Reptile & Amphibian Forums

which is better overall?

In my opinion, free roaming is the ONLY way to have a happy, as well as a healthy iguana. It takes much more effort to have heating pads in the igs chosen basking spots, and to keep them well hydrated. The results are WELL worth it, though! Iguanas are too intelligent to be kept in a cage/enclosure. They get bored staying in one spot. It also helps to make the iguana part of the family, and helps to keep them socialized, by the frequent handling of the people around him. With our iguana, Iggi, she was out of an enclosure when she was about 1 year old. She slept in a floor-to-ceiling cat tree, and pooped in the tub each morning. Daily soakings help keep free roamers hydrated. Each day, she goes outside for sunshine and exercise. At 2 1/2 years old, she is already larger than most 3 year olds. She is 51 inches long, snout to tail, and about 6 pounds. She also doesn't bite, or tail whip, or need a leash outside. She is comfortable around strangers, because she has been raised around us most of her life.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

while Ig-daddy has good advice, you are NOT a bad owner if you have a spacious, heated & humidified cage with logs and trees to climb on. in my house my iguanas cage keeps us (little siblings, who love to pet the nice lizard) and him safe from each other. id love to have a freeroaming iguana-but i dont!that does not mean i do not have a healthy happy ig (i dont have a healthy ig, but that is not my fault, he came to me this way)
keep in mind, on a usual day, he gets 4 or 5 hours of freeroam time usually in my ig proofed bedroom or outside with me, plus about an hour a day of bathtime

Sarah

Sorry I was misunderstood. I did not mean to imply that people with iguanas in enclosures were bad ig owners. I was basing my remark on my own iguana's dislike of her enclosure, and several igsperts that claim that iguanas are one of the least suitable reptiles to be kept in cages. I am lucky to have a house to let our iguana free roam in, and a wife that stays at home to take care of her 24/7. She even gets up at night to check that my son, and Iggi, are still tucked in their beds. We are also lucky in that we bought a sweet natured female ig that never had raging hormones, even when she is gravid.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

i know what you mean. id love to have a free roaming ig, but for me its better caged. he has actually spent the last 3 days in my arms as we drove from nh to fl,he spent part of the time on a towel thrown over the luggage, part of the time in my arms, etc. at night he slept in the other half of he bed, all stretched out head on pillow. definitly a kodak moment. right now hes on a towel over the Safe at the hotel, after his fast food dinner of banana baby food.
he is definitly a calm and docile igs as far as igs go so far, and knock on wood.

as for free roaming ive heard that the more room they have to patrol the generally calmer they are. guess theres always exceptions for both sides, though.

sarah

>>which is better overall?

I agree that a properly set up free-roamer does much better all around than an enclosed iguana. Iguanas need BIG enclosures - if you can provide a suitable sized one (see my Basic Cage Design Problems article), then that's okay, especially if you can give your iguana regular out-of-enclosure time.

Free-roaming doesn't have to include the entire house - you could set up one room for them, and reduce the isolation of a constantly closed door by replacing the solid door with a screen door, or a clear door, or a part screen or clear/part solid (like a dutch door with a clear or screened top). Screening allows heat to escape, so depending on where you live and/or how much it costs to provide tropical temperatures, you may need a clear solid rather than screen.

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Melissk
anapsid.org
Iguanas for Dummies