Green Iguana

[wst0209a]

By brother is about to get a green iguana for himself. I know he has done a lot of research but I just wanted to get some responses about your experiences with them. Any tips, advice, or anything important to know about iguanas?
Does a female iguana lay eggs without being mated?
Is it better to get a male or female?
What all do they eat?
Does their tank requirement need good ventilationg?
How long do they live?
Any other information would be great?
I'm going to do some research of my own on them, I just wanted to hear what you guys had to say about them. Thank you

 

[elise]

By brother is about to get a green iguana for himself. I know he has done a lot of research but I just wanted to get some responses about your experiences with them. Any tips, advice, or anything important to know about iguanas?
Does a female iguana lay eggs without being mated?
Is it better to get a male or female?
What all do they eat?
Does their tank requirement need good ventilationg?
How long do they live?
Any other information would be great?
I'm going to do some research of my own on them, I just wanted to hear what you guys had to say about them. Thank you

The female does lay eggs even if she is not mated. I had one that was about 1 1/2 and started laying eggs. She got egg bound and died . I have another now I got it when it was about 1 month old and thought it was going to be a boy and it is a girl. When I learned more about the species I discovered how beautiful they come. I love the orange ones and my friend has a red one. His is red on top and green on the bottom. It seems the green ones are the most common. From what I understand the males are more aggressive than the females, but you don't have to deal with the egg laying part. Also, egg laying puts stress on the females that can shorten their life. Unless he is going to breed I would get a male that has either been handled regularly or get a younger one that can be trained and get use to him.
Mine eats carrots, spinach, collard greens, water melon, mango, crickets... just about any vegie. Make sure you get a calcium suppliment like miner all.
I built my cage. I used untreated wood, that is very important or coat the wood with polyurithane. Treated wood could burn the skin of the lizard and the odor may kill him/her. I got screening material from Home Depot. The cage size I built is 2'x3'. She will probably get bigger than that so I will eventually have to build another. Mine is about 1 year now and about 2' long. They can get 5' to 7' long. She is climbing more so I am going to modify her cage soon. I have a water dish in her cage so she can lay in it or drink out of it. I also feed her Iguana pellets. She loves them.
She has a large heat rock in her cage. That helps with digestion. She has a heat lamp and a basking area. She also has a flourescent reptile bulb, Zoomed brand, they are guaranteed 1 year.

That's everything I can think of at this time.

 

[wst0209a]

Thanks for all of the information. Do you have any pics of your cage? How do you train them? Are there any good websites to buy from? For the calcium supplement do you get a spray on one or a powder? Can they also eat superworms, mealworms, and roaches? And then need UVB of course, what strength do you use? 5.0 or 10.0? Are they like chameleons, need 12 hours of light and then sleep at night? How hot is the basking area?

 

[SierraNevada]

It would take me an entire book of chapters to explain and describe the correct way to keep iguanas....

I would consider them "expert" level. Expert level for work involved and dependant nature for daily care. They have special diets and supplement needs, they are very messy and require daily cleaning/sanitizing. Caging habitat requirements involve consistant humidity, temps 24/7, UVB and basking along with large husbandry needs...nail clipping, weekly baths, etc.

My experience with iguanas was they can be rewarding and fun...but you have to be willing to put ALOT into it.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I would never recommend this animal as a pet.
Reptile shelters are full of orphan iguanas given up by people who did not know what they were getting themselves into.
These animals require a bedroom sized enclosure and can become aggressive as adults.
I know there are people on here who have them....but I cannot stress enough that the time, space, and care required generally becomes too much for the average keeper, and then, there's another one at the reptile humane society.
Most zoos won't take them anymore.

http://www.corhs.org/males.html

http://www.corhs.org/females.html

-Brad

 

[SierraNevada]

Thanks for all of the information. Do you have any pics of your cage? How do you train them? Are there any good websites to buy from? For the calcium supplement do you get a spray on one or a powder? Can they also eat superworms, mealworms, and roaches? And then need UVB of course, what strength do you use? 5.0 or 10.0? Are they like chameleons, need 12 hours of light and then sleep at night? How hot is the basking area?

1. 5.0...don't use the 10's.
2. My cage was custom build with $500 dollars in materials, plywood, electrical built onto the cage with dimmer for heating element, sliding glass window, stick tile (don't use)...lighting, wheels for moving, etc. Big investment...for a lizard that grew to over 6 feet long. They need alot of room!!! I can't stress that enough.
3. Powder on their veggies/fruits. No insects! Some will eat them because they are there....but they are vegatarians.
4. Lights on a timer...250watt heating element 24/7 on a dimmer for temp variations seasonally. Get ready for a large electric bill. Heating element needs a protection screen so iguana doesn't burn himself.
5. 80%+ humidity with some variations to that...and a 100 deg basking site.

AND I WOULD AGREE WITH BRAD. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!!!

I was an Iguana rescue guy and the vets from Tahoe to Davis would call me for Iguana placement and rescue for a while back in the 90's. Most people have a fantasy about what the animal is...and it's a rude awakening.

 

[wst0209a]

My brother has had one before. He kept him for 5 years until he dies. I'm not sure what the cause of death was, I think it had a skind disease and just dies. He would keep him in his cage when he was at work and then allowed him to be in his whole room the rest of the day he was home. He also let him stay out at night time.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Iguanas..........

I also have to adult iguanas. One male and one female. There was another thread in this forum on the same subject earlier. Read that too:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/anyone-have-iguana-advice-6267/

I think the best iguana book is "The Ultimate Iguana Handbook". It's advertised in every issue of Reptiles Magazine.

