide in. Otherwise, you might have to worry in vain and keep pushing your iguana out of these spaces.
To prevent leaving any tight spots, make sure to push any cabinets flat to the wall. Don’t leave any gaps under the doors, as your iguana might squeeze through these and escape.
Think about behind the fridge, washing machine and so on. But in general, it’s not a good idea to let your iguana in a kitchen and food preparation areas at all.
Step 7: Block the entrance to the kitchen, close the toilet lid, washing machine doors and a dishwasher
Don’t let your iguana in the kitchen – your iguana carries Salmonella bacteria that can cause Salmonellosis. So keep your iguana away from the kitchen, sinks, preparation areas and even your bed sheets and towels.
Make sure to also close the doors for washing machine, dishwasher and so on. Iguana’s claws might get stuck in the washing machine’s drum – causing injuries and broken toes.
Your iguana might also fall in the toilet. Unless your are potty training your iguana to poop in the toilet with a special seat (read about potty training your iguana in this post), you will need to close the lid.
Now, after we have discussed iguana-proofing the house, let’s cover setting up an iguana room step by step, or making the whole house suitable for your free ranging iguana.
Iguana room setup – or setting up areas for your iguana in the house
Some important things to keep in mind when setting up an iguana room:
- Let’s start by saying that you will need to keep the room warm enough as well as humid.
- This can be hard to achieve – when you heat the room, the air often dries. To make the room humid, you might need to use a humidifier or install a waterfall.
- At the same time, you will need to make sure to use paint that will prevent mold formation in the room due to a high humidity.
- You will also need more than one basking spot and lots of bulbs (this adds up to extra energy costs).
In general, it might be a good idea to create an iguana room with most accessories in it- even if you are going to let your iguana free roam the house.
Your iguana will spend most of its time in that room. Dedicating one room can be a better idea. Or, you can mostly keep your iguana in a big cage – but leave the door open for your iguana to come out when it wants.
The cage (if you have one) can also be used when you want to discipline your iguana. It will understand that bad behavior will lead to a cage time.
Step 1: Setting up basking areas
No matter if you are creating an iguana room or will let your iguana free roam the house, you will need to prepare basking spots for your iguana. If your iguana has its cage with a basking spot and only goes out for a walk, you can skip installing another basking spot (but it would be beneficial).
But if your iguana doesn’t have a cage, you will need to set up a few basking spots – these can be in one room or two separate rooms, for example. Only one basking spot for an iguana without a cage is not enough – iguana will not be happy and will be climbing other spots a lot.
A basking spot can be a big branch that goes on the floor and overlooks a window. Also, a basking spot can be a platform mounted on a wall, with smaller wooden steps or other surfaces to help your iguana climb on and off. For a platform, you can use a wide stacking shelf made from steel or other metal, or other metal shelves that you will secure 3-5 feet above the ground.
Your iguana can also enjoy laying on a windowsill (make sure there is no drafts). Place a pillow there to make your iguana cozy and warm.
On top of the basking spot should be lamps, which we will discuss in a second.
Make sure that your iguana can fully lay on the platform or the branch for basking. You will need to cover the platform with a reptile carpet, for an easy cleaning. One of the best things to do is to attach the carpet with a hook & loop fastening tape (also known as Velcro), that easily comes off for cleaning.
You should also prepare ramps/stairs for your iguana to climb the basking spot. For this you can use a real disinfected branch, chairs, thick heavy duty PVC pipes covered with a carpet, and other heavy duty plastic crates. Make sure everything is solid on the ground and attached to the basking spot (if using pipes or branches as ‘stairs’).
If your iguana hates reflections, plan ahead. Make sure that your iguana can see through the window and not its own reflection. Reflection in the window can make your iguana stressed and aggressive. This is because it will think that there is another iguana in the room. A basking spot with the window view is preferred, but not mandatory.
Step 2: Setting up optimal iguana lighting
- A fluorescent for UVA+UVB. You can either get a High Output 10.0 Tube or a compact bulb like this (2 of them will often sufficient for one spot).
- For light, you can use a basking light for example, this basking bulb intended for high humidity environments. Or, an incandescent light bulb (but they tend to burn out quicker). One 100 watt bulb should be enough to light one basking spot.
- An even better choice would be a mercury vapor bulb like this. It produces both UVA+UVB and heat. Mercury vapor lights get hot which is good for an open space. One or two mercury vapor bulbs can replace both fluorescent and basking bulbs.
- Don’t forget that you will need to put the bulbs in a dome like this for better heat retention and light direction. If you decide to use a tube light, you will need to place it in a hood.
