Should you buy a Green Iguana?
Jul 30 '00 (Updated Sep 24 '00)
Updated Sept. 24, 2000 (See bottom of page)
More and more people are buying iguanas as pets. Iguanas are quiet, hypo-allergenic pets; unfortunately, most iguana owners aren't prepared for what these little green-guys can grow up to become. Having owned two iguanas, I think it's important that people think about what they're getting themselves into before they buy one of these cute green critters.
Both of my iguanas were unwanted. My aunt takes in iguanas that no-one else wants, rehabilitates them and tries to find new homes for them. At any given time, she has 20 or more of these green "dragons" roaming her 2-story house. Most of these iguanas are given to her because they are either sick and the owner doesn't want to pay the vet bills or because the iguana was never treated well and has become mean and unruly.
My iguanas
My first iguana, Ra, was a youngster (a couple months old) when I got him. He was given to my aunt by a pet store owner. - Of course, my aunt first had to convince the owner that he wouldn't be making money off of a dead iguana. Ra was extremely ill when my aunt took him home and certainly would have died had she not nursed him back to health. He was ill after spending weeks in a poorly lit, drafty cage that was much too crowded with other baby iguanas. Ra turned into a sweet, docile pet. I made sure to handle Ra a lot when he was young. I also taught other people how to handle him properly. The benefit of all this is that as Ra aged and got larger, he was still easy to handle and was not a threat to strangers or me. At four years, he was a beautiful, docile creature. I adored Ra, but our time together was cut short when he escaped from my fiance's apartment (through an unused dryer vent) the week before we got married.
My second iguana, Max, was about 9 years old when we got him. He was dropped off with my aunt by a young lady who couldn't take him with her to college. She promised to come back for him - and never did. Max had calcium deficiency before my aunt got him, so his front legs were deformed and he couldn't climb very well. We had to build a special bench for him to sun himself, since he couldn't climb up to the windows well. Max was 6 feet long from his nose to the tip of his tail - and very strong. Towards the end of his life he became ornery and often tried to hit me with his tail. When he was 10, Max passed away in his sleep - sitting on his bench, with his eyes closed.
Pet Store Iguanas
The type of iguana you see in pet stores is almost always the green iguana. The price usually ranged from $20 to $30 for a baby and they aren't hand-raised. These "pet store specials" are usually imported from Central or South America in small cramped boxes. Many iguanas die and the ones that don't are put on sale, regardless of illness or deformity.
If you have a high quality pet store in your area, you might be able to find a hand-raised iguana. I highly suggest that you consider buying one of these. The price will be more expensive ($20 to $30 more, usually), but the health and personality of the iguana will be better; so, I think it's worth it.
(If you have other iguanas or reptiles that you will be housing your new iguana with, don't forget to quarantine your new iguana until you're sure that it doesn't have anything contagious.)
Iguana Basics
Heat and Light
Iguanas are a reptile; as such they are cold-blooded and you must provide them with a heat source. I always had both a heat lamp and a heat rock. Iguanas get vitamins from proper lighting, but the UV rays will not penetrate through window glass. So, you'll need to provide your iguana an outdoor cage (if the weather is warm enough where you live) or a heat lamp that uses a vitamin bulb (these are available more pet stores).
Without enough warmth and light, your iguana can have major respiratory problems. The medicine to bring this under control is expensive, and more often than not the iguana will die from respiratory complications.
Food
One of the reason that iguanas appeal to me is that they are mainly vegetarian. Since I like rats and other small, furry animals, I could never own a reptile that eats them. And, I'm not a big fan of bugs, so a vegetarian reptile was the way to go for me. I supplemented my iguanas' fresh fruits and veggies with a commercially available iguana food to ensure they got enough vitamins and nutrients. I also use a cricket powder (commercially available) now and again to make sure they got enough protein without my having to buy insects for them.
In order to make sure my guys got enough calcium, I shaved cuttle bone onto their food. If your iguana doesn't receive enough calcium in its diet, its bones will not grow properly. This is a common occurrence among pet iguanas. Usually they have jaw bone or limb deformities. If your pet iguana starts showing signs of deformity, it's very important to up the amount of calcium its receiving.
Don't let your iguana eat cat food. Cat food is much too high in protein and will make your reptile mean. However, removing the cat food from its diet should bring its temper back to normal.
Cautions & Dangers
Iguanas can make wonderful pets, however, it important to understand the dangers that they can pose to you and others. When treated with respect and understanding, an iguana can me a wonderfully compatible pet for most households. However, even the best-behaved iguana can have its "off days." And like many other pets, the older an iguana gets, the more likely it is to become cranky and have dementia.
Iguanas may start out small, but they get really big. It's not unusual for a healthy iguana to grow a foot a year. Adult iguanas can grow as long as 6 feet or more. The tail on an adult iguana is not only long, but very muscular. Why is this so important to understand? Well, iguanas can get mean as they age - especially if they are mistreated when they are young or they aren't handled properly and with respect. And with a several foot long, thick, muscular tail, a wild or upset iguana can seriously hurt you. With an adult, a tail-whip might only leave a large bruise. However, with a small child, a tail-whip can cause broken bones.
Also, if your iguana does have a temper, you'll need to watch out for biting. Iguanas might not have teeth, but their boney plates can break the skin and cause a lot of bleeding. Again, with a child, an iguana bite could break bones.
Salemonella is another thing to watch out for. Many iguanas have salemonella, but because they aren't affected by the disease, you can't tell they have it just by looking. Therefore, you should always wash you hands after handling any iguana - and keep its living area and dishes clean as well.
