Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks for taking a look.

Azul, Grand Cayman Blue Iguana hybrid

MiMi, Grand Cayman hybrid, queen of chub

Bubbles, my sweet Rhino lady

and Ctolstoy, Ctenosaur similis

they are gorgeous!!! its so good to see people who actually take care of their igs, and realize what amazing animals they are!

Where did you get them?

Well, Flavia, they all came from different places under different circumstances. Bubbles was my first Cyclura, purchased by my daughter for my birthday 5 years ago. I'd wanted a Rhino iguana for a long time. She was my first of now 5 Rhinos. Besides her I have Scrub, her 5 year old mate, Loofah, a 3 year old male, Nivea and Virgo, 2 yearlings yet unsexed.

Azul was given to me as an untameable yearling. He'd had 2 previous owners that claimed he was wild and there was nothing they could do with him. Now he's a sweet boy who enjoys the attention given by humans. MiMi was purchased from a private collector 3 years ago and has become a favorite. She has quite a few scars from her old mate's aggression but she and Azul get along nicely.

Ctolstoy, the Spinytail, came to me from a fellow rescue person in the eastern US. He is over 10 years old and was raised in a 100 gallon tank, being fed once a week. He's remarkably healthy, handsome, and tame considering his past.

I'm fascinated by and enjoy keeping the different species of iguanids. I also have a pair of Cuban Rock Iguanas, 5 Desert Iguanas, and 4 different species of Spinytail Iguanas. Each and every one has a unique personality, just like all of the Green Iguanas here do.

I perfectly understand your passion by iguanas.I wish i could have such a different collection! But travelling as much as i do its difficult for me to have many.Now a days i only have 9 babies: 2 iguanas, 2 uros, 2 monkey tails ( yes, ive been bitten by Leonardo.But i think he didnt want to kill me, he just wanted to say to me that i was bothering him, because they werent very bad bites!lol!), 1 beardie, 1 crocodile skink and one leopard gecko.
Besides the stress of moving with pets (accomodation, acclimatization, etc..)its very difficult to get the export permits when the pets are CITES II.To take my pets from Malaysia to India took me lots of money and 4 months of bureaucracy!Dont forget that i had already brought my igs from Indonesia, my previous assignment!
One day when i settle down i wish to have as many iguanas as you do! I wish i had your knowledge too because keeping healthy so many babies needs lots of experience!

Flavia

I like seeing pictures of all your iggys. We really want a blue caymen iggy, but that's impossible. What exactly is a hybrid? They look just like the blues. Are they a mix between the blue caymens and cubans or something else? I have a really great cuban rock iggy and my wife really wants another one. Is the color the only difference between them? Because they look exactly alike except for the color.

The differences between Cubans and lewisi hybrids, aside from the color, are very subtle. There are structural differences in the head shape, body shape, and some difference in size. The head scalation is also different. Most hybrids are a cross between lewisi and caymanensis, some are crossed with nubila, some are even a cross of all three. The majority of the hybrids seen now don't look much like the lewisi since the DNA has been so diluted. There are hybrids available occasionally thru the various classifieds. Also check out David Blair's Critter Corner. He usually has hatchlings available yearly but sells out fast.

Thank you for the info. I may look into getting another one, but that would be down the road.