Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all.

I just want to start out stating that I'm not a troll. This questions may have been asked before, but frankly, I'm too lazy to do a search, and whenever I do, I end up with about 50 topics I didn't want to see just to find the 1 that I did.

I was wondering what the attraction is to owning an Iguana. I've worked at a pet store before and sold a couple. The ones we had were "rescues," donated by their previous owners. We would sell them (very nominal price) to ONLY experienced Iguana keepers in the area, but even tehy were getting too many of them to keep. In my experiences selling them and talking to people that owned them, they always seemed to be more of a problem than they were really worth. Once again, this was from a small concensus.

Many people will lecture me on the hardships that the average iguana lives through in their life as a pet, be it malnourishment, lack of proper housing, abuse, etc. In my opinion (stress) buying iguanas only supports the mistreatment of them, as well as the overcrowding in rescue organizations.

I for one believe that Iguanas ae very underrated creatures as far as their care and husbandry is concerned. Pet stores should not abuse these animals by selling them to beginners in reptiles or lizards specifically. the care they equire is so unique to other species, that people must have at least a general understanding of what they are getting into.

That being said, what has attracted you to owning an iguana. Was it sympathy for it due to it's previous "lifestyle," a sincere love for the species, The relative inexpensiveness of the initial purchase, etc?

Once again, I'm not trying to stir anything up. Iguanas are not for me (too small a house for the size of cage needed) I just want some opinions As to what would posess somebody to buy an iguana over something like a water dragon, a small snake, etc.

These opinions of mine are not specifically geared toward only iguanas mind you.....many reptiles, while beautiful and worth admiring seem to me to be better off in the wild.

Thanks
Todd Evans

Your letter encapsulates what we talk about every day!
A year and a half ago, I was thinking about buying an iguana. After reading a little, I thought about adopting an iguana. After reading a lot, I decided not to get an iguana until I had a lot of money.

Then I found Bud. I did feel sorry for him, his former owner (who had eight iguanas) had drug problems and had abandoned him because she couldn't pay for his vet bills. (He had many broken bones.) Even after a good amount of reading, I had no idea what I was getting into, and have had a lot of surprises, both good and bad. I found my second iguana Fulton last month, in a tree. (He's currently up for adoption.)

They are intelligent, fascinating animals, and I was thrilled to see Bud healing and acting more and more normal. (And see Fulton become more used to humans). I've always loved reptiles and amphibians for how delicate and jewel-like, yet successful and ingenious they are.

As with anything worthwhile, I think the initial attraction of owning an iguana eventually becomes just the icing on the cake when you learn all their other traits. It's a lot of work, but- for people who don't like reptiles, I explain it like as being the curator of a collection of rare orchids. Lots of money, research and work- but the pride and joy of seeing something amazing reach its full potential, even if it doesn't exist so you can play with it all the time or make it do what you want.

Since they're not domesticated, there is also the challenge of earning the trust of something wild. They're a lot cuddlier than I thought they would be, too.

I agree with you fully about petstores, and I wish there were a ban on the importation of all iguanas. You'll find a lot of people here feel that way.

-Erin

personally i think one has to be fascinated with different types of creatures to want to even get an ig...i myself have a ball python and now the baby ig...as for pet stores, yes you are completely right on with them....they have no understanding let alone the brains to give an animal to someone who actually has an idea of what they are getting into...which one never knows unless they've been through it before....

>>I was wondering what the attraction is to owning an Iguana.

In my case, my first ig was pretty much dumped on me. I've kept reptiles most of my life, usually smaller ones like bearded dragons. I had NO interest in owning iguanas. I had always admired them from afar, but after doing some research on them and finding out what exacting care they need (not to mention, space!) I didn't feel like I was ready to take on such a big responsibility.

A few winters ago, one of my co-workers came to me in January to tell me about an iguana her nephew had gotten when he got a tank from his friend. He didn't want an iguana, but him getting the tank was conditional on him taking the ig too. His gf wanted nothing to do with 'that creature' so she was being kept in an unheated sunroom with just a lamp, and some lettuce tossed to her once in a while. My co-worker (quite rightly in my opinion) cnsidered that cruelty, and told her nephew she would ask the 'Dragon Lady' to take it. I orginally told her that I couldn't take it but would try to find a home for it. After exhausting all of my herp contacts with no luck, and talking to my husband about it, he agreed that the ig could come stay with us on a 'temporary' basis.

When my co-worker brought this ig into work for me, I was stunned. She was emaciated, crawling with mites, and so weak she could hardly stand up. I stuck her in an empty tank in my classroom with a heat lamp on it, and just kept telling her not to die while my students were in here! She made it through the day and I went right to the vet's office after work.

She spent 3 days in intensive care at the vet's, and when she finally came home she was still weak and in need of LOTS of medical care. As she finally regained her health, I realized I was becoming more and more attached to her. It wasn't just the fact that I'd spent over a thousand dollars in just the first month to save her....it was also her personality and attitude. She hated my guts at first because every time she saw me I was giving her injections or force feeding her. Gradually she began to trust me, and I discovered a rather intelligent lizard inside that scaly skin.

These days, Mozilla is a permanent fixture in my home. She loves to get my attention by doing bad things...and she will wait to make sure I am watching before she does them! She's also become my educational ig. She comes to school with me once or twice a year to meet the kids and to teach them about proper care and respect for reptiles.