My female iguana was egg bound three years ago. She had over forty huge eggs in her. To save her life the vet had to take the eggs out. I also had him "fix" her at the same time so she would never go through it again. She is a dream now. I suggest that all female iguanas be fixed to increase their life expectancy and the quality of their life. My male is going to be fixed too. Breeding season is about two to three months long and very hard on him. He paces for hours and barely eats. He loses weight during this time. The sound of him pacing in his cage can be heard all over the house. It stresses me out just hearing him.

I bought a very large stainless steel cage from Cages by Design. It has a divider panel in the middle. I have to keep my igs separated. The female HATES the male and would kill him if she could. You have to have a very sturdy and large enclosure for them. They are very stong. I am fortunate in the fact that my igs are potty trained. They poop in a big plastic tub of water. Many people are not this fortunate. Iguana poops are very large and if they walk in it and then walk in their cage it would take a lot of time to clean it up.

I love my iguanas, but I do not believe they should ever be sold by pet stores. As stated earlier there are thousands of them that are abandoned by owners that do not realized how big and how difficult they can be. They are very complex creatures. Even the nicest ones can inflict a very serious bite in a moment of confusion or fear. They can bite right down to the bone.

If your brother really wants one he should consider adopting one that is already in need of a home............there are thousands of them out there in that situation.

 

[booshified]

one more vote for dont do it.

it is good that your brother has had one before so he has some understanding. however i would recommend a bearded dragon way before a iguana.

 

[wst0209a]

How much does it cost for them to ge fixed?

 

[nightcrawler]

is it iguanas that go into hybernation and have to be force fed? this lady at my work had one and she said that she didnt know that they go into hybernation and she didnt know you had to force feed it so it died.

 

[SierraNevada]

is it iguanas that go into hybernation and have to be force fed? this lady at my work had one and she said that she didnt know that they go into hybernation and she didnt know you had to force feed it so it died.

This is a prime example why iguanas shouldn't be sold in pet stores.

Unbelievable.

 

[nightcrawler]

do you think they are more work then chams?

 

[SierraNevada]

Tell your lady friend at your work that iguanas don't go into hybernation and even if it did, force feeding any reptile while it's in hybernation is contradictory. Hybernation is the slowing down of an animal's systems so it can go without eating...that's the whole point.

Since iguanas live in the rain forest near the equator at temps above 80 degrees all season long, there wouldn't be a need for hybernation. I can't believe I have to explain this.

That iguana...if that's what it was, died because it was sick. Probably because this co-worker of yours didn't know her ass from her elbow about reptiles. She was obviously to ignorant to pickup a book. What a freakin moron.

Iguanas are for expert keepers only. Start yourself off with a hermit crab or anole.

 

[nightcrawler]

its a shame people go on advise given to them by the pet store they purchase them from, and it turns out its totally wrong.

 

[SierraNevada]

its a shame people go on advise given to them by the pet store they purchase them from, and it turns out its totally wrong.

Well nightcrawler...it's good you on here to learn.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Cost of Iguanas...............

About the question regarding the expense of fixing one. I don't know about males yet. I would estimate that it was about $400 for the female. The total vet bill was over $800 because he had to remove all the eggs in her belly. That had to be done in order to save her. Iguanas are not cheap to keep. They require large, and consequently expensive, cages. I spend a small fortune each week buying the fresh produce for their two salads. An adult iguana can eat an amazing quantity of produce each week. And if you can't afford a surprise $400 vet bill for an egg bound female (a common condition) than an iguana is not the pet to get. They cost less than a chameleon but they usually end up costing a lot more down the road. They live for a very long time too. If you are responsible and care for it properly, you take on a 10 to 12 year responsibility. It's also pretty hard for most people to sex them at the age they are sold in pet stores. You may want one particular sex but have a 50% chance of getting the other one. Again, if your brother really wants one, he should adopt one that needs a home. If I ever lose one of the two I have, I will adopt another one. I can handle having sixty other types of lizards in my house, but I can only handle two iguanas in my house at a time!

 

[bg77]

Yeah Iguanas are very cool, but bot they get BIG. I had a male about 10 years or so ago. When he was about 6 months old or so he fell(he was freaking out while I was getting him out of his cage) and landed wrong and broke his leg. So I went to the Vet and got him all splinted. Boy was this a fun time. We got his splint off sometime after that and he was doing great, then oneday he did it again. I ended up putting him to sleep. I can tell you they are cool to look at, but boy can they whip a tail. My guy was mean. He whipped me a few times a that hurt.....Anyway, Goodluck

 

[Sticky]

I have 2 Blue Diamond Iguanas and id say....DEFINATELY NOT FOR A NOVICE.
My other half was all "but they look so cute".....not for the beginner,no way no how.

Lots of stuff to know and the aggression can be major problems even if you handle them alot.Some cant mask it or learn to get on with being touched/human contact.They pose a serious threat to children and animals due to their ability to bite,whip,claw and injure and not forgetting....Dominating their whole area which could be your house.

 

[Scooter]

I had an Iguana way back in the 1970s. I bought him as a little green baby, and ended up with a very very big dinosaur that lived on our patio. Lucky for me, I was in high school, and my parents were very open to critters. We built him an enclousure on our covered patio. (So. California near the beach). He had heat lamps, got natural uvb, and I have to say, it was fun to greet people with a 5 foot long lizard....but they are ALOT of hard work. I had him for about 15 years. Problem was, when I went to graduate school in a different climate....I don't know if it was that, or natural disease or the changes in climate and having to live indoors .... but he contracted a respiratory disease and died.

However, I would not recommend them as pets for someone that isn't an expereinced reptile keeper, and is settled in a home. These are NOT apartment pets.