Speedy

It was our intention to build a cage that was moveable and could grow with the iguana. To achieve this bolts are used to secure component pieces to each other. Interior joints are sealed with caulk to prevent the Iguana from finding unfinished wood. The front, sides and inside bottom of the cage are made of white masonite, the back is tile board. Both of these materials are easy to wipe down and have some water resistance. Currently the cage has interior dimensions of 5' tall, 5' long and 3' deep. The external dimensions are 1" deeper and 2" longer due to the thickness of the masonite. The enclosure is on a 10" platform (constructed from 2x4s) to allow clearance for the plumbing. There is also a 10" recess on the top for the lighting, making the actual height 6'8". Entrance to the cage is via a 3' x 5' single hung window that opens from the bottom upwards. A blanket is used to cover the window at night.
Lighting is controlled by a timer that is set for 12 hours on and 12 hours off. A 48" fluorescent single bulb fixture is mounted to the enclosure ceiling holding a ReptiSun 10.0 for UVB. The heat light fixtures are standard recessed light cans. Heat is provided by a 150 watt spot light, a 150 watt ceramic heating element and an infrared bulb for those really cold days. They all have separate rheostat controls and the ceramic heating element is operated separately from the timer. The top of the lighting area is covered with insulation board (the kind they put on the sides of houses) to keep the heat in the cage and out of the room. Temperature is monitored by a self resetting 24 hour min/max thermometer, attached to the basking shelf, and a combination thermometer and hygrometer (measures humidity), located on the floor under the basking shelf with it's "outside temperature" probe by the sink.


	The basking platform is elfa shelving. It is suspended from the ceiling by cable ties and braced on one wall. The lower shelf sits on a base that was originally a tall coated wire basket. One side was removed to prevent the unlikely occurrence of the iguana finding it's way into the basket. Speedy is seen sitting on top of the fountain. Normally a 1 inch bubble of water is present on the top. It keeps the humidity up and the iguana likes it as well. The fountain also supplies Speedy with drinking water.
The basking platform is accessible by a vine created by twisting 3 large and 2 medium Exo-Terra Jungle Vines together. The vines are tied on both ends to keep them from coming apart, as well as being attached to the basking shelf. At the bottom of the vine are the facilities. The sink is emptied by pulling the plug and refilling with the faucet. Speedy always uses the sink, making cleanup of the rest of the cage much easier.
The floor has several items to climb on which were recycled from his previous cage and there are fake plants to provide a more attractive appearance.