Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have talked a bit in the past about my iguana,it's a large healthy male,12lb chubby.I got allergic to it 2 years ago but I kept it going cause iguanas are one easy to find home to especialy big ones.The asthma got worse to the point I was not able to breath at all.I have another person to clean his room and I do the rest without being able to handle him at all although I keep him at top condition.I have to give him away but no appropriate homes have been found,many wanted to but not any reliable person.Iguanas are not pets,people with average budget and space can't keep them properly,they are not for everyone,they grow big and need zoo type enclosures that you cannot afford or you don't want to afford until it's too late,oops it has overgrown this cage too for example.All big iguanas I've seen are miserable it seems that no one pays enough attention.I ain't gonna leave my iggy fade away slowly in any fool's cage so I'm taking the rationalist approach and put him to sleep tomorrow.It's very sad I know but it will stop further problems happening to him in the future.Again iguanas are not pets at least for most people.I really don't know if I'm gonna do it tomorrow but I really want to,it's the right thing to do.I have never done this before and I have no idea what will feel like,it can easily end up in a tragedy for me,
will see.....

That sounds kind of bogus. They don't have hair, or dander, or anything to be allergic too. Are you sure your not allergic to something in the environment?

Finding a home for a large iguana is difficult, but not impossible. Its a shame you'd rather see him dead than spend the time to find an appropriate home.
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2 RES
1.1 Argentine B/W Tegus
1 Iguana
1 leucistic texas ratsnake
1 Knight Anole
1 mountain horned lizard
4 Egyptian dune geckos
1 albino burm
1 Western Hognose
1 Madagascar Hognose

They aren't any homes I looked everywhere we are a small island,I am allegic to it definately,I spoke to my allergist

the skin?

have you read this?

http://www.anapsid.org/reptileallergies.html

There are homes out there. But they are hard to find. I've placed 7 large iguanas this year. Post here on kingsnake, as well as craigslist. Contact your local herp society and list the ig there; post flyers at pet stores. If the iguana is not aggressive, rehoming it is not impossible
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2 RES
1.1 Argentine B/W Tegus
1 Iguana
1 leucistic texas ratsnake
1 Knight Anole
1 mountain horned lizard
4 Egyptian dune geckos
1 albino burm
1 Western Hognose
1 Madagascar Hognose

>>That sounds kind of bogus. They don't have hair, or dander, or anything to be allergic too.

It isn't the hair that causes allergic reactions to mammals. It is the way the proteins in the blood, urine/urates and saliva react with an individual's immune system that causes asthma and allergy reactions. Since reptiles have blood, urates and saliva, that means people can--indeed, are--allergic to them.

This is not the first time I have come across someone who has asthma or allergies triggered by an iguana's protein (and, for the record, I've corresponded with someone who was allergic to their bearded dragon, so it isn't just iguanas that pose a possible problem for herp keepers).

For a few, it isn't actually the iguana's proteins that is causing the problem but reactions to exposures to materials and chemicals used in the care and keeping of the iguana.

As a result of both types of situations, several years ago, I wrote a couple articles, both of which have been a part of my site since they were first written:

Allergies to Reptiles and Herp-Keeping Products

Allergy to Iguana iguana
Melissa Kaplan's Anapsid.org

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Melissa Kaplan
Anapsid.org
Lizards-in-Scarves Blog

I disagree. Green iguanas CAN be pets. It is true that green iguanas are one of the least suited lizards for cages, but we soon allowed our iguana, Iggi to be a whole house free roamer. She has her own bed in her own bedroom. We have raised her like one of the family, and we take with us on vacations. Here is Iggi in her bed, with my son, Nathaniel. I'm sorry you became allergic to your iguana.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

As an ig owner who knows EXACTLY what you are going through
I can't believe you would put him to sleep. #1, don't believe
the allergist just because he says so. Are you on any
medications? The first thing is to try these meds. I am on
them and most of the time my allergies stay under control.
Singular (for asthma), Claritin D or Allegra D. and there are
many other nasal sprays that help. Are you wearing a mask
when you interact with him? You haven't told us anything that
you have done to help with the allergy and if you haven't tried
anything you owe it to your pet to do so.

