Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just curious- in a post below, you said you have something like 20-40 iguanas at one time. Are they all pets? Do you do rescue? Or are you an iguana breeder? If so, do you breed them here in the US? It's pretty rare to find someone who raises captive-bred iguanas, esp. in the states...

I collect reptiles here in Miami Florida. I specialize in wild caught exotics. I also collect native reptiles here in the city and suburbs on land that is/or is being being developed. I also keep personal pets; 4 Cyclura lewisi x camenensis, Mexican Spinney-tailed Iguanas (C. Pectinata), Spinney tailed Iguanas
(C. Similis), Common Iguanas, Niger Uromastics, Giant Blue Ameivas, African Spurthigh Tortoises, Box Turtles.

I collect the lizards since they have little or no natural ememies and they compete with the native fauna and destroy native habitats. I sell the lizards cheap enough to cover my expenses and compensate me for my time.

In a way I am doing a sort of reptile rescue, since the game commission here, goes out several time a year and kills all they can.

The lizards are the same as if they were purchased as "farm raised" since they are still wild, but the difference is that they have not gone through the stresses of being bunched up by the thousands, then shipped from another country, then sitting in a wholesaler where they get very little care, only to be packed up and shipped to a petshop where they will sit again, and hope they are receiving proper care.

I get a lot of negative remarks from people since I sell wild caught reptiles. But I guess I am better than the alternative which would be instant death.

Thanks,

Manny

Very interesting!

I knew there were colonies of foreign iguanas in Florida, but I never thought about people catching them again and selling them as pets.