Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What exactly is the difference between the "blue diamond" igs and the regular green igs? I do see a difference in the babies, but what about as adults? Just curious - I did just get a young b.d. ig (3"svl), and s/he's doing well (name: Gemstone). Just curious... Thanks!

~Buggzter
0:0:1 iguana
2:1 collared lizards
2:2 blue bellied fence lizards
1:1 veiled chameleons
1:0 frilled dragon
0:0:1 basilisk
0:0:1 unknown tarantula
0:0:2 rose hair tarantula spiderlings

The normal green iguana's come from columbia backrounds, the blue dimand iguana's come from El Salvador backrounds, i suggest buying the Green Iguana Manuel it tells you all about the characteristics of iguana's from different backrounds and will help you identify your iguana. The name blue diamond and other names are just pet trade names.
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1.0 Green Iguana - Yoda (3f t- 2lbs )
1.1 BCI - Nessy (6ft - 15lbs ) and Val (5ft - 7/8lbs)

Thanks - I was just wondering a bit about the difference, since Gemstone does look a bit bluer than most green iguanas... Nice to know his/her heritage! Thanks for the book idea, too - I'm ordering a few books soon, so I'll get that one too...

~Buggzter

I hear iguana from South America get tame faster than the ones from Mexico and Central America, according to "Iguanas for Dummies". Now, I'm not sure where El Salvador is, but blue iguanas are usually from South America with shorter dorsal spikes than the Mexicans and Central Americans.

The "blue diamond" iguana has long been a recurring topic.
Last time I saw it mentioned here, the conclusion was it is basically a marketing hype, a'la Fluker Farms, to get people to buy their animals. Do keep in mind photographs can easily be color-enhanced to give the impression the said animal as a bluer coloration.

While it is true that there are some phyisical differences among iguanas of different S.A. regions, the "blue diamond" iguana still remains pretty much a marketing product, and should not be trusted unless both the hatchlings, juveniles, and adults have been personally looked at/examined.

The only true "blue" iguana you'll find is the Cayman blue iguana (cyclura), and the Fiji iguana that displays some blueish hues.

- IJ

I actually got Gemstone from a reliable herp pet shop near my house. It really didn't matter to me whether he was a "blue diamond" or not - tho I do think he's a bit bluer-toned than most of the babies I've seen before in pet shops. Thanks for the note tho! It is hard to tell colors from online places because of photoshop these days.

Buggzter