Handling
Iguanas are not smart like a dog or cat, but they do learn and adapt to their environment. Because of this, it's important to teach your iguana early on that you are superior to it. You also need to handle your iguana often when you get it (if it's young - old iguanas might be too stuck in their ways). By handling your iguana often, it will learn to trust you and behave acceptably. It's also a good idea to teach other family members and friends how to pick up your iguana. This will encourage the little green guy to behave well for people other than you and accept humans as superior, thus lessening chances of accidents.
There are a few simple rules to follow when picking up an iguana:
* Never pick up an iguana by its tail. Doing this will most likely break the tail and cause the critter a lot of pain. Pain will only increase the chance that you will get tail-whipped or bitten.
* Use both hands when picking up an iguana. This will make it feel more secure and you will better be able to control it, if it is squirming a lot.
* Try not to go over the iguana's "third eye" when you move to pick it up. This will frighten the iguana because the third eye is used to "watch" for birds and other over-head predators that could swoop down to eat it. (The "third eye" is a large scale in the middle of the iguana's forehead. It's pretty recognizable and often has a discoloration or light spot in the middle of it.)
* If the iguana is older and has sharp toenails, wear thick leather gloves when picking up your iguana. Sharp nails can draw blood, and iguana scratches quite often become infected.
* If the iguana is anxious or angry, use a towel or pillow case to help you. By covering the critter's eyes and keeping its limbs close to its body, you can greatly reduce injury to yourself or the iguana.
Would an iguana make a good pet for you?
This is an extremely personal question. Just as you would (should) take the time to explore getting a cat or a dog, you should take the time to make sure that an iguana would make a good pet for you.
As cute as green iguanas are when they are little, it's important to remember that they grow into large animals. Older iguanas need roaming space and cannot be couped up in a small pen.
With their sharp nails and territorial behavior, they can cause damage to floors, walls, furniture, upholstery, etc. Many rental properties do not allow iguanas that aren't in cages because they can cause so much damage.
Because adult iguanas are large and strong, they would not make good pets for young children. I view the iguana as an adult pet because small children can be viewed as subordinate by a dominant iguana. And in general, a child is not strong enough to pick up and handle an adult iguana.
Male iguanas can become aggressive towards menstruating women. I have experienced this firsthand and it's not fun. They can sense/smell the change in hormone levels even before menstruation begins. When I was on my cycle, we had to sequester Max in my husband's computer room because he would try to tail whip me and would also charge me with his mouth open.
Some cities classify iguanas as exotic pets. In some cases, you will have to obtain a permit to own one. In other cases, it's illegal to own one. Make sure you know where your community stands on the issue of pet iguanas.
Make sure you have time to spend with your iguana. Just as a dog can become aggressive when neglected, so can an iguana. Don't expect your iguana to instantly respect your authority. You must spend time with your critter - holding it, talking to it, feeding it. (Ra and I use to bond over fish sticks...)
Iguanas can be house-trained... sort of. They like to potty in the same place each time. You can prepare that area with a litter box of water or a pile of newspapers. Different iguanas have different preferences. (Max would only potty when sitting on a branch above a litter box of water.)
You can have other animals in your household as long as the iguana grows up with them and is laid back. Both of my iguanas lived with cats. (Max was surprisingly forgiving when Kali would lay on his heat rock.) My aunt's iguanas share their home with 2 cats, 3 Great Danes, and various other animals. Another friend's iguana lived with 2 small dogs and a bunch of turtles.
They are hypo-allergenic! If you are allergic to our feathered or furry friends and want something more than a gecko or fish, an iguana might be a good choice for you - if it fits into your lifestyle.
Overall
Although, I might sound sour about owning iguanas, I'm not. I'm just tired of seeing people buy these beautiful creatures and then grow tired of them, neglect them and give them away (or kill them). Most zoos will not take in your iguana if you decide to get rid of it, and although regional herpetological groups try to find good homes for the unwanted reptiles, there are too many iguanas for the number of foster homes available. And, contrary to popular belief, 99.9% of iguanas "set free" will die.
Buying an iguana isn't a year-long commitment like a goldfish; you can't flush the critter once you grow tired of it. Most iguanas will live for 10 years or more - not the short life span people think of when they first see the babies in the pet store.
My iguanas were wonderful pets. However, they were both products of their childhood. Ra was well-loved and often handled as a juvenile. He loved being around people and was never aggressive. Max was abandoned as a juvenile and never fully learned to trust people. We had to give him respect and space.
If you want an iguana: research them, learn how to care for them, talk to people who own them and be ready to accept the responsibility of owning one for a decade or more.
Looking for a good site about caring for a green iguana? Try http://www.milagros.net/caiman/wongs.htm
Update Sept 24, 2000
Autumn is here, and the temperatures are dropping. While many reptiles hibernate during the cold months (box turtles, for instance), green iguanas do not. It's important to remember that these are tropical lizards, not used to the cold weather that most of us experience half of the year.
If your iguana shows signs of sluggishness and/or feels cold to the touch, you're not keeping it warm enough. Make sure that your iguana's main habitat area is well-equipped for warmth. Verify that the heat rocks and heat lamps are properly emitting warmth. (It's also a good idea to make sure that they aren't so hot that they burn your critter in its quest for heat.)
Green iguanas should not hibernate. If yours seems to be "sleeping" a lot or its movements have drastically decreased, immediately schedule a vet visit.
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