Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, Im going to be buying a iguana in the next couple of months (by january) and i dont know much about them.. could anyone give me information about them?

Alright...let's see...

For free, detailed, and great information, visit the venerable Melissa Kaplan's Iguana Care website

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

That website has been around since the 90's, and has helped thousands of us with proper iguana husbandry.

As for books:
Melissa Kaplan also has a book "Iguana for Dummies".
Very good book, some say it is somewhat a repetition to the website.

James Hatfield wrote the Ultimate Iguana Manual.
I have that book, and I love it! It is more expensive, but worth the money.
Both books are excellent, so choose as you please.

Richard Barlett has one often seen at petstores that runs for $5 or so. It is outdated, and not very good. Avoid it.

As for basics:

Are you getting a baby, juvenile, or adult?
Babies can fare well in the biggest aquarium-type enclosures you can find. Even as babies, they require LOTS of space.

If getting a juvie, think full-size enclosure, since it would be dumb to spend money on a medium one, and soon after more money for a VERY large one.

The rule of thumb for an iguana enclosure (juvie/adult, but if you want to, even for a baby) is 6 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 6 feet or more in height. No less than that. Remember, these animals are arboreal, they need lots of height, they are long, so they need lots of space to move and explore, and to turn around with that long tail.
The bigger, more natural-looking, and functional you cna make it, the better.

Diet is easy, all veggies, and is easily explained in the website I gave you, and the books.

As soon as you'll get it, bring it to a vet for checkup and de-worming etc.

Everything else, handling, feeding, lighting, etc. is discussed in the website and books.

Cleanliness: VERY CLEAN!!! To avoid stench, odors, and salmonella, keep the cage and everything else CLEAN. Daily. Some books or website say weekly... trust me... daily. It takes only a few minutes of your time, and you'll be glad you did.

Iguanas are the kingpins of pet-lizards, however, they are NOT easy to care for. They are exotics, and like any other exotic pet, of any kind, they recquire special care.
Don't be allarmed, once you get a hang of it, and you do everything right, you're on easy street. But the first months will be a bit challenging.

A tip:
If you can, adopt a rescue-iguana. Often times they are juveniles or young adults, they are already more socialized, and used to human interaction. However, many are not in excellent health, so choose wisely.
Wanting to adopt a very sick animal is noble, but it will cost you, and chances are it's too late. Some have minor health issues that can be dealt with easily, and not costly.

But no matter how healthy the animal will be, baby, juvie, or adult, see a vet with a fresh fecal sample.

That's it!
Good luck, gather as much info as you can before buying, and let us know when u get it!

-IJ

thanks, i own 2 beardies so i do know the basics, but when it comes to iguanas i dont know much. i think i'll check out my local animal shelter first, 6 years ago i adopted a severely abused dog,it did take a lot of therapy and working with him but hes the perfect pet now, hopefully i can help another animal in need.

I agree definately try and rescue one. When I was 12 I decided I wanted an iguana, and after reading The Ultimate Green Iguana I decided I didnt want one after all. Now five years later Ive had three and never meant to have any. All three were rescues pulled from shelters. Unfortunately the third only lived 8 hours from when I got her. She had a respiratry problem/pnemonia from being kept in a freezing shelter with no heat for a week
-----
2 RES
1 Iguana
1 leucistic texas ratsnake
1 water dragon
1 mountain horned lizard
4 armadillo lizards
3 red sided skinks
2 Egyptian dune geckos
3 bullfrogs
1 dusky conure
3 australian shepherds
3 cats

Great post Iguana Joe! Another thing to take into consideration when adopting an ig is your own situation. Igs are a lot harder to cart around than beardies and there are not very many landlords that allow them. You are probably already settled and so this may not be an issue, but you don't want to end up having to find a home for him in the long run because you are getting stationed in the military or off to college. No offense but in your post you sounded younger. If I'm wrong I swear I'm sorry! *weak grin*
On another note we have a great rescue here in NC/VA area and would love to place an ig with you if you are anywhere near here. We don't ship though. Never really had the stomach for that. Our rescues are like our babies and it's hard enough to stick your kid on the plane let alone a lizard! If you are too far away, post what state you are in and maybe someone else knows of a rescue nearby. Adopting is so great because nine times out of ten you get an ig that has been sexed (can't tell til they are at least 18 months, sometimes longer) potty trained and socialized, not to mention the satisfaction that comes knowing you helped provide a home for a needy iguana. Well, I'm rambling. It's late and I tend to get a little delerious at this hour. Good luck in your decision! JN

your right, i probably am on the younger end of the age spectrum, im 16 (turning 17 in january) and staying home for college, and if something happens , my mom loves lizzards so i know all my animals would be taken care of. i am settled for now but in 6 weeks im moving to an apartment for 2 months or so, until our new house is ready, im not getting an iguana until late january early feb, cause like u said, i need to be settled in and a cage set up and what not. im in oshawa,ontario canada, im not sure if our humaine society rescues lizzards, i'll call sometime in the next week or so, anyways, thanks for all your help. i'll be posting soon. oh one more thing, should i just build my own tank for an iguana or just suck it up and spend the big bucks on a tank?

It depends on what size ig you get. A small iglet can stay in a tank for a few months but the bigger you build the better. Watch out though, the little guys are fast as lightening.
There are several styles of cages out there to build. We've built cages starting at $60 on up to $250 (and that's cheap compared to some!!!). The last one we built was more of a wall with shelving, a door and false floor for our big guy. We just split our bonus room and let him have half. Since you have plenty of time before you plan on aquiring one, I'd keep researching and search the net for cage plans. Also, get a good reference book. Believe me they are wonderful. Mine is my Iguana "bible" and I refer to it often. Hopefully we'll talk to you in a few months to see how things went and what you decided. JN

PS...I just read Iguana Joe's post just above ours in reply to the question about cages....Check it out. He gives some great advice. JN