Iguana Cage: Where and how to buy/construct a cage for your iguana

Iguanas are fascinating creatures, beautiful, friendly, fun. They are great to have around, and they are an awesome conversation piece!

If you are looking to buy your own iguana, I recommend you read Iguana for Sale - Cost and Supplies. This page details everything you need to know about getting an iguana, including costs, places to buy, etc. Also check out Iguanas For Sale - Where to Find and Buy Iguanas, which instructs you on how to find and buy them.

Cost of buying a cage

As I wrote in my Cost and Supplies article, an iguana can be a huge expenditure. Just buying the materials to take care of the iguana can cost $600! It was broken down thanks to The Iguana Spot which estimates the costs of the iguana cage to be

55 gallon aquarium $180.00
table or stand for enclosure $100.00
solid top for enclosure $40.00 (cost of materials to construct one)
UVB light source $35.00 - $79.99 depending on which type you choose & where you purchase it
fixture for UVB source $12.00 - $30.00 depening on which type you choose & Where you purchase it
basking light $9.00
fixture for basking light $12.00
radiant heat panel $54.00 - $109.00 depending on size required
thermostat for panel $30.00
food and water dish $17.00 (for both)
thermometer & humidity guage $12.00 (for analogue combo)
substrate $20.00 (you can use newspaper instead, which is the better)
cage furniture and decorations $20.00 (we bought some fake plants and a small piece of drift wood)
humidifier or humidity source $40.00 (for a room humdifier)
$25.00 (for an air pump and stone to place in the enclosure)
_______
TOTAL COST $599.00 plus depending on the choices you make

hus, expect to spend about $600 on your iguana setup. This doesn't count the cost of the actual iguana! (much less, closer to $50).

Sounds expensive? It is. Taking care of an iguana brings a lot of non-obvious costs into the mix, like veternarian, food (which can be $20/week or $1000 per year!), floor trimmings, etc. You can expect to spend over $1500 per year to take care of your iguana.

However, you can also BUILD YOUR OWN iguana cage. This takes some time, but it will cost a lot less!

Building Your Own Iguana Cage

So you've decided to build your own? Fortunately, the Internet has great advice on how to build anything! For example, check out The Iguana Den, which gives great step-by-step instructions. It explains some great concepts, such as,

Iguana cages can be made out of many different materials...Wood is probably the most common material used in cage building. Most hardwoods used for 2x4s and the like are suitable for iguana cages....PVC pipes can also be used to create a frame for a cage. These cages can be covered with plastic mesh and make great portable cages and sunning cages due to their light weight and open nature.

The video above demonstrates a PVC cage, although a wood cage is also simple to construct.

Ron Hazelton also offers a great intro to building your own cage.It details a 5 step procedure to having your own iguana cage!

1. Draw up a plan
2. Cut the wood
3. Assemble the frame
4. Assemble the Door
5. Attach the screen

Check out the page above to learn all about building your own cage. It will take 3-4 hours, but you'll save some money and have some serious fun!

If you are interested in other reptiles, check out Snakes for Sale, which teaches you how to purchase your own pet snake! Or, look into getting a Tortoise for Sale!

If you have a question or comment, please post it below! I love feedback!