The one thing that I find strange is that when I am interacting
with him away from his cage I am fine. I somehow suspect that
it is his urine or something in the cage that causes the worst symptoms. Also, I COMPLETELY disagree with you about igs not
being good pets. Mine are great pets and even enjoy my company.
They are happy, nonthreatening, and enjoy being loved on. You
get out of them what you put in to them.

Please if you must part with him, take the time to find an
appropriate owner or rescue group!

Linda

heres how I read this- because you cant keep him and nobody can keep him as well as you do, you will seal his fate and he will have no chance. Sounds like a spoiled child with his/her toy.

Corvettes are not cars…

I have not talked about this much in the past but my Corvette is a bright shinny yellow color with a black interior. Two years ago I lost my job and could no longer afford it. I blame this on the car of course because it is completely obvious that the Corvette caused me to lose my job, though I really have not been able to prove it… the car knows the truth. I tried to find someone to take it from me but could not get the amount I owe so I am still stuck with it. Corvettes are not a car, people should not buy them and people should not drive them. People with an average budget can not afford them and they are too difficult to keep up and to properly store in an average driveway. Since I can’t find it a new home I am just going to dump it in a lake. I know I made a commitment to pay for it but since it is the car’s fault that I lost my job and it is not a car anyway I think this is the best thing for it and me. Get the point?

Buying an animal is a commitment that you make to take care of it. Too often people don’t take commitments seriously and think it is ok to just break the commitment. You made the commitment to the animal, if you are going to break that commitment you need to make sure it is taken care of in the same manner you committed to. In life there are no "take backs" so keep that in mind as you wonder how you will feel about it later. I wish you and your iguana both the best!

(no Corvettes were harmed in the making of this email… and I am not dumping one in a lake, so noone bother asking for directions to it.)
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

What sucks is you're willing to let a large healthy male die.

Are you allergic to it solely when you touch it, or even air-borne allergy?

'Tis a real shame. I understand in your head you're doing a noble thing. Even so, I would still try to adjust and deal with the allergy, after all, you've cared for the animal for so long and allowed it to grow so well.

Of course, if the allergy is or can be serious and affect your health, then of course it is justifiable to do what you got to do.

Just a shame. Wish I could take it in, but at the moment my life has no room for an iguana.
Wish you the best,

-IJ

Although I strongly disagree with every single one of you for your information Makis is now in the posession of a zoo type park where he will have all the time he needs to decompose slowly along with metabolic bone disease with comes along with iguana iguana in captivity.So simple to avoid but still very frequent. All specimens there were completely out of shape similar to all the pictures you post along claiming they are healthy and happy.Believe me you ain't seen healthy yet.Wait till I post some pictures of makis.How dare you talk about a commitment to me?I have chameleon species that you would't be able to keep even on your wildest dreams,don't talk about proffesionalism to me cause your far from being there your self....I got a serious health problem and all I wanted was to do is to avoid further pain to both owner and pet.I would really like to hear your opinions about human abortion too,is that criminal act too?If you really think that it is then you are not a rational person with free will.Does this sound too much?I really don't care.I am really so mad right now.
So there you have it,he is at the best home available in the country,you are welcome to come and visit him in a year or so,see the wonders of nature and god with your own eyes,
Cheers to you and to your irrational point of view...........

did you honestly think that your post would be accepted with open arms? You have a medical condition... welcome to the club... its called life. Put the ego back in check and don't ask people for opinions if you don't want to hear their replies. As I said before I wish you and your former iguana, (and your chameleons) the best.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Thanks

You said that all of our pictures we post show unhealthy iguanas?
Let me tell you something, I took in two rescues who were in
bad shape. One I syringe fed for a year. She has managed to
live with me for 4 more years and still going. My other rescue
Digit I was lucky to find at an animal shelter. He already
had a broken leg from MBD. He is 3 now and shows no effects of
the disease. I think you are very inmature to pass judgement
on us. I didn't go out and intentionally make these guys
unhealthy. I spent hundreds of dollars to keep them healthy.
These reptiles are lucky to have people that are on this forum.
Many here are examples of rescues.

