Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i was thinking about gettng an iguana. yes i know it is alot of work...they are messy, and can be mean and hard to handle. but knowing all this i still want one. so i would like to build a cage now so when i get him he wont be in a small cramped cage that he will grow out out of in a year.....and if i fail to build a cage large or strong enough then i wont get an iguana becuase there would be no point...if i cant even handle building a cage for him then tat just tells me i cant handle him and i havent even got him yet..lol anyways what i'm trying to ask is does any one know a good site where i can find step by step instructions to build one.

Haha, when I first read the title it felt like hearing someone who got a new car say "How do you turn this thing on?" . Glad to hear you did not get one yet, prior to having an enclosure ready.

When deciding to build your own enclosure, Home-Depot, Lowe's, and Wal*Mart become your best friends.
In his book, James Hatfield covers in good details how to build an iguana habitat. His is, however, a bit intimidating, because it is rather 'complex', but the basics are helpful.

Barlett & Barlett cover iguana enclosures in their book about terrariums and habitats. I think Melissa Kaplan mentions a few things as well.

Visit cagesbydesign.com in order to get some ideas. The cages are, to me, overpriced, and I'm not too fond of the measurements of some. But the designs and look are great.
Oter good links to visit:

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/caging.html
http://www.baskingspot.com/iguanas/cagepage/cagepagebody.html

The most important things to keep in mind [in no particular order]:
Size. The bigger, the better.
Functionality.
Ease of cleanliness/sanitation (important!).
Ability/Ease of being transported, disassembled, modified, fixed, improved...
Safety: fire/electro hazards; sturdiness. (most important!)
Rust-free: do not use ferrous metals that can corrode due to the humidity.
Location: which room? Does it get any sun? How much? How hot does it get?
Looks/setup/decor: you want to simulate a natural environment, and stimulate natural behavior.
Indoor or Outdoor?

Also, do not get too worked up on your ability to build one. Many good iguana owners are terrible carpenters/handy people, and let others do the work for them. Other people who work with tools all day long may be scared $#! l&$$ of even holding a hatchling!

Skim thru the board pages to find some additional info. There have been plenty of discussions regarding enclosures.

-IJ

we used two sides of the walls 7 ft each direction and 7 ft high as well. from each end side of the wall, it comes out 3 ft. one side is plywood other is entrance door. the rest is plywood frame w/plexiglass 6 ft. with a 2x2 guard rail. easy to clean can fit a lot of drift wood to climb on, too. we keep a humidifier running in the winter, this is our first summer, so will have to see if we will need it for this time of year, it gets VERY humid here in Upstate NY, Mohawk Valley.
but gave up almose 1/2 of my room for this set up.
If i could figure out how to put pics in, I would, but havent figured it out yet.

here- we have a seperate building for our igs- as well as indoor/outdoor cages- kinda like you see at the dog pound- can be closed off for winter and night.
we used chainlink and chicken wire and for the outside with a shingled 1/2 roof with gutter and theres sun shining in on the other 1/2 of the roof. we also have elevated hides and many many branches- and a small kiddy pool for swimming and soaking-

there are doors on both sides and the middle door has a rope that is reachable from the outside- to open and close- we don't open the outside door unless the ig is inside and middle door is shut.

and when you do decide to get one- check the rescues first- we often get babies as well as young igs- 1 yr or so- as well as older ones that are just as good- but they're more fun than the skiddish babies...
beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue