Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
Been awhile since I have posted here I think, but....

My girlfriend and I are currently attempting to buy a house, a particular stone one that is beautiful. Anyway, in the back yard off to the side is an old "kennel". I don't know. It is probably 6' X 6 ' with at least 6' sides. Maybe even 8x8. Anyway, it doned on me that this would be a great outdoor cage for my iggy Frankie.

I guess besides the obviouse of making sure that it is escape proof, what other concerns should I have about the outdoor cage. Yes there will be a cieling/roof put in of course. I dont think I would want to ALWAYS keep him out there, but maybe while I was at work so he could get sun and then only in the summer because I live in Michigan. And I say only during the day because we love watching him so we would probably bring him in at night. I love holding him to, but he is STILL a brute and my arms/hands show that I am constantly handling him lol.

Ok, anyway, are there any specific things I should do or worry about having him in this outside cage?? I am already thinking part of it would be covered (hopefully naturally) so that he can be out of direct sunlight if he so desires.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
1.1.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 Corn Snake
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs

Lucky you!

The most obvious thing is to make sure the iguana will not squeeze (or get stuck trying) through the wire net. If he's too big, you're off a good start. If he's small enough, you'll have to replace it.

Personally, I would cover half of it with a roof, and let the other half "open" (as in, still covered by net). This will allow basking when the sun is high, and free choice to stay in the shade or not. A full roof might block too much sunlight throughout the day. The roof should be on the Northern part of the cage.

Second is rust. Is there any? If so, get rid of it.
Thirdly, are you heavily infested with insects? Clear the area of all pests (ants, spiders, wasps... Home Depot carries stuff like that).

Make sure everything is strong enough and secure enough to avoid predators, such as cats. Also, make sure everything is easy to clean, but that does not mean the cage should look sterile and unattractive.

You will notice temper-changes once exposed to sunlight. That's normal.

Give him a place to hide inside should he get nervous (kids playing, dogs barking, cars, etc).

That's it!

You can get wire-mesh to block away mosquitoes and other insects, as well as to prevent the iguana from escaping through the holes. Of course, the wire mesh would have to be installed from the inside.

Let us know how it turns out!

-IJ

Hey Joe,
Thanks for the response.

He is big enough that he won't escape. So that is good.

As far as the roof goes, I was thinking the same thing as you mentioned, but hard not thought of the covered area being on the north side....thats a great thought.

The current "wire/fencing" is rusted so yes I will have to replace that.

I am curious about the wire mesh to block mesquitos and other insects. I love this idea, but will that block to much sunlight. I just picked up some alumminum screen to replace some window screen and it was pretty cheap, so that should be good to use, but once again, will it block too much sunlight??

I do really like the idea of keeping bugs out. Some years mequitos are pretty heavy here (although last year was really nice and mello).

Thanks again
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
1.1.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 Corn Snake
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs

Hey,

since mosquitos can carry deseases, and be a nuisance to the animal, yeah... why not keep 'em off? But mosquitos are mostly at night, and you said it would be mostly for the daytime. Still, other bugs (wasps or hornets) can be a threat too.

The mesh will block some light, you got a point on that.
Perhaps I forgot the fact you're gonna keep him out only during the daytime.
Over a weekend, see how things go without a mesh. If you see no problems,leave it w/o. If you see too many flies gathering unfinished food, or feces, then it would be better.

The only problem with mesh however, is that it can rip on some corners. If something gets in the cage, it won't come out. So after more thought into it... I'd say maybe the mesh, though slick, has quite a bit more drawbacks than benefits.

See how it goes.
If you got more Q's, let me know.

-IJ