As I said in my earlier post, I have allergies too but I am
taking meds to help control it. If you feel you must part
with your iguana, do so but don't take it out on us if we
don't agree with you.

Oh yeah, here is my UNHEALTHY iguana digit at 1 year, which
by the way the vet says is a picture of health, (imagine that)!

What kind of iguana is that in the picture "Digit"...he is absolutly beautiful. He has the same turqoise coloring around the neck that my iguana has. Mine is still a baby but I think he's going to look exactly like Digit when he's older.
Here's a picture..

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*Jessica*

0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Horned Lizard
1.0.0 Ferret
0.2.0 Cat
1.0.0 Ball Python
0.1.0 Rat
0.0.5 Tropical Fish (Cichlid/Semi-Aggressive)

Digit is just a green iguana like yours. In this picture he
is 1 year old. I am getting ready to finally post a new
picture of him as he is 3 now.

Here is a picture of him closer to the size of yours when I
adopted him. It's hard to believe how much he has grown
in 3 years.

Linda

Where are the posts telling you what a great idea it is to kill your adult, picture of health, we are all envious, iguana, because you have decide that you cant take care of it and no one is else is worthy enough. We are irrational? Then you meander off into politics and chameleons, which no one can keep as well as you. You must be quite gifted with reptiles. We are irrational yet you ended up not killing it thus doing what we suggested. You need to take a deep breath or walk around the block before you type. You keep proving us right.

I am not sure any of us can argue with the irrational comment... We have dinosaurs in our care (some like me, in our homes). A dinosaur that in some cases seem to love irrating us as much as some posters do...
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

I couldn't go to sleep last night so I went to a conversation with my mom,which she asked me what the problem was,I told her that I was feeling pretty ugly for giving my 'proud specimen' to a place who will not be taken as good care as over here.I felt like giving up on him,the cheapest way ever...Although I had to give him away,I had no other choice.I also believed that an iguana of this size would never in any case find a home decent enough by my judgement,at least in my country.It's not that my ego is high,it's just people over here are really clumsy with their pets especially reptiles.I have seen many nasty images.I just didn't want my beloved pet end in one of these homes.If I was living in the US for example I would be willing to travel very long distances in order to give him away to someone who had a room sized enclosure.Well so much for my ego,it wouldn't show up if I was living in the states would it?!!In Cyprus we are 700,000 people,tell me the chances of finding an appropriate home...
Anyway back to the conversation,she told me,so you gave him away cause you where not able to take care of him,what would you like to do now that can make you feel better?Afterall you searched as much as you could.Well I say the only thing it could make me feel better is going back there and giving him a lethal injection so he would suffer no more.Indeed believe me the husbandry over there was not close to decent.
She said that really this is sick,deciding to kill an animal just because it will not be treated as good as here...
Well I'm giving up,I did what ever I could and I apologize for the the way I was thinking,probably it is me that was wrong after all.Is my perfectionism and the charged emotional state I was the last week that made me sound a little different than I really am.
It's only that there are cases that you wish someone was dead,rather than going through whatever it is going through.I guess you can only tell if you saw in details what was happening over there...
Again I might be wrong though..
peace..

... A cop out.

You arent alergic to the ig. you're just trying to make an excuse for putting a (presumed) healthy, viable animal down. Its great that you realized everything the reptile community has been screaming for years, and you should have found out BEFORE you got an animal that you would get tired of careing for and decided to kill. You really should be ashamed of yourself.

I honestly thing this whole story is BS anyways but the sad part is there really are worthless people like this out there...
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- Mike Fourquet

Cloaca Herpetoculture
www.CloacaHerps.com

**** o**

I don't know about putting the iguana down, that seems a bit egocentric to me... However, as far as the allergies go, I can relate, and I have the same problem. In the six and a half years I've had Dexter, I've had increasing asthma issues. If he scratches me (either with his nails or scales), I immediately get a reaction at the site and usually start sneezing shortly thereafter... The welts and sneezing I deal with, they don't bother me, the asthma is a different issue. I take two different types of medication for this and it helps. I also use a HEPA air cleaner and that helps as well. Fortunately for me, this has not developed into a life threatening issue. I am almost convinced that the root of the issue is connected to his waste. He has a 5'x5'x2.5' plexiglass and wood framed home base (yes I know this is way too small, but he is free to roam about when I am home...) and even though he usually poops in a bin I have at the bottom, sometimes he misses or poops somewhere else. I clean it up as soon as possible, but after a while, the whole bottom of his enclosure (which is linoleum) needs to be cleaned with (diluted) bleach. My allergies go nuts when I do this cleaning, but afterwards I don't have nearly as many problems.

With all of that said, I would never consider giving him up. During breeding season, he can be downright dangerous, but I have figured out how to deal with that as well, I have learned to read him over the years and have figured out ways to divert his aggression so we can coexist. My mother thinks I should get rid of him ("how can you have a pet that tries to attack you..." ), but I see no reason to. Plus, I know that chances are he wouldn't be cared for as well by someone else, and I feel that it is my responsibility to care for him from here on out. I raised him from a baby fully knowing what I was getting myself into, and have put a lot of work and energy (oh, and $$$) taking care of him.

Anyway, I hope you can come up with some kind of rational solution to your issue. Do you have problems if you handle your iguana outdoors (and he has had a bath)? I would think that the problem is with his room. Have someone else clean the crap out of it (probably with bleach) and see if that helps.

There will be no cases as similar to mine as this.I totaly think that the previous post might was written by me,mirror image of my situation...
but not quite the same symtoms.This is probably the first iguana that I would call healthy and with brilliant shape.Good job buddy,you're surely paying some serious attention there.
I can say that his enclosure is a bit too small for his size,it must be the free roaming that gave him the good shape.
Excelent,excelent,beautiful condition...I know the effort it takes to 'create' such a specimen...keep him for life..

What a beautiful animal! Kudos to you for the upbringing and
care. I hope Digit looks as great someday. How big is he?
Weight, length, and age? You mentioned that he can be down
right dangerous at times, I am assuming breeding season. Was he
always this way or turn over time. My male is 3 and has gone
through a few seasons. He does get clingy but not mean. He
seems to really like me (or tolerate me) all year but seems
especially loving during this time. He has never attempted to
bite me but I give him his towel and he does grab it and do
the wild thing I am just hoping he doesn't change with age.

Linda

Dexter is about six and a half years old now, about 5' long (I would have to measure him to get a SVL) and somewhere around 12 lbs. He is a serious alpha ig! Mirrors are a no-no, and I had to cover the plexiglass in his enclosure near his shelves because he would attack his reflections there too! His behavior has varied from season to season. His first one was by far the worst. I was first clued in when he ran from the opposite end of the couch towards me when watching TV, bit the back of my neck, then ran back. I did a lot of learning that year... Actually, this past year he has been a bit difficult on and off throughout the year, I think he actually had a season in the Spring. So far this fall he hasn't been a problem at all (knock on wood). Besides the fact that his eating is a bit off, his behavior has been pretty normal.

At his best, I wouldn't really considering him "loving" (not that I would expect that from something so prehistoric looking...), he's kind of like a cat... He tolerates me, he will let me scratch his head and chin, but then be off on his way. The only time I get any real sense of appreciation on his part is if I'm removing shedding skin from his eye lids. He really likes that. He will wander into the kitchen sometimes when I am there to see what I'm doing and if there is anything good to be had.

