Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok im working on building a a cage tht takes up half of an old bedroom in my basement so space is not a problem. should i get an IG or a waterdragon. this is my first lizard but iv owned lots and lots of rare fish inluding northern pikes muskies large mouth piranhas and oscars. i read about igs and WD about 3-4 hours a day so dieing isnt th big of a problem. but which do u think would be more fun and like to be held. im going to be homeschooled and am looking for a lizard to watch me do work and one tht i can just chill with. so basiccaly which do u guys like better.

I personally like iguanas best. I homeschool my three kids and they have loved learning about and being with our iguanas. I don't know a whole lot about water dragons but I give educational talks about iguanas to local schools and other organizations. Ours really like (or tolerate at least) being held. Raptor is like a big dog wanting to hang around everyone and is very calm. Juji is a little wild when we get her out but calms down after that and will just sit on your shoulder forever. Iggy seems to enjoy being rubbed will even tap his door to get your attention but would just as soon not be held. they all have their own very distinct personalities. We have provided them each with their own tub whick we disinfect daily and they love it they get down in it and swim and splash all the time. Iggy climbs his shelf and then dives straight into the water. I didn't know what was going on the first time he did it and thought he had fallen! Anyway I've went on enough but it is just really up to you they all have their pros and cons!

Stephanie
pets -- 3 iguanas, anole, gecko, dwarf hamster, guinea pig, parakeets, hermit crabs, 6 tanks of tropical fish of all varieties and sizes, goldfish pond, bearded dragon, 2 dogs and I'm sure I've missed some!!

Okay I just read some of the earlier posts. Whichever you get just make sure you have the proper heat, lighting, food etc. Out of the three iguanas we have adopted all of them have either had MBD or been borderline MBD before I adopted them. Two had already fixed the problem with lighting and food the other hadn't! None of them had it serious enough or long enough to become disfigured luckily! Since you have been reading up on them make sure you are reading more recent books! I have read some of the older books and they say things like feed your iguana dog or cat food and insects, NOT!!! If you are really interested in an iguana read "Green Iguana the Ultimate Owners Manual" or "Iguanas for Dummies" I'm sure there are some other people that can recommend newer books or informative books on the water dragons as I don't know any books on them. Also as far as the cage you are building make sure it is large enough to last a long time! Iguanas grow quickly if well taken care of. As far as the biting in one of your last questions if they are handled a lot and taken care of well they will "usually" not bite when they get used to you and before then they are usually too small to inflict any real damage, although there are always exceptions! Sorry to ramble on again!

Stephanie

i just bougth tht iguannas fo dummies yesterday morning from amazon so it should be here soon. i also bought a waterdragon book too