A screen cage is a mixed blessing
Screen enclosures are meant to keep bugs out and give you an outdoor room, but they're also a jungle gym to an iguana. The animals climb the aluminum frame to bask on top or to reach the roof, and their claws snag and slowly tear the screen mesh along the way. Over a season that shows up as pulls, runs, and small holes in the panels.
The bigger problem is when one climbs in over the top. A large iguana that drops inside the cage often can't figure out how to climb back out, and a panicked, big-bodied lizard pushing at the screen and frame from the inside can tear whole panels and bend the aluminum rails.
Even without structural damage, there's mess
A trapped iguana fouls the enclosed deck and, if it gets to the water, the pool — which brings the salmonella concern right into the space you sit in. So even a cage that survives the visit intact usually needs a cleanup afterward.
- Torn and snagged screen panels from climbing claws
- Bent frame rails and popped spline where a trapped animal pushed to escape
- Droppings across the enclosed deck and in the pool
- Damaged screen doors and kick plates at the animal's exit attempts
Getting one out without more damage
The instinct to chase a trapped iguana out usually makes it worse — the animal panics, sprints the perimeter, and shreds more screen. Careful removal, opening the largest door and calmly directing the animal or hand-removing it, limits both the damage and the mess. This is a common call for us precisely because doing it wrong is expensive.
Keeping them off the cage
Long term, the fix is cutting off the climb and the population: trimming trees and trellises that let iguanas reach the cage top, and removing the resident animals so there are fewer around to climb in. A cage in a yard with a controlled iguana population sees a fraction of the wear.
Common questions
How did an iguana get inside my sealed pool cage?
They usually climb the outside of the aluminum frame and drop in over the top, then can't climb back out. That's why you find one trapped inside an otherwise intact enclosure with no obvious hole.
Will it damage the screen trying to get out?
A trapped iguana pushing and clawing at the mesh and frame can tear whole panels and bend rails, so prompt, careful removal limits both the damage and the fouling. Chasing it tends to make the damage worse.
How do I stop iguanas from climbing my cage?
Trim back the trees, vines, and trellises that let them reach the cage and roof, and remove the resident animals. A cage in a yard with the population under control sees far less climbing and tearing.
