a small, female, adult iguana must have a cage no larger than 4' wide, 3' deep, and 5' high - and that is pretty small. you've pretty much got to make your own cage for one - there is no cage i've ever seen for sale that is suitable for a green iguana over 6 months of age. the cage also has to have a lot of climbing branches - the more the better! these guys are arboreal and will spend 95% in the tree tops. if they can not climb in captivity, their arm and leg muscles will literally waste away.
another common misconception about iguanas is that they eat cat food or need a lot of protein - actually the complete opposite is true. iguanas should eat collard greens, turnip greens, kale, and mustard greens. an adult should also have about a cup of chopped fruit (apples, banana, kiwi, yellow squash, zucchini squash, and pears are great) each week. they should never eat spinach (it binds calcium) and can only have a little orange or other citrus ever 6 months or so - it's too acidic.
iguanas also need - NEED not *want* - uva and uvb.
please please please go to
http://www.anapsid.org - this website is managed by melissa kaplan - she knows everything there is to know about green iguanas and her website is THE source for those interested in purchasing one. read all you can at her site before deciding if such a large lizard is really for you.