At his worst (in aggressive territorial mode). I have a big stuffed iguana toy to throw at him if he starts coming at me. This is is second toy (he removed the head off the first and is working on this one...). If he is really wound up, he will beat on it for 20 minutes before he gets bored or tired. Strangely enough, I've found that sometimes, even at his most enraged (fluorescent orange eyelids mean TROUBLE!!!), a well placed collard green leaf can change is train of thought in an instant! He starts eating and completely forgets about attack mode... He's a crazy beast. (crazy yawning beast below)

He does sound to have a much different personality than Digit.
Digit is the "flame orange" that you are speaking of (even his
eyes) right now. He really insists on contact with me
especially during this time but has never gotten aggressive
he just clings on and doesn't want me to put him down. He
is a little more aloof when not in season though. Maybe as he
gets older this type of attitude will emerge but hopefully
not.

Once again, your iguana is beautiful! I hope Digit looks
like this when he grows up

Linda

hi,can you give me some more information on the medication you take on astha and allergies.The names again if possible and a brief information about your history with doctors and whether you think they will work on me too...
Thanks a lot

First off you didn't mention if you had any allergy testing.
First and foremost, you should have the skin testing to find
out if there is something else you are allergic to. Then
depending on the findings you could start allergy shots as
I did back in February. I have never had trouble with allergies
and have always owned multiple pets.

Here is what I take in conjunction with allergy shots (no shot
for igs). Singular at bedtime for asthma (works well). I
take either Claritin D or Allergra during the day and then
I use a nasal spray for the severe congestion (also helps
with the asthma). As I said in an earlier post, I am almost
convinced that it is something in Digit's cage that is the
culprit but I always use a mask and long sleeves because if
he touches or scratches my skin I break out in hives. I use
benedryl ointment for that.

Hope this helps
Linda

I do not doubt that you are allergic to your iguana - you aren't the first person I've encountered through the years whose iguana or other reptile triggered asthma or other allergic reactions.

For those who missed my other response under this thread and doubt that reptiles can trigger asthma and allergies because they don't have fur or feathers, please see the following articles at my site:

Allergy to Iguana iguana

Allergies to Reptiles and Herp-Keeping Products

One thing that struck me when I read Anafranil's first post is that it sounds like English is a second (or third or...) language, which is an indication that s/he may not live in the U.S. or Canada. That immediately changes the situation in terms of being able to find a good home for the iguana with another person or family.

Iguanas are being shipped from Central and South America to wildlife importers around the world, regardless of whether the ultimate buyers have any clue about proper iguana care, or vets who have any education about reptile biology and clinical pathology, or even if there is any way to find the equivalents of the foods we here in the US feed, or get appropriate UVB equipment for them - assuming the new iguana owner can even find any good iguana care information locally or online.

So, my assumptions, upon reading the article, were 1) her health is compromised to the point of not being able to keep the iguana any longer, and 2) she doesn't know of any experienced (or willing-to-commit-and-learn inexperienced) iguana keepers around who are able and willing to take in her ig and has not been successful in locating any.

At that point, I would have referred her to my Herp Societies & Rescues and Vets pages, to see if there are any listed for her country. If there aren't, and checking with the biology profs at the local university, and dog & cat rescue or welfare organizations didn't turn up any leads, my next suggestion is to talk to the public and private zoos and wildlife refuges that may exist in that country.

In the US and other countries where cheap igs have been imported and dumped for well over a decade now, zoos don't have any room for more iguanas, no matter how well loved or cared for they are, because they've already taken in their fill of other people's cast offs. But this is not the case where iguanas and other popular pet trade reptiles are only occasionally making their appearance in a country.

Not all zoos are excellent places, and not all curators are equally knowledgeable about their charges. Not all U.S. zoos and curators take proper care of green iguanas, so it cannot be assumed that zoos elsewhere will.

That being said, I had to jump the "but XXX doesn't care for iguanas as well as I do" hurdle years ago when I was forced to stop doing rescue as a result of my own declining health. If the option for someone calling me asking me to take their ig was saying "No, go figure something else out" or, "Call XXX and see if they can take them", I gave them XXX's number. Even if XXX didn't cater to his or her igs exactly the way I did, I knew that their care was within acceptable practices, and that their care was a far better alternative than what was otherwise available to the caller.

