Iguanas, especially baby iguanas, can often be found in pet stores at a reasonable price. It may be easy to keep these baby iguanas in an aquarium for awhile, but eventually they will grow large enough to need their own habitats. These can be quite expensive, and you can save money by building your own. Iguanas have certain environmental needs you must be aware of if you are going to make a suitable habitat. Always keep the safety of your iguana foremost. Besides heat and temperature considerations, iguanas have long, thin fingers which can be easily broken or damaged.

Space

The first thing you need to plan for when building an iguana habitat is how much space you will need and can afford. You'll need an enclosure at least twice as long in one direction as your iguana, measured from head to tail. You also need to keep in mind that, if your iguana is a baby or has not reached full size, you need to plan an enclosure which will be at least twice as big as your iguana in the future also. If your iguana is 10 inches long today, building a two-foot high enclosure will work for now, but not in the near future. Iguanas can grow up to 5 feet long. A fully grown, healthy iguana will need a habitat six feet high, six feet long, and at least three feet wide.

Heat

Iguanas are cold-blooded reptiles. They cannot regulate their body temperatures and so will rely on their habitat to keep them warm. However, do not buy hot rocks for your iguana. The heat from hot rocks is too localized and you stand a good chance of your iguana burning his stomach on them. Heat lamps or under-cage heating pads are much better for iguanas than hot rocks. To regulate the temperature in the enclosure, you are going to need to install temperature gauges or thermometers. If you have a large cage, install two. Do not go by what feels warm to you. Iguana cages need to be 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and no colder than 75 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

Light

Iguanas have special needs regarding light. They soak up ultraviolet (UV) rays through a membrane in their heads and use it to process calcium. Iguanas need a type of ultraviolet light called UVB, which is also found in natural sunlight. Iguanas need these rays desperately to stay healthy; without a source of UVB, they will develop fatal bone diseases. You will need to install some kind of UVB light in your habitat. The UVB light cannot be filtered through plastic or glass, as these eliminate the UVB.

Climbing Area

Iguanas are climbing creatures. If you want a healthy and happy iguana, you can't leave your habitat all one level. Iguanas need places to climb, and it's an especially good idea to make a basking spot near the top of the cage for your iguana to climb to. Any kind of climbing surface that allows your iguana to get a secure grip is suitable. Many iguana owners use tree branches, but some use ramps or shelving.

Source:

Green Iguana Habitat

Iguana Den: Cage Basics

Iguana Den: Cage Setup

Resource:

How to Kill an Iguana