Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was in a PetCo during lunch today looking around and I noticed that, being a new one, everything was setup nicely, flashy displays, etc. The animals looked healthy and were very impressive... until I got to their 2 iguanas. They were not real small but were in one of their bigger display cages and they looked like they were a healthy size, as best I could tell, but their color was a redish brown with very little green. Is it possible that that could be a normal color or would this only be caused by lack of sunlight and bad living conditions? It just suprised me since everything else looked nice and healthy.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Well, I have seen light green igs, dark green igs, brown igs and grey igs and all of them were Iguana iguana (the common Green Iguana). Also mature male igs can display some red color during breeding season and sometimes permanently.. Did you notice any UV lights in the enclouser?

They should be fine but since they´re living in a Petco store... I don´t know..

I am so new to them in the first place it makes sense that they are that color during breeding season. I did notice though that they had a UV light going. Thanks for the info.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Are you talking about immature iguanas (juveniles) or adults? Color change, especially in mature males is common, sometimes even permanent. Even color change in females is not uncommon. The red/brown ones that I was refering to were young juveniles. Hopefully, this weekend, I might be able to find information on where they came from. Sorry, I will not be able to provide pictures. Most dealers do not allow pictures to be taken.

Michael

They are from South America. Igs from Equador and Brazil have a brownish coloration when adults. I know this because I live in Brazil and I´ve seen lots of wild igs around here.. I´ll try to post some pics here..

If you are able to see wild iguanas i suppose you are from northern Brazil, all right?Im Brazilian too, but im from São Paulo (southern region) so i never saw a wild iguana, only wild pollution!lol!

Some friends from northern Brazil told me that iguanas can be found even in the Brazilian semi-arid region, like Fortaleza and Terezina.Thats true?Officials from IBAMA say the same thing, that iguanas are not rain forests animals, because they can survive in the semi-arid regions too.Do you know anything about that?

Flavia

Hey!! Excuse me guys, gonna write in portuguese.. Oi Flavia.. a gente já se falou por aqui.. é que eu fico um tempo sem visitar o forum e depois volto.. sempre.. Lembra.. do Chico, da Tania.. pois bem.. eu também sou de São Paulo, mas viajo bastante pro Nordeste atrás de iguanas.. NO Brasil tem iguana em todas as regiões menos região Sul.. Sudeste, Nordeste, Norte e Centro- Oeste. Desde a amazonia, caatingas, pantanal.. litoral do Nordeste.. tem iguana em todo lugar.. inclusive no interior de São Paulo.. Você tá morando na India né?? Bom, vou parar por aqui.. Até mais

(sorry guys.. just answering Flavia´s question.. )
Later,
Dan

You really need to watch that language there! LOL. Thanks for the information in your English posting! Also in the future- don't put such a beautiful picture on a posting without a warning. My iguana is packing right now to leave and join the one in the picture (he, my iguana, claims he recognizes the one in the picture as his long lost brother, but I doubt the truthfulness!)
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

LOL... I´m so sorry!!! But it´s so easier for me to write in portugues that I couldn´t lose the chance.. Lol
And hey, tell your Ig my igs can´t wait for him to get here... He is welcome any time!!
That´s sort of an old pic of one of my couples.. the left one is Tania and the right one is Chico, but they are bigger now.. I think I need new pics of them....
But thanks!!!
And I´d like to see a pic of your little guy!! Is it possible?
Tke care,
Later,
Dan

According to your message there are giant green iguanas all over the warm regions of Brazil even in the semi-arid region.So IBAMA is right: iguanas are not a typical rain forest lizard.So if wild iguanas can survive in semi arid regions why they are dying of kidney failure in captivity?

Now that´s a very good question...

There was a shipment of those that arrived in Bangkok; they have been here for a month . Anything unusual here goes for a lot of money. That is their normal color, not a question of lighting or living conditions. I will try to get locality data for you. I usually do not get a specific location, rather a geographical location.

Michael

He changed his color from green to a red/brownish color when he was around 3 yeras old.For good.

Wow!! Beautiful. I can only hope that one of my babies will do that.
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Indigo's Zooventory

3 Green Iguanas
1 Nile Monitor
1 Black-Throat Monitor
1 Leopard Lizard
2 Alligator Lizards
1 Armadillo Lizard
1 Brown Anole
1 Dove
1 Ferret Baby sitting him
5 Albino Clawed Frogs
1 African Clawed Frog
1 Solid White Koi
1 Eel
2 Pearl Gouramies
1 African Peacock Cichlid
2 Irridescent Sharks
3 Gold Fish

Of course yours will.If he is a male.

Sorry for taking a while to find out the locality data. Many of the reptile dealers only open for the weekend. The red/brown iguanas here were CB from Indonesia, so there was no locality data that could be given.

I bought my iguanas in Jakarta.