Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The cage is 20 x 50, chain link sides and rabbit wire on top and bottom. It still needs alot of work, I was thinking of planting some mulberry bushes inside, anyone have any suggestions ?

I think their could be room in there for me, and some of my iguanas. KB P.S. I'll call you soon and update you on my trip.

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All I can say is WOW. That is awesome. Rabbit wire on top you say. Is that sturdy enough you think? We have a dog kennel here that is 6 foot chain link all the way around (like 50x20 also) and the occupant is a 15 year old dog. I wonder for the future...

Carole
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Check it out. www.reptilecare.com

I used rabbit wire on the sides on some cages for many years with no problems. The weather is pretty harsh here, so only on the top on new building. I used it on the bottom because I am cutting out chunks to make nesting areas. The advantage to rabbit wire is it blocks out less of what little UV we get in the NE. If your kennel is in a sunny area, it has alot of potential.

Pond: Put in a shallow "goldfish" pond. Set it up with a filter and plants just as if you had fish. It will not only be cool looking but will be a constant source of clean water for drinking and soaking.

Hard plastic pond liners come in many sizes and shapes. It is all pretty simple to do yourself. Check out a local pet store or garden supply shop.

I am terribly jealous,

Brian

A pond is a cool idea. It would be alot of work, require some serious filtering, but maybe once I get the basics down, it could be incorporated. At the time I need more visual barriers. And am looking for low maintenance shrubs/plants that will grow in the NE, and are healthy for the igs to eat.

Bert Langerwerf of Agaminternational has a small pond in every enclosure. He keeps most of his animals outdoors. Check out the link below. Each pond has a spiget and drain for easy clearing. It the pond were near the edge of the enclosure a short drain pipe would get fouled water out and the spiget eliminated bucket carrying.

I would think that it would be much easier to clean a pond that to pick up iguana turds like clean up after a dog. But that is your choice. They need water anyway.

Check out Anapsid.com for lists of plants that reptiles can eat. Once you have a list of plants do a little reseach into what USDA Plant Hardiness Zone they will grow in. They find out what zone you are in. Here in southeaster MA I an on the bourder of zones 6 and 7. Your local nursery or garden shop should be able to help you.

Several years ago I had green iguanas when I lived in Rochester, MA (right near Cape Cod). I put one out it the sun cage on a warm spring day. I went to take him in for the night. The nights were still very cool. He was gone! I thought he was too big to fit through the wire but I was wrong.

We found him....in early October! He was is a little aspen tree near the house. He had survived on his own trhough the summer and some very cool spring and LATE summer nights. (50 degrees and even a bit cooler). He was the most brilliant green and the fattest little iguana I had ever seen! I don't know what he ate but he did alright.

That property had a lot of red maple, some quaking aspen, bayberry, some witchhazel, and white pine.

Good luck,

Brian
www.anapsid.com

I have alot of respect for mr. Langerwerf -- there must be some benefit to using ponds that I am missing. I do lay out extra kitty litter water trays when the females are gravid, but otherwise, until I get some of the other basics down, the pond is on the back burner.
I did look at Anapsid.com and usda plant hardiness zone sites, but didn't make any new discoveries. My area on long island looks like zone 7a, but recent temps would put it in 6a. Although certain plants are listed as edible, my cornuta do not seem to like them. While there are other plants/fruits known to be poisonous that are rhino staples in the wild. At present considering mulberry, though I have never offered it, so don't really know if igs will eat it ?

That must have been a very hardy green ig that escaped in MA and survived the summer outside. I had a similar occurrence with a similus that lived in my yard for several years in Los Angeles. This guy would cheat - he could get through the screen on the cornuta cage, eat their extra food, and bolt whenever I would get near.
Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi John, have you thought of planting some hardy hibiscus like Rose of Sharon? It is a nice hardy plant and it is attractive. I have some in my tortoise pens. It gets sort of large and bushy but the adults would break it if they tried to climb it. It is totally edible altho not sure of the nutrient content. I also have some other stuff that I researched years ago in my tort pen. I will try and come up with that. Look up "edible tortoise planting" or "tortoise landscaping" for some other ideas.

Carole
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Check it out. www.reptilecare.com

Someone else had mentioned hybiscus, but I did not think they could really thrive in NE climates. Last year I did plant some turtlecafe.com mix, but it was devoured before it had a chance to get to any size. Shrub plants like Rose of sharon, are what I am looking for. There is alot of stuff on the tortoise food web sites -- educational. If you think of any other benficial shrubs that grow in the NE let me know -- Thanks.

Very very cool. I do see a potential problem with this set up. Unless I can't see it or you havn't done this yet, you NEED to either wire up the bottom of these enclosures or pour a concrete slab on the bottom. They WILL dig out if you don't. A good way to do this at this point is (I've done this), is to lay and tie some 1x1 or 2x2 Galvanized wire mesh to all sides and to tie all center seams. Then install 2"x12"x(8, 10 or 12 ft) redwood planks, around the perimeter of the whole enclosure as if you were making a raised vegetable garden-like area. Then fill with dirt or decomposed granite (which works best) to 6 to 8 inches. Don't forget a heated hide box unless your in Florida or enjoy bring them in and out every day. Good luck----------------M

Don't put in a pond. Although it would look very nice, it will be a pain in the ass. The iguanas will crap in it, and it will eliminate floor space which is needed by the iguanas more that a large body of water.

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You busted me again!

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Phase one should be ready next week sometime.

There is wire on the bottom and in the long island sandy soil, they could dig out in a day without it. There is also 6" of cement embeded along all corners where the chain link meets the rabbit wire on all sides. Several kane pads in cinder block hide boxes. This is a seasonal cage, and was only good for 3 months last summer. I am looking into building a green house adjacent to it so I can get the igs out of the garage for more months out of the year.

john,
how tall is it? I hope you can stand in it. My only thought is lots of big rocks that will heat up in the sun. I agree with mark, a pond, though it would look cool would be wasted on the rhinos. post a pic when done!

Joel,
It is 6ft high, made with basic home depo materials. The gate on one side is red wood, as a basic chainlink gate is too loose of a fit. Rocks are a good addition, but not readily avalible, so maybe I will make some fake ones with wire and cement. In the mean time I have used black roof tiles over plywood for heat absorption.