- For the heat, use a ceramic heat emitting bulb like this. CHE doesn’t produce any light, only heat.
- You can also get a light guard to prevent any burns. Otherwise, you will need to place the light around 10-12 inches away from your iguana and make sure that your iguana can’t touch the light.
- You will need to replace UVA+UVB producing bulbs at least every 6 months, as they stop producing UVA and UVB. Replace other types of bulbs as they burn out. It is also a good idea to have a spare bulb or two in case others burn out suddenly.
- You will also need to make sure that the number of bulbs that you set up is sufficient to reach optimal temperatures for your iguana. Let’s discuss optimal iguana temperatures in the next section.
- Make sure to put lights on a timer (for example using a reptile power center like this) or any other timer. Set the lights to 13 hours light and 11 hours darkness (you can switch to 12:12 hours in winter).
Step 3: Setting up optimal iguana heating
- If you are setting up an iguana room, it might be easier to regulate temperatures only in that part of the house. But if your iguana is roaming the house, you will need to regulate temperatures in a whole house.
- The good way to see the temperatures in the room is to place thermometers there and see how temperatures change in the room throughout the day. Sun might heat the room at the specific time of the day, so you will need to experiment and set the heating bulbs on a timer to achieve optimal temperatures. Experiment before setting up an iguana room there.
- First of all, you will need to place a thermometer and hygrometer like this near each basking spot (under the lamps). This way you will know if the spot is hot enough (or too hot) for your iguana. If you need to increase the temperatures, you might need to add another heating bulb in that spot.
- You will also need to place a thermometer in different parts of the room (or house) to make sure of ambient and cool spot temperatures.
- The optimal temperature for iguanas under the basking light is 96-100 degrees F (35.5-37.7 degrees Celsius).
- During the day, the optimal air temperature in the room/house for your iguana should be 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6-29.4 Celsius).
- You will also need to have a cool spot with temperatures of around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5-26.6), so that your iguana can cool down.
- At night, temperature drops are perfectly fine and even needed. 70-75 degrees F (21.1-23.8 Celsius) are optimal temperatures for your adult iguana at night time. 73-75 F (22.7-23.8) is ideal for young iguanas.
- Depending on the season and room temperatures, there are different ways to heat the room or the house. In summer, you will probably not need to heat the house at all.
- For heating, you can use traditional wall radiator to increase the room temperature. Make sure to cover the radiator to prevent any burns.
- Heating pads can also increase the temperature in one spot, but you will need to make sure your iguana can’t touch it directly.
Step 4: Setting up optimal humidity in the iguana room/house
Humidity is also very important for iguanas. You need to make sure that the humidity in the iguana room or even house is not too low, because your iguana will become dehydrated and will have trouble shedding.
The average humidity levels in houses is around 45-55%. Optimal humidity for an iguana is around 70-80%, and at least 60% is required.
It can be hard to maintain high humidity levels in iguana’s room, especially when you also need need to maintain high temperatures. The easiest ways to increase the humidity for your iguana are:
- Have a big bowl or plastic dish with water. Your iguana will soak in there and evaporating water will increase humidity.
- To get a humidifier – there are special reptile foggers and humidifiers like this that will help increase humidity levels.
- Mist your iguana twice a day to instantly hydrate your iguana.
- You can install a decorative reptile waterfall like this that will help increase humidity levels.
- The best idea is to try increase the humidity in the room that your iguana will spend the most of its time in – those that include basking spots etc.
- Try not to use air conditioning for heating – this dries the air greatly
Can my iguana live outside?
Making an outdoor cage a permanent place for your iguana to live is not a good idea. This is because:
- You will need the temperatures to be constantly high throughout the year (so suits only tropical places).
- It will be very hard to achieve a temperature gradient in the cage and your iguana can overheat. There will be no place for your iguana to go and hide from heat.
- It will be hard to achieve the optimal humidity levels in an outdoors cage.
- There is a risk of other wild animals approaching the cage and attacking your iguana (birds, rodents etc). This will cause injuries and great stress.
- Your iguana might feel depressed because it will be able to see outdoors but not get out.
The best way to let your iguana outside would be to build a cage where you could let your iguana stay outside in summer. This way, you won’t confine your iguana to outdoors all the time. It will also suit people not living in tropical areas.
You can also let your iguana walk on a leash outdoors if your yard is not gated.
The best way to create a temperature gradient in the cage would be to place the cage at an angle, to prevent part of the cage from getting any sun. This way, one part of the cage will have a cool spot. For humidity, you will have to use a fogger (if possible) and just mist your iguana twice a day.