How to Let Your Green Iguana Free Roam

Learn the pros and cons. Letting your iguana roam gives him more free space, exercise, and mental stimulation.^[1] It also allows you to interact with him more. However, it also exposes him to many more risks for his health and safety, and you may run into issues keeping your home and personal items protected and clean. Research and talk to other iguana owners to make sure you have all the angles covered before just letting him loose.

Set up basking areas in all the rooms your iguana will roam.^[2] Your basking area should be about two to three feet high, long enough for a seven foot iguana (male) to fully stretch out or a five foot iguana (female) to fully stretch out. This whole factor depends on your iguana's sex.

• Your basking area should include two fluorescent heater (daytime), two ceramic heater (nighttime), one food bowl, one water bowl (preferably one the iguana can soak in), and one litter box (any large pan or tray will work).

Iguana-proof your home. Don't let your iguana sun himself by windows without supervision. Block off all the rooms in your home where your iguana might go without supervision.

• Make sure all fragile items are put away somewhere he can't get to, especially when he's hit the two-three foot mark because that's when he can start to knock items over.
• Make sure all cords in rooms you iguana accesses are taped down. Otherwise, he may chew on them, potentially electrocuting himself and definitely damaging the electronics and creating a fire hazard.

Housebreak your iguana. This can take time. One recommended method is to start potty-training by having your iguana defecate in a tub with a few inches of warm water at the same time every day.^{[3] [4]} Keep him in the tub until he "goes", and then remove him and clean the water.

• Repeat this process for a couple weeks until the iguana gets the hang of it. Then you should be able to place a litter box or tub with a little water in his basking area and he should start using it consistently. Most iguanas just use the bathroom once a day, making the process a little easier than with other pets.^[5]
• If he does his business there, then reward him with a pat, praising, or a treat. If he doesn't, don't reward him but don't punish him or even get mad at him. He's still learning and he won't know what he did wrong. Just repeat carrying him over to the litter box until he learns.

Consider letting him outside, only if you've taken steps to protect him. If you want to give your iguana access to your backyard, make sure you have secure fencing.^[6] Iguanas can get through much smaller gaps than other pets. Make there are no poisonous plants or predatory animals out there, and supervise him at all times. Stay within a few feet of your iguana, following him around if needed to keep him safe.

• Consider putting your iguana on a harness and lead. There are pros and cons to this, when it comes to his safety, so do your homework and decide if it's worth it for you.^[7]