A green iguana can grow up to 2 meters (6.5ft) and it is one of the largest iguana species out there. Here we provide a complete green iguana growth chart.
You can also try our interactive iguana size tool to quickly get basic iguana measures per age.
How big do iguanas get? This is a guide to measure Size and Weight of Green Iguana.
In short: iguanas grow. A lot. The sweet little hatching, that you may see in the pet shop, will grow up to 36in (more than 90cm) after reaching age 2, and it doesn’t stop there. In 7 years, it can grow up to 7 feet long (I’m talking about the length with the tail included in the measurement), and it will weigh around 20 pounds (9kg).
This means that your pet needs appropriate enclosure which many people do not take into account. While, for very young iguana, you can get away with stock terrarium (like this one), very soon your ‘petile’ needs will grow.
Here are two terms often used when talking about reptiles’ size:
*SVL-Snout to vent length
*STL-Snout to tail length (Snout to vent length+ tail)
Here’s a ‘cheat sheet’ to give you the idea about how big do iguanas get.
When hatching
SVL (Body length): 6.5- 9cm (2.5-3.5in)
STL (Body length + tail): 15- 23cm (6-9in)
It weighs up to 90grams (0.2lbs)
Year 1
SVL (Body length): 20- 23cm (8-9in)
STL (Body length + tail): 51cm-69cm (20-27in)
It weighs 0.45kg – 0.68kg (1-1.5lbs)
Up to 1.5 years old iguana can be placed in stock terrarium like this, however, after that, you’d really want to go for a custom made enclosure:
Carolina Custom Cages Terrarium, Extra-Long Deep 48Lx24Dx18H, Easy Assembly
Year 2
SVL (Body length): 28cm – 30.5cm (11-12in)
STL (Body length + tail): 71cm – 91.5cm (28-36in)
It weighs 0.91kg – 1.81kg (2-4lbs)
Year 3
SVL (Body length): 30.5-35.5cm (12-14in)
STL (Body length + tail): 76-107cm (30-42in)
It weighs 1.81kg – 2.72kg (4-6lbs)
Year 4
SVL (Length): 35.5-41cm (14-16in)
STL (Body length + tail): 89-122cm (35-48in)
It weighs 2.27kg – 3.63kg (5-8lbs)
Year 5
SVL (Body length): 45.72cm – 50.8cm (18-20in)
STL (Length + tail): 114.3cm – 152.4cm (45-60in)
It weighs 4.54kg – 6.80kg (10-15lbs)
Year 6
SVL (Body length): 50.8cm – 55.88cm (20-22in)
STL (Body length + tail): 127cm – 167.64 (50-66in)
It weighs 6.35kg – 8.16kg (14-18lbs)
Year 7 and up (full grown iguana)
SVL (Body length): 50.8cm – 60.96cm (20-24in)
STL (Body length + tail): 127cm – 182.88cm (50-72in)
It weighs 6.80kg – 9.07kg (15lbs-20lbs)
If you’re more ‘visual’ type, below is an interactive chart, where you use slider to enter iguana’s age and you will see STL and weight (both in imperial and metric units). You can also see minimal enclosure dimensions for each stage of your iguana’s growth. Surely, it’s recommended to plan ahead and acquire cage big enough to sustain your ig for several seasons, and not to ‘update’ it every year.
There are no suitable enclosures for adult iguanas in pet shops and that’s a fact. Enclosure has to be custom-made. If you’re skillful in carpentry, you can even do it yourself. Also, proper equipment is necessary, like heaters, humidifiers, UV lamps.
If, for any reasons, your device doesn’t display this tool properly, you can see this interactive iguana chart here
If you like this tool, please share it (social buttons should be somewhere on the screen). It may be handy for other people, too.
We made similar tool but for bearded dragons. If you are interested, check out this interactive bearded dragons growth chart.