Spring in Deerfield Beach, FL marks the beginning of one of the most active periods for green iguanas across South Florida. As temperatures climb and humidity rises, iguana populations surge with breeding activity, aggressive foraging, and relentless burrowing that can cause thousands of dollars in property damage. At Guana Gone, we help Deerfield Beach homeowners get ahead of iguana season every year, and we have seen firsthand how early preparation makes the difference between a minor nuisance and a major structural problem.
Whether you have lived in Deerfield Beach for decades or recently moved to the area, understanding when iguana season peaks, what damage these invasive reptiles cause, and how to protect your property is essential. In this guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about iguana season in South Florida and explain why acting before the problem escalates is the smartest move you can make.
Green iguanas are active year-round in South Florida thanks to our subtropical climate, but their behavior intensifies dramatically during spring and early summer. Breeding season typically begins in March and continues through June, with egg-laying peaking between April and May. During this window, male iguanas become territorial and aggressive — you may notice them displaying bright orange coloration, bobbing their heads, and chasing rivals across your property.
Female iguanas, meanwhile, begin searching for nesting sites almost immediately. They seek out warm, sandy, sun-exposed soil near structures where they can dig deep burrows to lay their eggs. A single female can produce anywhere from 20 to 76 eggs per clutch, and those eggs hatch approximately 65 to 90 days later, adding dozens of new iguanas to an already booming population.
For Deerfield Beach homeowners, the critical preparation window is right now — late March through early April. Once females have selected nesting sites and begun digging, the damage to your property is already underway. We always tell our clients that the best time to address iguana season is before you start seeing the consequences.
Deerfield Beach sits in the heart of Broward County's iguana corridor, and several environmental factors make our community particularly attractive to these invasive reptiles. The Intracoastal Waterway, Hillsboro Canal, and the network of residential canals running through Deerfield Beach neighborhoods provide ideal habitat for iguanas that prefer to nest near water.
The lush tropical landscaping common throughout Deerfield Beach — including hibiscus, bougainvillea, fruit trees, and ornamental flowering plants — provides an abundant food supply. Iguanas are herbivores that feed voraciously on flowers, leaves, and fruit, and a well-landscaped Deerfield Beach yard is essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet for a hungry iguana.
The sandy soil composition in much of Deerfield Beach is another contributing factor. Iguanas prefer soft, easily excavated soil for their elaborate burrow systems, and the fill material around seawalls, pool decks, and foundations is often the perfect consistency for digging. Add year-round warmth, ample sunlight for basking, and a nearly unlimited food supply, and it becomes clear why Deerfield Beach supports one of the densest iguana populations in Broward County.
The most significant threat iguanas pose to Deerfield Beach homeowners is structural damage caused by their extensive burrowing activity. During nesting season, females dig tunnel systems that can extend up to 80 feet underground, with multiple interconnected chambers and entry points. These burrows are not shallow surface tunnels — they penetrate deep into the soil beneath your most valuable structures.
Here is what we regularly encounter on Deerfield Beach properties during iguana season:
One detail that catches many Deerfield Beach homeowners off guard is that homeowner's insurance typically does not cover iguana-related damage. Every dollar spent on seawall repairs, foundation work, and landscape restoration comes directly out of pocket, which is exactly why proactive prevention during iguana season is so much more cost-effective than reactive repairs after the damage is done.
Preparation is the single most effective strategy for minimizing iguana damage during spring and summer. At Guana Gone, we recommend Deerfield Beach homeowners take the following steps as early in the season as possible:
The first and most important step is having a licensed iguana removal professional assess your property. Our technicians conduct a comprehensive walkthrough that includes counting every iguana present, locating existing burrows and nests, identifying structural vulnerabilities, and mapping entry points and harborage areas. This assessment gives us the information we need to develop a targeted removal and prevention plan specific to your Deerfield Beach property.
We provide a fixed-price plan after every inspection — no surprises, no hidden fees. You will know exactly what needs to be done and what it will cost before we begin any work.
While professional removal is the most effective solution, there are steps you can take to make your property less attractive to iguanas. Remove fallen fruit from the ground promptly. Avoid planting iguana-preferred species like hibiscus, roses, orchids, and bougainvillea near structures. Consider replacing vulnerable plants with iguana-resistant alternatives such as crotons, milkweed, and oleander. Keep vegetation trimmed away from seawalls, fences, and rooflines to reduce basking and climbing opportunities.
Walk your property and check for signs of existing burrow activity. Look along the base of your seawall, around pool equipment, near building foundations, and along fence lines. Fresh mounds of displaced soil, holes measuring 4 to 8 inches in diameter, and visible tunnel entrances are all indicators that iguanas have already established nesting sites on your property.
If you find evidence of burrowing, do not attempt to fill the holes yourself. Improperly addressed burrows can cause additional soil collapse and may scatter iguanas to other areas of your property. Contact our team for professional burrow assessment and remediation.
