Green Iguana question?

Question

I just purchased a Green Iguana. She is tiny right now and I have her in a 20 gallon. I realize it is too small but I wanted to do some research before purchasing something larger next week. The people at the pet store are clueless so I was wondering what to house it in. I know they like to climb and I have seen those giant terrariums that are tall rather than long and have trees and stairs, I just wasn't sure if that was right or if I should just use a 55 gallon for a while. I just don't want to spend $200 on a tank if in 6 months I will need to purchase something larger. How fast do they grow and would it be worth buying a 55 gallon now and a custom or larger one later or should I just go for the giant one right away?

Answer 1

I would let her grow a bit, make sure to chew up the crickets real good before you feed them to her...(LOL) A 20 gallon is fine for now, once you think she needs more space, go and buy her a new palace, For now just sit back and enjoy the Pretty color's......

Answer 2

Iguanas grow fast, the person who mentioned the PVC pipe, wire mesh and zip ties has the right idea. you can make frames from the pipe using corner connectors. make the frames as wide as the plastic coated chicken wire and them attach the mesh to the frames using zip ties. The bueaty of this system is that it can be enlarged just by adding more frames as your iguana grows. Be sure to use plastic coated wire because they will try to nose through the wire and plain wire will cause malformation of the nose an leave permanent scarring. By the way, your iguana should be fed a mixture of greens such as collard, and turnip greens with some veggies and fruit thrown on top. While she is small, cut it up small for her, so it doesn't rot in her gut, stay away from crickets! Iguanas are vegetarian, They cannot metablize the uric acid created from the breakdown of animal protein. They will get very large on a diet of crickets and other kinds of meat and then they'll be dead in 3 years from kidney failure. Well cared for iguanas should live at least 20 years.

Answer 3

The 20 gallon will be ok for a short while. The only problem is that it is hard to heat one end to the correct temps and still have a cool side. Eventually you will need to buy one of those wire condos or build a cage. I built one out of pvc, plastic mesh, and cable ties. Cheap and easy! They should have a cage that is 1 & 1/2 times their entire length, including tail. They like heights, so the higher the better. I really like the info on www.anapsid.org for Iggy care. The forums on www.reptilerooms.com are also awesome. By female was over 2 feet long in 1 & 1/2 years.

Answer 4

They can take awhile to grow depending on how much you feed it. Right now a 55 gallon should last you awhile. The just need an aquarium that is larger than they so that they can stretch out.

Answer 5

I would chose a terrarium, or wire cage,
I have a friend that bought a tenny thing about 13 years ago,
now its about 3 1/2 foot long, and about 8 inches in diameter.

Answer 6

i let mine run around my house just set up a basking spot and a place for its food and watter bowl . you may even get it litter trained they like to use the same spot to mess in try putting some of its crap in the pan and it should go there to use it again if not clean it up or put it in the pan too it may take a little time but i know it can be done good luck and hope you have a great weekend

Answer 7

I agree with you when you said "the people at the pet store are clueless" lol they are!!!

I am not going to give you advise here..Some of the answers are awesome...just had to share that!!

Answer 8

My b/f made a custom cage for our 2 baby green iguanas ours is 6 foot by 8 foot both indoor and outdoor. get them a custom made cage.have someone build it for you it cost us a couple hundred dollars.the iguanas love it.

Answer 9

get the biggest one now. your iggy will appreciate the space.