I've now gone from never wanting igs to running an iguana rescue. Mozilla has been joined by 2 more permanent igs, GJ and Mandrake, and we usually have 3 or 4 foster igs at any time.

After all this rambling, I guess my love for iguanas boils down to several key things - my sympathy for the plight of the species in general, and my fascination and respect for the individuals themselves. No matter how many igs come through my house, they all have their own distinct personalities. What can I say? I'm addicted.

Meri
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Meri Martin
Scales & Tails Exotic Pet Rescue - http://www.scalesandtails.org
NJ Herp. Society - http://www.njhsonline.com

My feelings are very similar to Meri's. My first iguana came to me while I was managing a pet store. She was dumped, along with a male, in a 125 gallon tank. Both iguanas were emaciated and dehydrated. The male didn't last 24 hours but I was determined to save the female. I had never had an iguana before and never thought I would want one. I went home and did hours of research online. I kept this female at the store, fed her, bathed her, handled her, and just plain babied her for several months. As she got heathier I started getting offers from people that wanted to purchase her. I always replied that she wasn't totally rehabbed yet so she couldn't leave. Five months after she came into the store I quit, and took Thelma with me. That was the start of Mid Michigan Reptile Rescue and Rehabilitation.

In the last 8 years, since I brought Thelma home, we've had close to 120 iguanas come thru here. Some were fairly healthy, some were severely debilitated, some have been adopted, some have died. I still have the 4th and 5th iguanas that came into the rescue and they will be with me until they expire. Four others are permanent residents. Some iguanas I've had for over 2 years before we found appropriate adoptive homes, others have been here just over a month.

Like Meri said, no two iguanas are alike. There will never be another Thelma, ever. Nor a Foster, or Charlie, or Spot. But each and every one is a magnificent animal....beautiful even if missing a leg or an eye, or deformed from severe MBD. Each one has an individual personality...some sweet, some cuddly, some downright evil.

It saddens me that iguanas are considered so very disposable. On days like today, when I receive 3 surrender requests, and I already have 25 iguanas in house, I just want to sit down and cry. One of the ones we heard about today had his leg broken by a 4 year old.

Anyway, I could go on forever but I'll just say that there's something magical about keeping a 4-6 foot lizard that trusts you completely.

My greatly missed girlie, Thelma

i have an iguana i love him to death hes my baby he roams my room he beautiful in his coloring and hes like having a dog people have iguanas cuzz they just want one y get get a german shepherd over a golden retreever is pretty much what ur asking there is no set reason..i like the breed i like the color i just liked the dog same with reptiles and i work at a pet store and when we sell an iguana we tell every one exactly what they need b4 they buy it some back out and some go the extra mile and get all the lights heating exeserries and the space they need for there new iggy so there is no answere to ur questions people just like iguanas

I never wanted an iguana. I got a bearded dragon about a year and a half ago, because I have always found reptiles fascinating, and after doing alot of research came to the conclusion that a beardie would be ideal (I still think for anyone looking for a reptile for the first time, they are #1). They're small, but big enough to handle, easy to keep (relatively), and unbelievably happy and friendly. I love my bearded dragon!

A few months after getting Doodle-noodle, I was in buying him food when a couple came in with an iguana they had found in a parking lot. This was the middle of October, in Ontario Canada, with night time temperatures below freezing. He was so cold he couldn't move, the only reason we knew he was alive was he could blink. I felt so bad for him! The petstore I go to has a very strong herp dept. and agreed to take him, but he would have to go in a small dog cage for a few days. I said I had a bigger enclosure at home (I did), and that I would take him. I just couldn't leave such a magnificent, and sad, creature when I knew I could help him out.

All night, I was up warming him slowly in the bathtub. The warmer he got, the nastier he got. He tail whipped, he tried to bite, he was so full of anger and malice it was almost unbelievable. Out of all the animals I've rescued, I've never come across one that could hold on to such malice and hatred for the species that had hurt them so much! I totally fell in love. It took me months to calm him down, and turn him around.

A trip to the vet told me he had been well taken care of for at least a couple of years, but then badly treated and starved, then dumped. I'm guessing his original owner took care of him until breeding season hit, then he dumped him on someone unsuspecting who then beat him and starved him hoping that he would submit, then finally ditched him out in the freezing cold to die. We figure he'd been outside in the cold for at least a few days, I am truely amazed he survived.

Now? I can't imagine not having an ig, ever. He is simply the most amazing animal I think I've ever come across. The intelligence that is in his head, the ability to think, to recognize people, to respond, is just something I never expected to find in a reptile. In all honesty, I don't find him any more difficult to look after than my dogs, he's not even as much work as a dog for the most part. He's one of the most rewarding animals I've ever rehab'd, and I've done that alot!

I wish pet stores would not sell igs. I think that in order to own an exotic of any type, you should be licensed. I have to do that with my dogs, its not that much to ask, but its that extra step that might make peope think, plus then there's a record of that person owning that animal with an independent association other than the pet store. I *still* get calls about one of my dogs that I rehomed 2 years ago, wondering why I haven't re-licensed her, and I appreciate it because it then reminds me to call and check on her, and remind her new owners too take her in for her tags. Going to get a license, then taking that license to a reputable herp specialty store, would not deter anyone who truely wants to keep reptiles, but it would stop alot of people who don't and prevent alot of abandonment and abuse.

For interest, Tempest this summer:

Here he is not quite a year ago, I can't believe its been so long!