Destination First, Animal Last
With most reptiles the enclosure and animal travel the same day. A green iguana reverses that logic. Its housing is large, often built or assembled in place, with climbing structure, basking shelves, and serious lighting, and none of that should still be under construction when the animal arrives. Complete the enclosure on an earlier trip: branches fixed to take real weight, basking spot running at temperature, ultraviolet light mounted at the right distance, water tray in place, and doors and latches tested under a firm shake.
Plan the iguana's own journey as the final trip of the move, ideally when the new house is quiet, the route from door to enclosure is clear of boxes, and no movers are carrying furniture past a stressed, powerful animal with a tail it uses as a whip.
The Crate and the Carry
Use a large, rigid crate with ventilation, lined with towels for grip and padding, big enough for the iguana to lie extended rather than folded. Introduce the crate open in its enclosure beforehand if time allows, with greens inside, so it smells like a place food happens rather than a trap that appears on the worst day of its life.
Move the iguana with two people: one supporting the body and controlling the tail against their own body, the other opening doors and the crate. Expect scratching and tail lashing from even a tame animal, wear sleeves, and keep your face out of tail range. Once crated, cover the crate to darken it, keep it level and shaded in the vehicle, and drive directly. Never transport an iguana loose in a car; a frightened one will climb the driver, wedge under pedals, or injure itself against glass.
Arrival Is a Straight Line to the Enclosure
Carry the crate directly to the finished enclosure, set it inside or at its door, and open it so the iguana walks out onto its own branches rather than being hauled out by hand. Offer water and a familiar salad, then leave. Exploration, a long bask, and eventually a basking nap with legs sprawled are the sequence you want to see over the first day.
Check the animal over calmly once it has settled: toes and claws intact, tail tip undamaged, no scrapes from the crate. Minor stress shows as darkened colour, refusal of the first meal, and hiding high or low; an iguana that knows its enclosure layout had an easier move, which is why returning branches and shelves to familiar positions matters even in a new room.
Strength, Appetite, and When to Worry
Resume the normal light cycle and feeding from the first full day, with chopped greens it recognises rather than novelty foods. Handling beyond care waits until eating is reliable again. Remember this animal's strength in every interaction during the unsettled week: even friendly iguanas bite when cornered, and a new house has corners it has not learned.
Contact a reptile vet about wounds from the crate, a dropped or damaged tail tip, limping, or an iguana that stops eating and grows lethargic beyond the expected settling days, since size hides decline poorly once it starts. If friends are feeding at one house while you drive the animal from the other, KinsLe's Care Pass hands them temporary, clear access to this iguana's diet, supplements, and lighting routine, so its care continues properly in both houses on the same day.