It can be really annoying when iguanas dig on your property, but why do they do it? Doesn’t matter if it is a wild or a pet iguana, they can both dig and destroy your landscape. However, wild and pet iguanas do it for different reasons.
Wild iguanas usually dig to lay eggs in while pet iguanas usually dig to escape captivity. There are also iguanas living in the desert that dig to hide and live underground.
In this article, I will show you some actions that can be taken to prevent wild iguanas from digging into your property. Other than that you will also learn why your pet iguana might be digging to escape and how you can fix it.
Nesting for Eggs
There are only a few types of iguanas that commonly dig holes on your property. These iguanas include the green iguanas, the Mexican spiny-tailed iguana, and the black spiny-tailed iguana.
The way they reproduce and lay eggs are very similar. Hence, a similar hole digging behavior.
Holes are usually dug by female iguanas during the breeding season. This is to prepare a nesting site to lay eggs in.
Iguanas dig about 4 to 6 feet deep with a width of 0.3 to 0.7 feet. A distinctive feature of a hole iguana dug is that it is often shaped like a capital “D”.
Moreover, you will also notice a pile of sand or dirt outside which they use to cover up the hole once they are done with laying eggs. Sometimes, there will be multiple female iguanas that lay eggs in the same nest.
Iguanas Are Territorial
Iguanas can be very territorial. Once they start nesting in your property, it will keep coming back if you do not do anything to stop it.
This territorial behavior is in both male and female iguanas but more common among males. Other than giving you a lot of headaches, iguanas can also be very dangerous and can inflict some serious damage to you.
Preventing Iguanas From Digging
Stopping iguanas from coming into your property from digging is crucial. They can do some real damage to your landscape.
If you do not do anything to stop them, they will keep coming back. Eventually, more will come. Here are 8 ways you can prevent iguanas from invading your property.
1. Plant plants iguanas don’t eat
Iguanas love a good meal, especially in a space full of flowers and plants they love eating. Planting plants that iguanas don’t eat will deter them from coming into your property to find food.
The more they come for food, the more likely they are to dig holes and lay eggs. I wrote an article showing you the 10 plants iguanas don’t eat (with pictures). You should plant some or most of these to stop iguanas from coming for their meal.
2. Don’t Leave Food Outside Unattended
Sometimes, we like eating food outside in our yard under nice weather. However, do not forget to clean up and bring all the food in. Leftover food such as fruits or vegetables will attract iguanas to come. Iguanas are primarily herbivores but they will not hesitate to eat something if it smells good!
3. Put A Lid On Garbage Bin
Iguanas will look for food anywhere and that includes the garbage. It is a good idea to always keep the lid on but some iguanas are smart enough to open it and slide in. If that is the case, put a brick or cinder block on top to prevent that. This will save you a lot of mess.
4. Clear Your Yard From Dropped Fruits
If you plant any fruit trees, make sure to look out for fruits that dropped on the floor. Fruits are one of iguanas’ favorite things to eat, especially if they are easy to get access to.
Make sure you take the time to pick up dropped fruits every once in a while and dispose them if they are bad. Otherwise, keep them for yourself to eat.
5. Fill & Cover Iguana Holes
As you already know, iguanas will dig holes to lay eggs inside. So, if you do see them, make sure to fill it up and cover it. However, do not just fill the hole with dirt or sand because they will come back and dig at the same place again.
First, fill it with rocks, then dirt, and finally with sod on top of all. Iguanas are not able to dig through rocks. So, if it does come back, there is nothing the iguana can do.
Also, any iguanas in the hole (if there are any), they will not be able to escape through the rocks. They will either have to dig another way out or die inside.
Moreover, eggs inside the hole will unlikely hatch as well. I know this is brutal but if you want to keep iguanas out, you have to do what needs to be done.
6. Don’t Leave Pet Food Outside
I know… it is weird but iguanas have been spotted eating pet foods. If you choose to feed your pets outdoors, make sure they finish it. Any leftovers will attract iguanas to come to finish it off. It is best to feed your pets indoors if possible.
7. Put Up Wire Netting
Putting wire nets around your plants or your property is very effective in preventing iguanas from invading. If you are putting wire netting around anything, make sure you put it at least 2 to 3 feet deep.
Iguanas can easily dig under and over if you don’t, making the wire netting pointless. Wire netting around plants will seem less obvious when the plants grow. Nevertheless, the wire netting will still be very effective in keeping iguanas out.
8. Making Anti Climbing Trees
Another thing you can do is put some metal sheets around your trees. These metal sheets should be at least 18 inches high from the base of the tree. The metal sheets are slippery which makes it difficult for iguanas to climb.
Stress Digging
If you have a pet iguana and its digging, it is most likely trying to escape because of stress. This is even more obvious if your iguana is a male because there is no reason, other than escaping, for them to dig. If its a female, it might be digging to lay eggs even if they do not mate.
If you do not already know, female iguanas do not have to mate to lay eggs. Other than that, female iguanas usually only dig during the breeding season. If your iguana is digging to escape, you are doing something wrong.
There are many reasons that can cause iguanas to be stress. Iguanas are very sensitive to changes, even small ones. Changes such as your looks or cloths are enough to give them stress.
However, most of the time it is something much worse such as the lightning, temperature, and size of the enclosure. It is important to notice when your iguana is stress so you can remedy it.
One of the signs of iguanas being stress is that they turn black. However, there is also another reason for iguanas turning black.
Check out this article I wrote about iguanas turning black to learn all about it. This way, you can take much better care of your iguana so they are not tempted to escape.
Iguanas Digging Underground Home
This is only common in wild desert iguanas. As the name suggests, these iguanas live in the desert. In the desert, there are no trees around so they are forced to make their own hiding spot or home.
They dig underground to keep themselves safe from their predators. You will most likely not encounter desert iguana at where you are staying. So, you do not have to worry about this.
Conclusion
If you ever encounter iguanas digging, it is more likely for two reasons only. They either want to lay eggs in there or want to escape from captivity because of stress.
Both of these are not ideal situations. Either way, they will destroy your landscape.
It is best to prevent wild iguanas from coming into your property as they can be territorial. Once they are in, it can be hard to make them leave.
On the other hand, if your pet iguana is digging, it is more likely due to stress. When this happens, you have to do something about it immediately. Lastly, some iguanas will dig underground to live in it but they are not very common in where most people stay.
