Cage or Roam

[mar]

My thoughts on free roaming

Bob has had free roaming privileges for the last five years.

When Bob hit season this year I confined him for my safety then I kept him confined as I opened the windows, for his safety. So far he has been caged again for a month and I have noticed that he is more friendly, seems healthier, more active, eats more, and is generally stronger. I no longer wonder what trouble he has gotten into while I was at school, nor do I have to clean the contents of a shelf off the floor.

Now this is spring and he is going outside daily but I think that he is much stronger, calmer, and healthier than ever before and I attribute this to spending most of his time in an environment tailored to the generally accepted needs of an iguana.

For the previous reasons I will continue to cage Bob and urge anyone thinking about allowing an ig to free roam think seriously about it.

Mark

Note: I know that his cage is currently too small for him but he gets a new one in about 10 days.

[prism_wolf]

I came to this conclusion two years ago with my now 6 year old ig.

HE JUST HAD A BIRTHDAY!!

Anyway...I would come home to the same thing...picking up contents of shelves off the floors...worrying about flicklicking hair (we're a family of long-hairs...even hubby)...and the potential for breaking things was getting stronger.

Unless there is a room dedicated to the ig...or you can completely ig-proof a home (which can be done...it's just a serious commitment)...than I strongly suggest confinement for unsupervised igs (i.e., when your at school, work, a day at the lake, etc.).

[ig_daddy]

I am in favor of a free roaming iguana. We are lucky, I guess, in that Iggi stays in her basking spot in the window, when we are gone shopping, or goes to her bed in her bedroom. We always leave the heating pads on low, just in case she goes to her bed, she doesn't get cold. Free roaming allows Iggi to be a member of the family, and be with us during the day. At night, when I surf the net, she is laying on her bed watching me. If I'm in "her" room too late, she starts to snort every once in awhile, until I get off the computer, and ig_mommy turns out the light, and tucks her into her blanket, with a goodnight kiss. By the way, here is an old picture of Iggi, showing how we knew it was time to let her out of her enclosure, and let her free roam.

[prism_wolf]

I am glad you have worked your green sleeve into your home so well, ig_daddy... You have managed to do what lots of us would like to do.

Zair is just so curious we could not take the chances...and with the macaw and African grey within his climbing range...and the ferret cage to boot...this could be disasterous!

He gets supervised "out" time, but then he often bee-lines for the bath tub and waits for me to fill the tub...lol.

[mar]

Bob is outside a lot and I let him wander the inside when I can.

I moved back with my mom for the summer and her husband is not wild about letting Bob walk around in the house so he has to be caged(and in the basement) when I am not holding him or have him outside.

In my new apartment I will have a roommate, and two others in the other bedroom. He does not have a problem with Bob living there but I am not going to make Jeff ig proof his area and desk.

This is after Bob cleaned off my desk many times this winter, cleaned off my plant shelf a few times, broke a window in February, tore up a corner of my carpet... over the last school year. But he was tub / outside trained so I had that going for me.