Hello Everyone,
I hate to beat this subject to death, but I've been searching and surfing the websites for weeks.....reading, thinking, analyzing, then repeating the process to the point that my mind is mush. My two adoptees...Kane and Rosie, will need some permanent housing soon. Right now, Kane is in a 49 gallon tank and Rosie is in a medium size pvc/zipper thing that I borrowed from my brother's girlfriend. I was looking at the Iguanariums and the Reptariums. I plan on getting the biggest size.....(yes, I know I need two!) and I have considered building in my spare time, (heehee, yeah right, 3 kids, a SPED teacher, 3 dogs, and various reptiles in my classroom) BUT
after reading some of the recent postings, I thought I could squeeze the time in somewhere to accommodate my little critters (I've grown quite attached and ceaselessly amazed by these creatures!) so here is my schpeel;
I live in a climate that is conducive to some outside lounging-my house is a very small 3 bedroom beach cottage but I can make room, and will make room for whatever I need to do. The igs are only about 6 months old and maybe 8 inches from head to tail end. I really liked the Reptarium (the huge one) because I can move it easily. When the weather allows, I can put it out on my deck. However, the Iguanarium seems to be a more permanent thing.....but after perusing the website tonight, I am rethinking the whole shebang.......I wouldn't know where to begin building. This is not to say that I can't do it , perhaps someone can give me some better ideas and advice on how to approach this dilemma.
Thanks so much!!!!!
shelli

Hi Shelli!
Let me start by saying that I don't own an iguana, never had and have a basic knowledge of them and their needs.
But in terms of making the most of small spaces, little time and trying to make everybody happy in that process, I must say I'm getting near a masters degree =)

If you have a busy life (3 kids, a SPED teacher, 3 dogs, and various reptiles in my classroom) and live in a small house (which you share with several other people & creatures), it would be safe to assume that a) occupying a large space with a permanent big double enclosure is out of the question because it will interfere with the other residents and b) you won't have much time to devote everyday to your igs. If you had you could use smaller enclosures and let them roam free everyday in the house. So a large enclosure is a requirement.

As you know, your igs will grow considerably within the next year and their housing requirements will make that 49 gallon seem like a pond in the near future.

If the climate allows and you could place your igs outside (thus freeing some vital space inside) then a mobile enclosure is the way to go.
A mobile enclosure must be sturdy otherwise the igs security is compromised. A sturdy enclosure also opens other possibilities when it comes to "storage".
I've read somewhere on a ferret forum a thread where a few ferret owners explain the advantages of having hooks in their walls or ceilings to hang some cages, freeing valuable floor space. Their enclosures where similar to this one but smaller I believe. There was one guy that had 2 tables with computers against the wall and 5 or 6 ferret cages hanged above them.

Anyway, that cage sums a bit what I was talking about. The tricky part will be adding the lighting/heating paraphernalia in a way that you can easily remove it if you want to take the igs enclosures to the porch or deck.

I know this was not the answer you were expecting but I hope it helps you to unmush your mind =)

Good luck!
Ricardo

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

Greetings Shelli-

The cages that Ricardo posted are a very good, economical alternative. It will cost a few hundred dollars to build your own cage anyway. ;-)

The key here is to maximize space in a portable cage. So, whatever you decide be sure to put the thing on wheels so it can be more easily moved.

The things that scares me the most about reptariums is that some iguanas have torn the fabric and escaped. Not something you want to keep outside without supervision.

Another excellent alternative that I cannot say enough good things about it MAR's unique PVC and cloth breakdown cage. He can custom build one to your exact specifications. I think it is one of the most innovative products I have seen to house Iguanas.

Once MAR is through his horrible week of testing (he's in college), I'm sure he can tell you more about his cages.

Good for you for researching the best alternative ahead of time.

__________________
Regards,
Dominick
_____________________________________________
"Do you watch too much television? Did you do so as a toddler? Evidence tonight that it could be the cause of learning disorders, like attention deficit and hyperact-Ooooh, a kitty!" - Keith Olbermann

Hello,

The first thing you need to consider is where the enclosures will sit in your home and exactly how much space you can dedicate to them. Before offering building suggestions, the area we have to work with would be a good to know.

You can put just about any enclosure on coasters and that will make it mobile.

Cages can be made lightweight out of PVC and as heavy as you like using wood.

If you have an area selected already, measure it so we know how large the 2 enclosures can be.

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One thing I wish to add, since you have so many inhabitants in your home, is that you will need to put the enclosure in a place that can be closed off from light at night. Iguanas need sleep and there should be no light there when it is sleeping. So if you or your kids/husband/dogs etc. are night owls (like I am, staying up until the wee hours of the morning), then you will need it to be in a room where you can shut the doors at night to give it darkness.

I am slightly concerned about your iguanas as after you responded to my other post I read your original post back in December where you said that you adopted the iguanas in October at about 5 inches snout to tail length and now after 4 months or so they have only grown 3 inches to 8 inches snout to tail length. Mine grew a full 6 inches snout to tail length in the first WEEK! Even if that is faster than usual, yours being 3 inches in 4 months seems quite slow in my experience, although I only have one ig so maybe I can't tell for sure whether this is normal. But I'd be concerned they may be missing something in their diets, their UVB, heat, enclosure size, whatever. Can someone else more experienced chime in on this?

