Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i know that iguanas can live up to 20 years if raised correctly and im willing to put in the time required to keep it healthy.
what do i need and what are some good tips on how to raise them?
what are some good books or things?

here are my three main questions at the moment:
Do i start out with a big cage with a jouvenile?
How do i know which store has healthy iguanas?
are they aggressive and if they are, can they be tamed?

also, what kind of accessories will they need and what brand of light works the best.

right now im looking at getting a green iguana and im looking at a cage that is 32" x 32" x 61"

"what do i need and what are some good tips on how to raise them?
what are some good books or things?"

Great attitude...learning about whatever reptile you plan to keep can save a lot of heartache later on..

Iguanas For Dummies by Melissa Kaplan is a great book
http://www.anapsid.org/

http://www.greenigsociety.org/ is a fantastic website to get you started.

Iguana Den has a great site, too.

here are my three main questions at the moment:
"Do i start out with a big cage with a jouvenile?"
Opinions differ. I have a juvenile (5" snout to vent length) in a bigger cage. He spends his afternoons outdoors in a 4'x4'x3' wood frame mesh basking cage, and his indoor cage is 3'x3'x2'. Some people keep little ones in a large aquarium.

"How do i know which store has healthy iguanas?"
You just have to look at the iguanas and the general condition of the animals. Find one that is a healthy green color with no skin blemishes, broken toes, and doesn't have a pinched look to the end of the tail. Is it watching you or just lethargic looking? Sometimes you can find an adoptable iguana through a rescue or Craig's List.

"are they aggressive and if they are, can they be tamed?"
They will be flighty at first, but can be tamed. Breeding season brings out the beast, you know.

"also, what kind of accessories will they need and what brand of light works the best."
They need a suitable substrate for the floor, different levels of wide branches that are more horizontal than diagonally placed,a food dish, I have a little plastic shoe box for a pool. You can see what others use on different sites.

Light bulbs....I prefer natural sunlight, but I'm also in Central FL where that's possible for the better part of the year. Indoors I use a basic bulb for heating and a long 10.0 UV tube. I also recently bought a Mercury Vapor Bulb after a long debate, but that's for one of my tegus. I don't think compact bulbs work very well as I have seen lizards that were not doing well with them. I also know that Herpzilla (brand?) had a slimline desert bulb that was causing issues. They were supposed to have been recalled.

so if im going to buy one, am i looking at a price range of like $20-80?

Well...I guess that depends on the market in your area. The rescue I have was bought for $5 in Miami. Around here,a young green ig goes for about $20. Sometimes retail stores charge more, but that doesn't mean the pet is any better. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $20 for a healthy young green ig, but that's what the market bears in FL. It might be different where you live. For $80 you can get a nice red iguana around here.

well money isnt an issue on initial costs (well as long as i can keep it aroud $500)
i really want to start with one that is a little bit bigger though. i live in tx.

there are a couple of pet stores around here that may have good iguanas. one has really great and healthy fish and they also sell iguanas and i always see them handling their reptiles. they also sell small mammals (which arent healthy)
they have one show iguana that is always on one of their shoulders.

the other store just sells fish and reptiles.

i dont know ill look into it.

"well money isnt an issue on initial costs (well as long as i can keep it aroud $500)"
Oh sure, I know what you mean. I didn't mean to put you off. There are som many igs around here and they're all about the same...that's why I said I wouldn't spend much.

"i really want to start with one that is a little bit bigger though. i live in tx."
That's great if you find a nice one you can get along with.

If you have a great reptile store that takes good care of their critters, then that's the place to go and it may be worth more to shop at a place like that. Hey, the value of anything is what two people agree it is...It takes a buyer and a seller.

by the way is craigslist a reliable website?

i found one i really like... but i doubt they are telling the whole story

It depends...I have found some good people on there. You just have to hear their story and see their animal in person.

ok well i am able to do that with this one.
how do i know if the iguana is unhealthy if there isnt anything physically or noticeably wrong with it

they say "i cant give it the attention it deserves anymore"

You just have to look at it and check it out. Is it green? Are there any scabby spots anywhere, or dried, pinched-in spots on the tail. Are the eyes bright? What does the cage look like? Are stools runny? Is it skinny or are the limbs twiggy looking with the pelvic bones showing? What have they been feeding it, and what is the set-up like? A poor diet and no UV light can be indicators of underlying calcium deficiency. No time for an iguana can mean a lizard that hasn't been handled regularly. The behavior issues depend on your ability to work with it.