Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He Cyclura fellows,

just 2 Qs about the laying box to provide a pregant female:
1) how deep to lay the eggs comfortly?
2) full of what? I mean whih is the best substrate where the female will burrow the eggs?
Thanks to everyone
Stef

NP

ya id like to see some pics of what people do for this. do they use big boxes or make areas in a corner of cage.

I guess they use a corner of the cage filled wih sand or something like that... But I'd like to know details about that.
Cheers
Stef

I dont have my cyclura lay in a box since they are outside and can use the ground but I have seen boxes used and they have to be pretty large, I would say at least three feet in depth, a couple wide and high(tubed entrance). My girls are so picky even when they have a lot of area to choose, I am guessing they use a box as a last resort. The substrate used should be a mix that can hold a shape so it doesnt cave in on her, for my smaller lizards I use a clay mix with sand. I bet there are some photos available on Google. I hope it works out. KB

Hi KB,

thanks a lot for your answer.
I'd have the chance to keep them outside too, but as I'm just planning to build up a new facility and read some hints in the previous threads about the escape proof floor cage to provide them, I thought to replace the natural ground in all the cage but a corner for the nesting site. So in order to make it properly I asked that.
Every kind of suggestion is warmerly welcomed!
Cheers
Stef

the bottom of my outdoor cage is screen like the top but i guess i could pile up sand dirt clay mix in a corner.

I like using electrical or water meter boxes, like the ones used on the ground by cities and counties. You could get these at places like Ferguson Waterworks or Hughes Supply or whoever supplies your local municipality. Or you can make a box out of plywood. Whatever you use, make sure it has easy access on the top usually the entire top of the box so you can carefully excavate the eggs once laid. The box length and width should be (-/+ 3”) at least 1-1/2 times as long as the snout to vent length of the iguana or bigger. I make a hole (depending on the size of the iguana) about 4-6" in diameter on the front side and the place a short length of corrugated plastic drain pipe in the hole or make some type of concave entrance out of cement. I also place a flat object or Piece of plywood on the bottom of the box so that there is a smooth stopping point when the iguana is digging. If you leave the screen bottom they may rip their nails off while trying to dig through the screen. I then fill the box 3/4 to 5/8 of the way with the sand/clay mixture and pre-dig the entrance of the box so she can get in the box and explore. I usually place the box a month before they lay eggs and water the sand in the box so it compacts enough and dryies to a normal level. The moisture of the sand should be about the same as digging in your back yard about 1 ft down (although your region may be different than mine)
In my other cages where they have a dirt floor I place a 20” x 20” concrete step stone or flat object at the corner of the cage and they usually dig their burrow under it and lay eggs.

Manny

Here is a pic of one of my outdoor enclosures. You can see more pics in the photo gallery if you search under lizards and user name manny.

Hi Manny,
thanks REALLY a lot!
Very useful indeed.
Cheers
Stef

ya thanks very interesting, gonna start working on mine this week.

Get a 4x4 ft sheet of plywood - for the roof.
Some grey cement blocks - enough to form the perimiter walls, leave one block out to make the opening.
Some sand to fill the center -- packed full.

If it is outside, it should be in a sunny location.
The sand must be damp.

If you want to get fancier, buy some 1"x4" pine to make a frame inside of the cement block walls and screw it into the roof. This will keep the light out and help the sand stay damp as any ventilation will dry it out.

If you want to do more, screw a heat pad onto the roof, and buy a cheap themostat to keep it at 86 degrees. If you do this and the roof is well insulated from exterior heat,most igs will lay directly below the pad, and it makes for easy excavating of the eggs. One year the pad got unplugged and a female layed 3 ft down in hard black clay-- It took hours to excavate what should have taken minutes.

Good luck