Oh, one more thing. I am not the expert here, and in Hong Kong you'll have to be as rich as Bill Gates (ok that's an exaggeration, but you get the picture) to have a garden or yard. But even if I did have one, I would not keep it outside. I know that many here have recommended you save space by doing so, but in my humble opinion, I would never recommend that. I have a friend who had two guinea pigs, kept in a cage. His roomates girlfriend was allergic to fur (so she says) and so he took it outside once and left them there for a few hours. When the girl left and he went to take the cage back in, it was broken open, and blood everywhere. No guinea pigs left at all. A neighbour of his later said that he saw a stray rotweiller roaming the area.
You never know when some stray animal, naughty neighbourhood kids and teenagers or whatever may come along and decide to have a little fun at your igs' expense.

i dont like the reptariums or iguanariums. one is because the reptarium's screen is so fine that it can easily snag and rip the ig's claws. Second...well I just dont lie brand name ig cages because not one of them on the market today is big enough for any size iggy IMO and are pretty useless (again, IMO). I built the pvc cage on herphabitats for my ig. It was a pain to build but it turned out very well. I'm on a school computer and the security is really weird so I cant get on herphabitats to link you but maybe someone else can.

good luck,

__________________
-Adam

"Help Protect our Planet from Overcollection, Purchase Aquacultured Livestock and Captive Bred Herps"

Wow, thanks guys,

It really helps to have advice and opinions from so many of you!! I had some concerns about the screen of the Reptarium as well, that is why I wanted to ask the "experts" here. The Iguanarium seems......well, I don't know, too "cagey". Here are some more details......I don't have a traditional front door. I have 2-double sliding glass doors, side by side. Essentially, that's the whole front wall of my house. The space between the permanent glass portion is 6 feet, meaning that is the middle portion, on each side of that 6 feet is a door that slides. I was thinking this would be the best place because of the sunlight. My deck is also off the front of the house. We live up from the street. Our deck isn't really visible from the street and we have dogs that protect people from just walking in our gate. Our neighborhood is also very secluded. For all intensive purposes, it is a private street. The point being, I have no major concerns about putting them on the deck, at least when it is nice out. I thought about a permanent structure there....the deck is right off the living room, so I could wheel them out the sliding door onto the deck and they are right there in my view, within 10 feet of where I sit on my behind to watch tv.
Ok, moving on, Replover......I totally agree with you. I saw your pics and was amazed at your growth. It has been a challenge here. If you remember correctly, my little iguana was in with the other and someone suggested getting her out of there. I did, but I only had a 10 gallon tank until I borrowed the one I have now. While she was in tank....AKA Emergency Room, (we fondly called it the ER) she (ok, maybe he) started to eat again, but color did not improve much. She was very dark, too dark. So we got her into the Reptarium. I have a Zoo-Med PowerSun UV 100W (UVA/UVB) and a ceramic heater for the night. I have my light on a timer from 6AM and off at
8PM. I also purchased a warm air humidifier and placed it on the floor next to the cage. The iguana that is in the tank seems to be doing great. His color is beautiful and he eats well. Going back to the other one, her color is returning, slowly, she is eating well and seems to be a little more social than before. Last week I took each out, at different times, and placed them in the tub with some shallow warm water and let them soak for about a half hour each. Then I took them out and wrapped them in a towel and sat holding them for about an hour each. Of course each one fell asleep while I was holding them. I left towels in their cages and they both love sleeping on them.

As far as food, we have collard greens, spinach, carrots turnips, escarole, green peppers, snap peas, green beans, kale, romaine and squash (zuchini and winter) and we mix various items each day. This last week we have been crushing alfalfa pellets sprinkled with calcium powder and a little water. In the other bowel we always have a fruit or fruit squash. Blueberries are their favorite but we also give banana, fig, apple, mango and I've just introduced orange. I try to read as much as I can everyday so as to not miss anything, but maybe you can tell me what else to add. I just tried to measure them and I think they are more like 13 inches from head to tailend. But boy, they aren't as "healthy" looking as the one RL has!! Ok....looks like I will ponder on cage plans now!!! I will try to get pictures taken and posted later. Gotta put the kiddos to bed first......
Thanks guys, I so appreciate your input!!!
Shelli

ps....Dominic-
love your little saying at the end......strikes home with me!!

Hi again,
The more I think about it, I'm wondering if I could go with something smaller in the house, then we will build a bigger "duplex" outside. For the sake of simplicity, I'm thinking something commercial for in the house, then something a little more extravagant for the outside. Just for conversation, let's say that I wanted to house strictly outside, could I even do that? The coldest it gets here at night is probably 45, in the winter....and that's rare-I would have heavy duty heating for those occasions, if possible. Maybe someone has done this???? Any thoughts on the outside home?
Once again, thanks to all-
shelli