Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so my girlfriends, sisters roommate has an iguana and ever since i saw it i have been in love and have decided that i am going to get on so i have been up all night now reading about them and the do's and donts and stuff but i just had a few questions........

1. so for a young iguana at no time it is not suppose to go below 75 degrees right? well lets say i had a tall cage and a bulb at top..... how would i keep it warm at the bottom? would it be fine the way it is or would i put two bulbs in there or what?

2. if there is a whole room that is dedicated for the iguana to free roam thourgh it..... (i have heard that iguana poop mostly in water if it is availble..... well if the carpet is there and there was a "tub" of water.... would i have to worry about cleaning the carpet a whole lot.... or should iggy's not go on carpet for long periods of time.........

to sum up this whole thing really is just a brief overview of the major thing to not do or maybe a websited that has it listed in greater detail possibly someone that has a lot of patcience i could contact through emails with questions... (i really have a soft heart whith animals and if i get one i dont want to do something wrong and have it die cause i easily get attached to them).... not just a bunch of q & a websites cause things that are important can easily be missed or not go into full info for newbies but please answer to 2 questions above and/or provide link to website or email i could personally talk to.....

anapsid.org would be a great place to start. i would suggest ripping up the carpet in a dedicated room and doing hardwood floors or something similar, but its easier that way and they wont get threads from the carpet stuck in their toes and whatnot. a heating pad under the cage is a way to heat the bottom. how tall is the cage? and dont forget about uvb light, not just heat, its VERY important. hope this helps

yes it helps but in terms of heating pad..... would that be like a normal persons back heating pad or would it specificly designed or what?

Um, honestly no offense, but if you don't know what a reptile heat pad is, I don't think an iguana is a responsible choice for you. From the impression you are giving, you seem new to the hobby. You have no idea the work, time, blood, sweat, tears, and $$$ involved in ig keeping.

If you would like something other decent sized lizard that you can safely handle, and is relatively easy and guaranteed a good experience, I can help you out. My strong point is helping new folks. I can find you the PERFECT herp for you, a perfect breeder, and everything else involved. I will literally spend hours chatting with you (the KS chat is great, try it out!) about your new pet. I assure you an iguana is FAR from the best herp for you right now. Maybe farther down your herpkeeping road you could, and have a better experience for you and the animal. If there is any doubt in your ability to keep it responsibly and THRIVING (not half dead in a 10 gallon tank). Think about the animal first! Take into consideration budget, time, difficulty, experience, avaliablity, etc. Don't get it just becuase your neighbor/friend/roomie/whatever has one and it is cute and "tame" (it is almost always underfed, malnourished, and cold, UNABLE to defend itself against you. when warmed up, fed, and rehibilitated, they turn out to be monsters)

If you MUST have an iguana RIGHT NOW (which I think you will regret for quite some time) there is no excuse for not buying the Ultimate Iguana Owners Manual by James Hatfield III. It's the ig bible.

Good luck and make the RESPONSIBLE choice! I'm open for questions anytime and would LOVE to chat with you and help on your decision!

Ryan

well no offense taken and im not going to be getting one for quite some time... yes i am new, ya i have read and i know there is alot to it.... but everyone that has one starts from somewhere... sorry i didnt know there was a special pad made just for lizards... dont have a pet shop or store in town and i had just started looking them up and what you need and stuff not but 24 hours ago..... and not everyone knows everything when they are born so im pretty sure you didnt know there was a special heating pad just for lizards... and like i said in the message earlier i have a soft heart for animals and get attached really easy and actually do care and thats why i wanna know just about everything there is to know BEFORE i get one

Have you considered a Bearded Dragon?
They are very tame, good sized and make a great pet for a first
time lizard owner. I highly reccomend them!

Consider having an iguana like you would having a child.

They are a HUGE responsibility; expensive, long lived, go thru the
'terrible teens', have lots of spontaneous attitude problems,
oh, and they're VERY MESSY

If you're ready to make that commitment, I'm sure you'll make
one ig very happy.

Good luck!

iguana's are WAY to cool to pass up for a bearded dragon although just for safe cautions i might consider it.... not likely it will happen but i will take it into consideration

Tanner, I did in fact start somewhere. I started with a corn snake, one of the easiest snakes to keep in captivity. THAT is where beginners should start. I was 8 at the time, and I still wasnt stupid enough to even CONSIDER an iguana as my first pet. I still wouldnt consider one now, with almost 9 years of experience. MAYBE I would when I have REAL experience, beyond the bearded dragon (you should get one!) and several geckos, etc I have now. To successfully keep an iguana, ideally you should have your OWN house (not a rental/apartment, it can and will destroy something expensive) and have a REAL job(working at petco will not even get CLOSE to how much $$$$ youre gonna need!). Trust me, EVERYONE would love an iguana, but most people know their limits, and will consider one for later. Listen, I am not trying to offend you, but you are new at the reptile hobby, an iguana is FAR FAR FAR more than you are ready for. These are DANGEROUS, EXPENSIVE, and DIFFICULT beyond belief! Just because your friend has one doesnt mean you should!

If you REALLY care about the animal, you will spare the iguana for now, you will kill it. I probably would too with my level of experience, and I am already far ahead of you. Try something GUARANTEED fun, easy, and safe.

Try a bearded dragon, blue tongue skink, ackie, or ball python if you want a decent size, handleable reptile. Do yourself, and the iguana a favor and don't buy it. ALL herpers go through this phase, wanting something unreasonable, expensive, and dangerous. I was on the verge of getting a burmese python until reality slapped me in the face. I got a hognose snake instead, and she is an absolute ANGEL!

