Iguana burrows cause structural damage to foundations, pool equipment, beach dunes, and lake banks. Professional excavation, backfilling, and prevention across Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and SWFL.
Green iguanas dig burrows up to 6 feet deep and 80 feet long. These burrows undermine structures, create safety hazards, and get worse over time. Burrows are found under houses, near pool equipment, along lake banks, in beach dunes, and near vegetation. By the time most property owners notice the entrance, the tunnel system beneath is already doing damage.
Iguana burrow entrance hidden in dense vegetation, a common sign of an active burrow system.
Every burrow is a structural problem. The soil that iguanas remove was supporting something, whether that is a foundation, a concrete pad, a dune system, or a shoreline. Once that soil is gone, the ground above loses its support and begins to settle, crack, or collapse.
Iguana burrows are not small holes. They are tunnel systems that remove significant amounts of soil from beneath or beside structures. Here are the four most common damage patterns we see across Southwest Florida.
Iguana burrow extending beneath a house foundation, removing structural support soil.
Iguanas burrow directly under house foundations, removing the soil that supports the structure. Over time this causes settling, cracking, and in severe cases, structural failure. Foundation repairs can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The longer burrows are left untreated, the more damage occurs.
Burrow tunnel undermining the concrete pad that supports pool pumps and plumbing.
Iguanas burrow near pool pumps, heaters, and plumbing. The burrows undermine the concrete pads that support pool equipment, causing pumps to shift, pipes to crack, and equipment to fail. Pool equipment repairs are expensive and often require concrete pad replacement.
Iguana burrow destabilizing beach dune structure on a Southwest Florida barrier island.
On barrier islands like Sanibel and Captiva, iguanas burrow into beach dunes. Dunes are the first line of defense against storm surge and erosion. Burrows destabilize the dune structure, making them more vulnerable to collapse during storms. This is not just a property issue, it is a coastal protection issue.
Iguana burrow causing lake bank erosion and shoreline collapse along a retention pond.
Iguanas burrow into the banks of lakes and retention ponds, undermining the shoreline. This causes bank collapse, erosion, and can compromise the structural integrity of seawalls and retaining walls along the water. Lake bank erosion also affects water quality and can lead to costly shoreline restoration.
We do not just fill the hole. We remediate the entire burrow system to restore structural support and prevent re-infestation.
DIY does not work because most homeowners only fill the visible entrance. The tunnel extends 6 or more feet underground and needs to be fully excavated and properly backfilled. Without removing the entire burrow structure, the ground remains unstable and new iguanas will reopen the burrow. Filling only the entrance leaves a void beneath the surface that will collapse under load or be reopened by the next iguana that finds it.
Professional remediation means excavating the full tunnel, assessing the structural damage, backfilling with the right material compacted in lifts, and modifying the habitat so new burrows are not dug in the same spot. That is the difference between a temporary fix and a permanent solution.
No, the tunnel extends deep underground. Filling only the entrance leaves a void that will collapse or be reopened. The burrow needs to be fully excavated and properly backfilled with compacted soil to restore structural support and prevent re-infestation.
Up to 6 feet deep and 80 feet long. Each burrow needs to be fully excavated and properly backfilled. The entrance you see on the surface is only a small fraction of the total tunnel system beneath.
Most homeowner's insurance does not cover damage from invasive species. This makes early remediation even more important. The longer a burrow goes untreated, the more structural damage occurs, and the more expensive the repairs become.
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Burrows only get deeper and more damaging over time. Call now or schedule a free inspection online.
