Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My friend's brother got into some trouble and can't keep his iguana, and asked me to take it. From my small knowledge about iguanas, I think he/she is being kept in horrible conditions now.

- Stretched out, I think he would be about 5 feet long. 6 if he had all of his tail. The wire cage they keep him in is about 3 feet square.

- He has A heat light. My friend (who is taking care of him at the moment) didn't know what UVB meant.

- He's fed nothing but lettuce. And its probably just iceburg.

- I noticed hes missing some toenails and parts of toes, has shed skin stuck on him, and missing all/parts of spins along his back.

- He has an attidude. This might just be him, or this might be from abuse. Not sure about this one.

Aside from all that, he has weight, doesn't look emaciated. I feel sorry for him, and feel almost obligated to take him so he isn't subjected to those conditions anymore.

I'd like to hear advice on this, I know some people here must have been in my position before. Anything is appreciated, Thanks.

yes i have been in your place many times that is y i have 4 iguanas. you are right he is far from being takin care of properly. i am surprized that he has any weight on him with that diet. i think its green iguana society that has a great list of foods that can be feed and what can not be feed so check that out. he should have a much larger enclosure for that size and uvb. if you decide to take him in that would be awesome. but if you cant dont feel bad. they are a lot of work and alot of money. if you cant take him in you should try to find him a nice home where he will be happy and taken care of. you can try the adoption page on this site. good luck and if you need any help just post away. there is alot of smart people here that have helped me many times. good luck and keep us posted
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brandy

I would say i agree with everything pythonmomma said. This poor guy is not being taken care of right. Its up to you in what you can afford to do and have the time to do. They are quite time consuming and expensive. His attitude could be from a few things, possible breeding season, bad conditons he is being kept in, etc. But thats something with time and a lot of handleing and work could be worked with. I would suggest doing alot of reading and research. Good luck in whatever you decide. tami

If you really want to adopt him, think hard...they are not an easy lizard to care for espcially if they have an attiude!
Build a big cage....and I do mean HUGE!! My Ig is 5 ft long and has a octagon shaped cage made from 5 sliding glass house door panels. And he still needs it bigger!
Are you willing to spend alot of money on new UVB lights every 6 months?
Are you willing to buy fresh veggies and fruits for it?
Are you willing to buy welding gloves to get him to the bathroom every day for a soak in the tub? Plus scrubbing out that tub after every single time he's in there? Are you willing to have a million scratch (if not bite) marks on your arms from him trying to get away from you? Are you patient enough to put up with him whipping the crap out of you with that tail? Do you think you can tame him down enough to become a good pet?
Are you prepared for Iguana breeding season where they get really nasty attitudes? (Worse than any attitude you've seen from him so far?)
If you can say yes to all this, then by all means go get him! Save that poor baby and let us know what you decide!!
Good Luck!
Dove