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are all iguanas wild when you first get them as pets? every one i have ever seen was wild. i was thinking of buying one from a local reptile show. how long does it take to tame them and what do you have to do? just hold them all the time?

Green iguanas are a challenge to keep. There is a lot to know to keep them healthy. Most die of neglect in the first year.

All untamed igs act wild at human intervention. Here is a Web site containiing articles on various aspects of their care:
http://www.iguanaden.com/

Roger

No. Not all igs are wild when you first get them. Our Iggi would crawl onto our arm from the day we got her from the pet store. We carried her on us except to poop in her enclosure, and after she went to sleep on us. We have raised her like a human daughter for 2 1/2 years. She doesn't bite, tail-whip, or need a leash when we walk her outside. She is good around strangers. She has been a free roamer for 2 years now. Pictures of her are on my earlier post, "Vacationing with Iggi", if you would like to see a well socialized ig.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Don't buy any of the ones you see in most pet stores or at most reptile shows. They are almost surely wild caught- either taken directly from the wild, or hatched on a huge iguana mill from eggs taken from wild females. Or, they're just from a huge iguana farm where they've never had human contact except for being packed in the hundreds, stacked one on top of the other, in boxes for shipping. (Also, this start in life exposes them to all sorts of nasty sicknesses and opportunities for injury!)

Iggi, from the post above, is a delightful exception to the rule. Both of my iguanas were a bit vicious when I got them, and in fact, if they are in good health, any iguana will be somewhat rambunctious when you first get it.

My advice would be to adopt one (there are lots of beautiful, tame iguanas on the adoption boards at http://www.greeniguanasociety.org and http://www.scalesandtails.org.), or get one from a breeder. I've never seen a captive-bred green iguana. But I have seen some beautiful rock, cteno, and other kinds of iguanas that are healthy and used to human handling, because they come from reputable breeders. Maybe try one of them, instead.

Thank you, Girlzila!
Iggi is both delightful, and exceptional. I believe it is a combination of luck, in getting a female, ( this way we don't have an ig that turns orange and chases my wife around the house.), and raising her like a human daughter. We didn't know anything about raising an iguana, so we just raised her like we raised our son. We live in a small town in SE Georgia, and don't have iguanas at the local Humane Society. Upon remembering the BS "advice" the pet store gave us, we feel we have "rescued" Iggi from a sure death. I understand the problem with buying igs from a pet store, but I don't know the solution. Igs are just so _cheap_, that selling them for $15-$20 dollars is a hefty profit. Maybe one day someone will figure out how to stop this.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~