At Guana Gone, we have developed a comprehensive approach to iguana season management that addresses every phase of the problem — from initial population reduction to long-term exclusion and prevention. Our methods are humane, fully compliant with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission guidelines, and designed to deliver lasting results for Deerfield Beach homeowners.
Our process begins with rapid population reduction. On the very first visit, we typically remove 70 to 90 percent of the iguanas on a property using a combination of hand-capture, pole snares, and humane on-site methods. During iguana season, this initial knockdown is critical — every female removed before she lays her clutch means 20 to 76 fewer iguanas on your property by summer.
After the initial removal, we focus on burrow and nest elimination. Simply removing iguanas without addressing their underground infrastructure leaves your property vulnerable to recolonization. We locate and properly fill all active burrows, remove any egg clutches discovered during the process, and stabilize the soil around affected structures.
Long-term prevention is where our service truly sets us apart. We install smooth metal seawall caps that prevent iguanas from climbing up and burrowing behind your seawall. Buried dig-proof mesh creates an underground barrier that blocks new burrow construction. Tree banding and habitat modification reduce the food sources and basking opportunities that attract iguanas to your property in the first place.
For ongoing protection, our monthly maintenance plans include unlimited follow-up visits. If iguanas return between scheduled service dates, we come back at no additional charge. We continue returning until your property stays completely iguana-free — that is our guarantee.
Many Deerfield Beach residents may recall the historic cold snap that hit South Florida in late January 2026, when temperatures dropped low enough to cause iguanas to become cold-stunned and fall from trees. While the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported over 1,000 green iguanas turned in during a single day of collection, wildlife experts have cautioned that the overall population impact was temporary.
Green iguanas are remarkably resilient. Those that survived the cold event — and many did, as cold-stunning is often reversible once temperatures rise — are now entering breeding season with the same reproductive potential as before. A female iguana that survived the freeze can still produce 20 to 76 eggs this spring. The cold snap may have provided temporary relief, but it did not solve the underlying population problem, and Deerfield Beach homeowners should not assume their iguana issues are over.
In fact, the post-cold-snap period can create a false sense of security that leads homeowners to delay preventive action. By the time they realize iguanas are back and actively nesting, significant burrowing damage may already be underway. We strongly encourage Deerfield Beach property owners to schedule inspections now rather than waiting to see if iguanas return — because they will.
Yes. Green iguanas are classified as an invasive, non-native species in Florida. They are not protected under state or federal wildlife laws, except by general anti-cruelty statutes. Property owners are permitted to humanely remove iguanas from their land, and the FWC actively encourages removal. At Guana Gone, all of our methods are fully compliant with FWC guidelines and Florida state law. Every technician on our team is state-licensed, fully insured, and background-checked.
We understand that iguana season waits for no one, and neither do we. Our team services Deerfield Beach and surrounding Broward County communities on a regular schedule, and we prioritize new assessments during the spring breeding window. In most cases, we can conduct an initial property inspection and begin removal within days of your first call. For emergency situations — such as active burrowing near a seawall or foundation — we offer expedited scheduling to address the threat before further damage occurs.
The ideal time to begin is late February through early April, before peak nesting activity. Starting removal and prevention measures before females select nesting sites on your property dramatically reduces the scope of the problem. However, iguana removal is effective and beneficial at any time of year in South Florida. If you have not addressed the issue yet, starting now is always better than waiting.
Absolutely. We stand behind every engagement with a money-back guarantee. Our monthly maintenance plans include unlimited follow-up visits between scheduled service dates at no extra cost. If iguanas return to your Deerfield Beach property between visits, we come back and address the issue. Our goal is a completely iguana-free property, and we do not stop working until that goal is achieved.
Seawall damage is one of the most common and costly consequences of iguana burrowing activity in Deerfield Beach. Iguanas tunnel behind and beneath seawalls, allowing water to infiltrate and erode the supporting soil. This process leads to cracking, shifting, and in severe cases, complete structural failure. We have worked with Deerfield Beach homeowners facing seawall repair bills exceeding $30,000 — all caused by iguana burrows. Installing seawall caps and dig-proof barriers before nesting season is the most effective way to prevent this type of damage.
Every week you wait during iguana season gives the population on your property more time to grow, dig, and cause damage that will cost you significantly more to repair than it would have cost to prevent. The breeding cycle is already underway in Deerfield Beach, and the window for proactive prevention narrows every day.
At Guana Gone, we have built our reputation on delivering fast, thorough, and guaranteed iguana removal for Deerfield Beach and communities throughout South Florida. From your initial property assessment to ongoing monthly maintenance, we handle every step so you can enjoy your property without worrying about what is happening underground. Contact us today for a free property assessment and take control of iguana season before it takes control of your property.
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