Reptile & Amphibian Forums

No i dont intend to kill my iguana but im afraid that will happen if i have to move him back to Brazil.We are living in India now and next year we will move back to Brazil.There is no direct flight New Delhi-Brasilia so ill need to take at least 3 planes and, because of the distance, the whole trip will last at least 24 hours.What means my 6 years TREX will need to be locked in a dark box for this period.Im afraid this will kill him of stress but what can i do?Any sugestion to make his trip less stressful?

Flavia

Flavia,

If you have Melissa Kaplan's "Iguanas for Dummies" book, she mentions how to ship your iguana. If you don't have the book, let me know and I'll send you the information. She mentions the box, packing it and the iguana. Also she does stress writing on the outside of the box "Live Harmless Reptile / Keep above 70 deg. F" (paraphrasing from memory). As it will be handled by multiple countries with different languages, I'd suggest you write the message in English, Portugese and the main spoken language of India.

Some countries have problems with certain species being moved to and from their borders. You might want to check this out if you have not already done so...just to avoid having your ig confiscated or something.

L8r,
Don

Thanks Don

No i dont have Melissa's Kaplan book.I used to have one but i gave it to my vet in Malaysia.Do you think i can find the information on her site?

Yes i have to check which countries dont allow iguanas to enter their territory.Ill choose my itinerary according to that information.I have to check the local weather temp too.

Do you think my iguana will survive 24 hours in the dark without food or water?Or he will arrive in Brazil stressed to death?Or dead?

Flavia

Hi Flavia,

I'm about to go to work, but I'll send you the info. Due to his large size, you will probably have to use something besides a pillowcase. I would definitely try to find a very large cloth bag to put him in so you will have that ready to go.

I honestly don't see why your ig could not make the trip without too much stress. As long as they keep him above 70 deg. F he should be OK. Actually you could always FedEx him as a live animal. I seem to recall that they can provide you with both "normal temps" and he will be in a pressurized location. Plus think of all the small babies with low energy reserves that get shipped and for longer than 24 hours. If your ig is healthy, I would think he would make it without any problems. Will he be stressed out? You bet, but he should be fine. He might be a tad on the wild side after what he has gone through.

L8r,
Don

Hey Flavia, as you know, I live in Brazil and reptiles without Ibama´s permission can not get in the country and can not be sold here. I did bring my Bearded Dragon when coming back from the US, but I had to hide it so no authorities would see it. It was really stressful for me but my lizard was fine. And if I really know my country, I would say that the whole process of getting the permission will take a long time. Really, Ibama can and will be a pain in the ass most of the time. I mean, if you buy an Ig from anyone without the permission and you try to get it later, they won´t let you and they will confiscate the animal. Iguanas that are sold here with their permission cost, believe me, 1.200 reais, what would be like 660 dollars. I mean, the common Green Iguana. If you try to find igs from other people, I mean "undercover", you will pay like 40 dollars (80 reais). I lived in the USA for about 2 years, and I really think that buying an Ig that costs almost 700 dollars is just crazy. Ok, back to get in Brazil with your ig, I think that you will have lots of headaches. If he was smaller you could just hide him some place and bring him "without" any problems, but since he is that big already.. I don´t know. Please make sure you do everything before bringing him, because last thing you (and I) want is to have him confiscated. And if you hide him and they find it, you can even go to jail. I know, it REEEALLY sucks. The whole herp market is just starting to happen here comparing to US or Europe. The only herps that have the Ibama´s permission to be sold here are Igs, a few tourtle species and boas. And that´s it. No leo geckos, no Chameleons, no Beardies.. nothing. And they are all really expencive. It sucks.
Please please please be careful.
Oh, and another thing, if you get the permission, they will have to put their "chip" in TREX, so he can be identified.
Sorry about it, but that´s how our country works, unfortunatly. And that´s because we have tons of wild Igs around here. I really don´t understand it. They say it could scape and cause a mess in the wild life, reproducing with each other and it could cause a mess, but, I´m sorry, no Ig is able to thrive in São Paulo. We don´t have rain forests in the city, the weather isn´t hot like the North, they wouldn´t be able to find any food.. so they just can´t thrive in São Paulo.
Sorry about the long post guys and sorry about my english mistakes, but I get really pissed when I talk about Ibama and their stupid laws.
And thanks for the patience and atention.
Good luck Flavia and don´t forget to give me a call when you get here so I can meet the famous TREX.
Later,
Dan

Hi Daniel, as you know i work for the Brazilian Government so i cannot do anythig wrong. I cannot hide my reptiles, i have 9 adults from different species!!Anyway TREX is almost 6 feet very difficult to hide!

I have all my reptiles papers.Lots and lots of papers any of them are ilegal.I have all the CITES II authorizations!

As i work for the Government ill live in Brasilia.

Yes i know ill have to contact IAMA.It will be difficult but i do hope they will give me the green lights to take my babies home.Thanks! Flavia

.

OK, I can't find it and I just read it this weekend. I thought it was in "Iguanas for Dummies". I'll check out and see if I read it in "Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual". I think that was the only other ig book I was looking at this weekend.

I'll let you know what I find.

L8r,
Don

Try this link - http://www.greenigsociety.org/shipping.htm
It should help..
Later,
Dan