It sounds like you just want something cool, and dont care about the animal itself. If you are the animal lover you say you are, you will not buy it. You are right, everyone has to start somewhere, but iguanas are NOT the way to start! Start with a REAL pet reptile, iguanas are not pets. They are on the level of keeping children. Good luck and dont make the stupid decision you are oh so close to making!

If you want to have a good discussion about the RIGHT choice, you can usually find me on the chat between 5-9 pm. I'd be glad to help you make a good, SMART choice! I think you'll do whats right, your heart seems in the right place.

Ryan

you know what... im done with this board, you pretty happen to be the most pessimistic people on any forum i have ever read.... it would really nice to have seen at LEAST ONE person say ya it is possible to have an ig as a first pet but its going to be a pain in the ass and not say "I was 8 at the time, and I still wasnt stupid enough to even CONSIDER an iguana as my first pet." ya pretty insulting.... thanks... so screw you guys hope you can be a little more suportive to the next person that comes along

Maybe you should have looked at the rest of the messages on this forum before making your own post. Then you would see what I saw: if anyone comes here saying they are planning to get an iguana, they get bashed. If anyone comes here asking for advice to better their iguanas life, they get told they should have already known everything before getting an iguana. If anyone comes here and says they have a small iguana or post a picture of their new iguana, they get bashed about how they are obviously doing something wrong.
Books are more helpful than these people. (most of them at least) because books will give you information without acting superior or critizing.
I happen to agree that iguanas aren't good first pets, or even second, third, or fourth pets. I agree that you probably have an image in your head that won't be realized with your new iguana, should you choose to get one.
What I do not agree with is the attitudes of doom (!! !!), especially if someone is coming to this forum to learn more before they get their iguana. You would think that these people would be smart enough to realize that the millions of iguanas sold in stores are going to be bought by somebody, and they should be happy that the somebody is actually trying to learn a bit beforehand. Instead they tell the people that are trying to get information to go screw themselves (pretty much) and all that leaves to buy the iguanas (that WILL be sold) are the people who never looked up information at all.
In essence, you people are screwing over your own hobby.
-----
~Sara~
1.2 ball pythons (Scorpio, Dayzee, and Satan)
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
1.0 Pacman Frog (Pudge)
5.2 Pet Rats (Emo, Skye, Siam, Lilac, Manson, Spade, and Zilk)
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids
0.0.2 Crayfish

In your opinion , what makes an iguana so cool? I think your answer will be very telling

(from what i have read) they can be just as good around the house like a dog or a cat, they look bada$$, they arent the average feed once and call good, maybe give a bath once a week, they are big and orignal (in this town) noone has one except girlfriends sister, i love how you can dress them up and play with them other than fetch, i just think it would be extremely fun to have one once everything got into a set scheduele and it was use to house and people

About iguanas being 'good around the house'.....

This is a very rare instance, when the iguana is older-
an experience few iguana owners have. Don't EXPECT
your iguana to be good around the house.

Expect your iguana to destory many of your valuables,
shred furniture, carpets, poop on every surface of the floor,
and you will need to 'baby proof' your house so that they will
not come into contact or eat anything dangerous to them.

EVERY iguana owner goes through this before their iguana
acts anything like a cat or dog around the house.
You have to remember iguanas are still WILD, undomesticated
animals that you can't train like a cat or dog. Iguanas
may adapt some good habits now and then, if you're LUCKY,
but do not expect this.

IF you want an animal to play fecth with or play 'dress up'
-an iguana is NOT for you!
This reminds me of women who only want to have a baby
because they want something to play dress up with and
dont realize that a baby is a huge responsibility, not a toy.

Do I have fun with my iguana? of course I do, but that was
after YEARS of care, love, and meeting his very specific
and sometimes difficult needs.

Either you're being brilliantly sarcastic, or you got your idea of what's it like having an iguana, a little twisted and fuzzy.

While you may sound a bit naive and playful about the whole deal, I do appreciate your passion and excitement, not to mention your eagerness to learn.

Just keep in mind: what the majority of websites and books portray is NOT the norm. Having an iguana, or most reptiles anyways, is not always all sugar and spice. There are problems, complications, dramas, work, and expenses involved.

But once you get thru the first year, and got things settled, the rewards can be immense.
Just give it a bit more thought.
Keep in mind other reptiles, such as the Australian Water dragons: hardier, smaller, and amazing.

Dont worry if some of us "grill" you a bit on the issue, it's all meant well, honestly. Keep asking as much as you want, we'll be glad to help.

-IJ

Nahrie made an excellent point in visiting Melissa Kaplan's website. It has TONS of free information, lots of details, and the tone is not as "happy go lucky" as others have. Iguana ownership/husbandry, as 'cool' as it is, is also a very serious thing to consider, and it takes work, money, time, and lots of patience at first. Do keep in mind that despite still being readily available, they are not beginner-reptiles.

I believe there are commercial heat pads and heat-tapes to help keep the lower portion of the enclosure warm. An easily programmable timer is a must, because you do not want certain electrical elements to be on for too long, or over the manufacturer's suggested use. Some people buy 2 bulbs (heat and UV) and run them on two different timers, to prevent overuse/overheating. For night-time heat, ceramics work fine.

Is the whole floor carpeted or do u have one big carpet?
But yeah, as Nahrie said, the claws/toes can get stuck, plus they will get soiled, and if not, they'll still stink from the humidity, food bits, heat, etc. Reptiles can and will stink up a room if things are not kept clean and sanitized DAILY.

Lastly, get some good literature, the two best choices are Hatfield's book, or Kaplan's. Before getting the animal, or bringing it home, do a 24 hour test of everything to make sure it will work, the temperatures will stay put, etc...
Skim through the pages of this forum. There are TONS and TONS of questions, a lot from newbies, that can help you a great deal.
Good luck!

-IJ

My iguana roams free. If you want to ask me questions, my e-mail is nangunn@msn.com