I cringe when I get email from iguana keepers who live in countries around the world where I know the availability of known food equivalents, equipment and supplies, and knowledgeable veterinary care are non-existent, because I know that their iguana is not going to remain healthy for long, or their sick iguana have any chance of getting better, because there are simply no resources available without traveling to another country. That makes iguanas not good pets for people living in those countries.

Heck, I feel the same way about iguanas as pets for people living in countries where all these things are widely available, when the owners are people who are not able to get their iguana to the closest reptile vet, because they don't have the capability to travel the 5 hours one way to that vet, or they don't have any family or friends who can drive them to the vet 30 minutes away, and, having no car of their own, can no longer transport their large iguana by bus, subway, or metro. And don't even get me started on people who can't afford to take their iguana by taxi, because if they can't afford the taxi, then they really can't afford the vet...which means, for all of these people, iguanas are not good pets.

When there are absolutely no resources available (and I didn't see anyone here offering to take Anafranil's iguana, or even offer to talk to her off-list about the possibility), then sometimes humane euthanasia is the only viable recourse. Not the first option, not the best option, but horrendous as it is, sometimes it is the only option. Thank goodness it is not one that comes up often in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., but the rest of the world is not like that.

Anyone who thinks vets are complacent to euthanasia of non-terminal animals, or shelter workers aren't devastated each week when euthanasia day rolls around, you've got another think coming. I frankly think that all importers and breeders--and pet store owners and managers--should be required to assist shelter workers on euthanasia day several weeks every year. Maybe then there wouldn't be so many dumped animals who need to be moved on to make room for the next batch of dumped animals.

No-Kill shelters are great in theory, but that's closing the barn door long after the horses and cows and goats have all run free. (And do not get me started on the fact that there are more animal shelters in this country than there are shelters for victims of domestic violence to go to when they finally try to make their escape.)

There are other iguana keepers out there who, like Anafranil, are being pushed to the edge, who are trying to figure out who can take their iguana or other pet. The next time someone posts who can only see euthanasia as an option, how about asking a few more questions (including, "where do you live?" ) instead of telling them their illness is bogus, or can't be any worse than yours, or other responses that do nothing to elicit more information that might allow us to come up with viable alternatives or resource search pointers the poster might not otherwise have known about...

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Melissa Kaplan
Anapsid.org
Lizards-in-Scarves Blog

Indeed,english is not my first language.I am a male...
I was very glad to read the first post that was not offensive to my way of thinking.I have put all my life to this iguana and along with my other reptiles I was giving a day to day battle to keep up with them,not to mention the thousands of dollars spent on him,of course that is the last to think.He was treated the best way possible,believe me.Then this health issue came up and I had to give him away,I was searching for months.My opinion for my country (Cyprus)is the worst when it comes to reptile keeping.I immediately looked for a place abroad.I even contacted green ig society to find a place to ship him in the states.I have found nothing and because of the terrible images I've seen over the years in pet stores and discussing with them.So I take the brave desision put him down and what I shared my opinion with you,you made me feel the biggest criminal alive.I then gave him to an improper place and every night before I sleep I think of him lying miserable in that stupid log and tears me to pieces...
I'm still thinking of doing something though

While I understand that you have vastly more experience than most everyone else on here as far as iguanas go, I do have concerns about some of the conclusions and opinions you have injected into the debate. As with the "abortion" comment (not from you) that was made earlier in the conversations, I think that the domestic abuse comments our out of bounds and have no place in a debate about iguanas - domestic abuse is bad and should never happen or be accepted, much the same as animal abuse but there are other factors that differentiate the two. Can you please notate the study(s) that shows the ratio between animal shelters and domestic abuse shelters? (I don’t want to think that people are giving out opinions and generalizations disguised as fact. Should people get more information before they get a pet? For me and the people who post on the subject, yes… As for myself I think there is always more to learn about everything. The problem comes down to personal responsibility. No matter what country a person lives in if they have general (not over governed) access to the internet (as the poster does) they have all of the same resource materials as everyone else with the internet does. Correct me if I am wrong but in Cyprus the same equipment and supplies can be ordered from the internet. So that should ease most of your cringing in “I cringe what I get emails from iguana keepers who live in countries around the world where I know the availability of known food equivalents, equipment and supplies and knowledgeable veterinary care are non-existent”. I would venture a guess that there are a few vets in Cyprus that would debate their knowledgeable-ness with you. Please also note the following from the Cyprus . com website under Natural Wildlife:

