Getting Started and Preparing Nesting Boxes

Getting Started and Preparing Nesting Boxes


Choosing Breeding Pairs - I tend to group the iguanas by size with one male to one or more females. The male is usually smaller than the females. This allows the females to say, "NO" with force enough to deter the male. If the female is a lot bigger than the male, she can seriously injure or kill the male.

This year I put Lucy a rather large female with Herman after she finished laying her eggs. Herman spent a good part of the day trying to mate with her. When she had enough she bit his face about ripping the end front of his face off.

I came home to lots of blood, and found Lucy having a bloody neck and Herman bleeding from the cuts on his face. Another case that I heard of involved a 22” SVL female and a much smaller male. The female killed the male. I met the female and she was adopted out of state when this happened.

No matter how well the pair gets along be prepared for injuries - everything from abscesses to cuts needing stitches.

My iguanas have experienced cuts primarily on the tail, but also on arms, legs, and on the neck. While most do not require a trip to the vet, some do. One thing I’ve noticed with Mojo over the last six breeding seasons is that he has gotten very gentle with mating.

I rarely see any bite marks on the females now, not even bruises. Maybe as he's got older some of the hyperness isn’t there any more.


Nesting Boxes - For nesting boxes, Rubbermaid Roughnecks™ are the best. They hold about 200 pounds of play sand and are easy to work with. On top of this I bolt a tray planter with one end cut off. This gives the iguana a tunnel like the books say they use in the wild.

The play sand is moist enough after adding water to where it will hold its shape when you squeeze it in your hand.


Media I’ve tried
100% Potting Soil – The first year George laid eggs this was my choice. The biggest disadvantage was the black iguana that emerged after laying eggs. Poor George was dirty from head to tail. Also she didn’t seem to like it. Until her next shed, she was filthy.

50% Potting Soil and 50% Play Sand – I used this the second year George laid eggs. Once again I ended up with a very filthy iguana.

100% Play Sand – This is the best. I’ve been using this for the last four years. It is easy for the female iguanas to dig in, allowing them to easily form a pit for the eggs. The eggs come out nice and clean, which seems to help with incubation without fungus attack.


Other Nest Boxes I've Heard About - Another option is big wooden boxes, as shown in the video with Adam Britton and Melissa Kaplan. Sand was used for the media and it had the same type of tunnel I use. There is nothing real original in mine. A plastic trash can was something I used with George the second year she laid eggs. It wasn’t a bad idea, just very heavy. Also there is one iguana that used a futon to lay its eggs.


Miscellaneous Notes -
After the iguanas are done nesting you can end up with a large quantity of sand to dispose of. Deciding what to do with it can present an interesting problem.

The iguana should lay all of its eggs in a single sitting. If not, an x-ray afterwards is a good idea, as the eggs may not all be laid. Even if the iguana is extremely slim, eggs can be hiding in the rib area where they are very difficult for you to see.

My females all spend a lot of time exploring the nest boxes. They dig a lot. Often they freak me out since they will spend hours at night just digging and not lay their eggs.

Females will guard their nest boxes. I’ve had a much smaller female chase a larger female from her nest box after the eggs are laid. This behavior has been documented. One such place was at a Disney’s Wilderness Park. Sometimes they go in it days afterwards and dig around some more.

All my females lay their eggs at night.