Iguanas are very serious pet lizards, and love daily routines. But once your iguana becomes tame, you will want to have fun with your iguana and do interesting activities together. In this post, we will talk about toys for pet iguana and how to play and have fun with your iguana.
Can you play with an iguana?
Most iguanas don’t understand the concept of toys, and won’t be interested in playing the way that you might see with other pets. But if your iguana is tame, it can show interest in some toys and you can play with it and do some activities together. Iguanas are very intelligent, and any enrichment will only make your companion happier.
You will also need to make sure that your iguana is in the mood to play. Otherwise, you need to leave it alone for the moment. As you live with your iguana, you will start noticing what time of the day it is relaxed and receptive.
In order for your iguana to become calm and interested in spending time with you, you will need to tame and bond with it first. You can find a very useful post on iguana taming and bonding here.
Toys & activities for your pet iguana
Idea number 1: Get a small pool for your iguana to swim in
You can get a small pool for your iguana, so it can swim in there and have fun. Most iguanas love swimming and are natural swimmers in the wild. You might find iguanas swimming in sea, lakes and ponds.
This activity would be fun in summer, and you can place the inflatable pool in your back garden or balcony and see your iguana have fun in the heat.
You can also do the same with your iguana in the bath. But most iguanas will associate baths with bathing time rather than fun. What is more, most iguanas are scared of baths because they are deep and slippery. Always put the mat on the bottom of the bath. An inflatable pool, however, will help your iguana relax and have fun.
Be careful when letting your iguana in the pool for the first time. You can put the leash on it in case you need to pull it out of the water. Your iguana should be tame before your try this activity and make sure that the garden is enclosed, or your iguana can run away.
You can choose an inflatable pool for kids or adults, but everything will depend on the size of your iguana. It is a better idea to get a long and shallow pool instead of a small and deep one. Make sure that your iguana can fully lay and swim in the pool. If your iguana is very big, an inflatable pool might not be sufficient (even though there are large pools of over 15 feet long).
An example of the pool is this inflatable 122 inches long family pool.
Idea number 2: Get your iguana one or few plush toys/balls
Some iguanas enjoy playing with plush toys. What is more, some iguanas will use their plush toys as ‘mating toys’ during the breeding season.
This is especially true for males, and some iguanas that are very interested in finding a mate will sometimes play with these toys instead. Most iguanas also tend to ‘play’ with towels, pillows and even clothing as well as other toys when very stimulated.
Some owners tend to get a soft toy in the shape of an iguana for their pet iguanas, and it might not be the best idea. Your iguana might think that the toy is actually another iguana. This can cause aggression and stress as your iguana will think that there is another iguana in its territory.
You will see iguana jumping at the toy and trying to bite it. Only on a few occasions iguana will love the toy and will try to protect it.
It is a much better idea to get any other plush toy or a small plush pillow like this. Iguanas often tend to like green color pillows, toys, clothing, towels and so on. You can also get a ball or something else. Your iguana will occasionally lay on the toy and kick it. During the mating seasons males often bite the toy and try to mate with it.
Idea number 3: Add some more interesting climbing spots for your iguana – branches, platform, drapes
As you probably know, iguanas love climbing despite the fact that they get large and bulky. Some owners let their iguanas free roam the house, to later find out that their iguana has climbed the drapes and even the head rail.
Iguanas are curious eaters and climbers, and you might see them climbing many surfaces. So whether you have space in your room, garden or even in its cage, you can incorporate another interesting vertical branch that it could climb. You could also make an exciting climbing platform that your iguana could use to climb in and out of the cage or any other surface.
If you decide to add any new branch or a platform for your pet iguana, make sure that it is not very slippery. If it’s a smooth branch – you can wrap some cotton rope around it. And if it’s a platform – cover it with a reptile carpet or something similar.
Many iguanas love climbing up the drapes. Some tend to climb the drapes and then reach the head rail, where they later lay down and relax, with their limbs hanging down. Iguanas also enjoy climbing drapes and hanging on them.
Needless to say, your iguana will ruin the drapes if it keeps hanging on them. You can choose a cheap piece of fabric that your will hang to cover your drapes. Or, choose the room where you can hang only this piece of fabric for your iguana to enjoy.
Most iguanas also love climbing and laying in the plants – you might notice your iguana trying to get inside of your house plants. You can introduce new plants to your iguana, if you are not worried about it being possibly ruined. These can be fake plants, too.
What is more, iguanas love not only to climb, but also to leap and jump. This means that you can create jumping spots for your iguana with safe landings. Then, have your iguana jump from one spot to another. Leaping and jumping is natural for iguanas, and will help strengthen its muscles and improve coordination.
Idea number 4: Have a tasting session and let your iguana ‘get its food’
You can have some fun when feeding your iguana, too. For example, you can try finding some new leafy greens, vegetables, fruits or flowers that are allowed for iguanas. Get them for your iguana. After that, you can have tasting sessions, when you let your iguana try new foods on top of its normal diet. This can be a fun experience for both you and your iguana.
What is more, you can bring in small pots of growing greens. Leave them in your iguana’s cage for a day at a time. Your iguana might become excited eating some greens from the actual plants.
Another fun activity would be hanging (clipping) pieces of greens (such as hibiscus leaves, collards etc.). You ca hang them in different spots of the cage or even room, if it is iguana-proof. Your iguana will go on a ‘hunt’ to get its favorite greens.
Idea number 5: Spend some quality quiet bonding time with your iguana
Many tame iguanas enjoy spending quiet time with their owners. This is especially true if you have been doing this from the beginning. If you also keep your iguana in a cage at all times, it will be excited to get out and see its surroundings, too.
Try to approach your iguana slowly and take it out of its cage. After that, keep it close to your body for heat (it helps iguanas relax too) and go to the spot where you can spend some time together.
It can be watching TV, reading a book or playing a video game. Your iguana can sit with you. You can also offer it treats and pet it. Your iguana might also enjoy climbing over you – your legs, shoulder and even head!
Idea number 6: Take your iguana outside to get flowers
If you have a garden or know a place where you can find safe flowers and plants for your iguana, you can take it there. Make sure that all plants growing there are safe for your iguana and have not been sprayed with pesticides. You can find a list of safe plants and flowers for your iguana in this post.
If you have your own spot, you can even start growing some favorite iguana plants or flowers in your garden, to have them by summer. Make sure it’s warm outside, as your iguana needs to stay warm. The air temperature should be around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6-29.4 Celsius).
If the temperature rises above 90 F (32.2 Celsius) degrees when outside, make sure to move to cooler spots to cool down after your iguana has basked for some time. It is a very good idea to bring a mister with you when out, so you can spray your iguana with some water for hydration.
Wherever you take your iguana, make sure it’s not overpopulated, such as a park. Both your iguana and other people might become scared, and it’s not likely to be the best place for your iguana to enjoy.
It is often necessary to put a leash like this on your iguana if there is a chance of an escape. Depending on the size of your iguana, you can even use a harness intended for guinea pigs.
Thank you for reading this post and hopefully you have found some fresh ideas to have fun with your iguana! Make sure to visit our iguana care page to find many useful post on caring for iguanas!