“Lizards - The tiny lizards frolic in the summer sunshine and are extremely entertaining as they jump and roll about in courtship or territorial combat. When attacked by a larger creature such as cat, dog or bird of prey, they have the ability to shed their tails, thus hopefully fooling the attacker and making a quick gateway.
The ancient ruins are home to a variety of larger lizards including the iguana- like dragon lizard; these will scuttle away rapidly when disturbed. They are mostly shy creatures and choose under - populated sites as their habitat.
Chameleons are to be seen among garden trees and rock crevices. Their color will adapt to suit their surroundings and they tend to be very slow moving creatures. Due to this slothfulness they fall prey to domestic pets and it is not unusual for a cat to present its owner with a chameleon. “
So… since they are native to Cyprus I would venture a guess that someone there actually has noticed and has been interested enough to learn about them… Though I could be misinformed.
As for “No-Kill shelters are great in theory, but that's closing the barn door long after the horses and cows and goats have all run free.” Wouldn’t that also work with buying the animal in the first place? That is the problem, every event after that is the consequences of the decision. Our iguana was found in a small box at a construction site, his tail was broken and he was malnourished. When we took him in it was originally to be until we could find a rescue to take him. Problem was we couldn’t find one for a long time. We made the commitment to take care of him (even if we thought it was to be short term), we found a home a couple of months ago for him and turned it down, by that point we bonded. Point is a commitment is made, no matter how ignorant to the facts the committer was, if you can’t find someone to take it, killing it, no matter what nice catchy term is used, is breaking that commitment. As for “viable alternatives” or resource searches, I guess your search was not thorough enough:
Anafranil – please contact cyprusanimalwelfare . org they have a rescue service that may be able to help. There is also a posting in another forum where someone named Louis was trying to breed his iguana… did you know they are (according to one posting illegal to import into Cyprus? But can go for up to $200?) Was yours a local wild caught or imported? While I am sure that yours was obtained legally, which type are we talking about? I guess we all could have done more researching.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

There are no iguanas running free in Cyprus,what you refered to above is a medium sized agamid,similar to bearded dragon and has nothing to do with iguanas,hemidactylous gecko,Chameleo Chameleon some other reptile present.I can guarantee you there is not a SINGLE reptile vet in Cyprus,because you asked before.Also the shelter you are talking about is only about dogs and cats.Cyprus is a small community and everyone knows whats going on all over the country.If there was a person that could keep my iggy I'm sure I would have heard.
I can give you lots more information on Cyprus if you wish but I'm in a bit of a hurry now.
What hurts me the most is that for some reason you repeatedly want to convise me and everyone else that I have not searched enough and that I was eager to put a healthy animal down like I am a nasty person or so.For god's sake give me a breake.

you know, I thought the same thing until i owned an iguana, and let me tell you, I love him more than anything....
he will sit with me, let me come in and out of his cage, take a shower with me, he will let me do anything that I like to him, however if my husband tried to do the same things to him, my iguana would whip him! He is mine and my lizzy knows that I am his mama... He is absolutly the coolest animal I have ever had, I love him! He sits with my cats in the window, lets my son pick him up ( even though now he is getting a bit too heavy and long) my lizzy is 4 yrs old almost 5 feet long! had him since 6 mnths old... we sing to him, read him books, talk to him all the time! I believe if you give you lizzy alot of attention and love and care, that he will learn to trust you and come to love you as much as you love him! yes they are a bit difficult to take care of in the right manner, but once you get that down pat, theres nothing to it! so I feel that you are completly wrong, iguanas are great pets!
Nicole