Reptile & Amphibian Forums

LEEWAY CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER (LCRC)

Sadly, due to the large numbers involved, lack of funding, indifference, and loss of interest- It is evident that released Iguanas are no longer being rescued down here. Efforts to help them have been abandoned and some previous rescuers now sanction leaving them loose. It must be understood that even in the best of winters, most of South Florida would be cold enough (South of Miami- Monroe County might be OK) that it would adversely affect the health of these lizards. I have seen the 'lucky' survivers of Hyperthermia. It is not a pleasant sight! Even those who survive often lose many of their digits (Which there is no autonomy unlike tails) or suffer severe lack of motor control. In addition, appalling numbers are killed and maimed by automobiles. I saw a Green Iguana with a crushed skull that lived which forever haunts me! Also, Turkey Vultures, various Hawks, coyotes, and dogs take Iquanas down here.

PLEASE do not release your pet into the wild! What you think may be paradise for your Ig could prove quite the opposite.

Thanks for listening.

Sincerely,
Brian
LCRC

I meant to add..

My own efforts with the SFCRC (SOUTH FLORIDA CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER) ran out of gas due to a lack of funding.

Brian,

Thanks for the post, I hope than some will listen to it and take it to heart. Turning them lose even in Florida is condemning them to a horid life. Also, if anyone has a home to share with any of these displaced guys, contact you local rescues or humane societies. They are always looking for homes for them and some can be a very rewarding experience

We have three right now, one was a fair prize as a hatchling, one was raised in a school room in a cage about the size she was for 2 years and fed monkey show At least in FLorida we can build them large enclosure and give them a quality of life since they were made captive, but it will not replace their natural habitat.

The other I was just a sucker for a little one that was choking on lettuce stalks and took home.

They are cute in the store, fair or school room, but these guys now are five ft and needs space and a lot of food, people do not seem to think of that when they buy them and if there is no demand on babies, there will not be homeless ones later.

Annie below, the 5 year old iguana that spend two years in a school room and now is our sweet baby, here she is just moved into her 2nd outdoor cage its 8' x 10' x 8' and she has an indoor large neodesha cage for the cool times. ITs kind of bare right now, but we just finished it Sunday, we will be adding a shade area, vines and more matting

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www.reptilerooms.com

Hello
I was just curious if you keep her out all yr long? I ask because have seen wild iguanas in Miami but wasnt sure if they could survive the cold period we some times get in "winter".

Lia

With overhead heat lights and UBV tubes inside them. THose are on the lanai and that is enclosed with vinyl windows so they stay nice and warm in them during cooler times. If it gets below 65 at night, we bring them inside and at night they have undertank heaters for warmth. With our weather here, they have to spend about 6 weeks a year inside and on some of those days they can still go out during the day.

Annie is easy to move as she is so tame, Skittles is a devil!
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www.reptilerooms.com

Okay thanks. I have seen some wild huge ones(only 3 actualY THAT WERE HUGE)over the yrs by the Everglades.
They seem to be able to tolerate the cold spells. If mine was a pet like yours I would bring it in when its chilly. Its nice that you keep them out most of the yr they love that sun.

Lia

Thank you so much for posting this. You have no idea how timely it is for me. By chance, I met a person who is hell-bent on driving to Florida to set his Ig free. He said he got loose one summer and was found looking better than ever. I sincerely doubt this since I live in Northern New England - and if the Ig did look better after a summer free in NE - how bad did he look when he escaped?

Anyway - I am trying very hard to convince this person that his has the WRONG IDEA. I've given him articles on the subject of releasing animals into the wild and I've offered to give his Ig a good home. Currently, he is ignoring me and I am sick about it.

Any other suggestions out there on how I might get through to this person? I realize there's only so much I can do, and unfortunately, I work with this person so I have to keep good relations. *sigh* I'm so frustrated.

Peace,
Chris

I realize that keeping on this guy's good side is in your best interest, and so is the well being of the iguana. Why does this guy have an iguana, and why does he want to "release" it?
My suggestion is to be honest about the position he's putting you into and tell him that the most ethical thing for you to do is report the release to your local animal bi-law agent. I'm sure this an act of cruelty that they can deal with, and/or it most likely is illegal to release non-native fauna.
In any case the mention of such action by you reiterates the seriousness of his proposol and may make him think otherwise.
I've used this approach in the vet clinic I work at and it has never come to the point of me actually having to go through with the complaint.

why all the fuss with iguanas?what about all the basilisks?does no one care about rescue them?or how about the nile monitors?im not trying sound unreasonable but i went to west palm and caught basilisks for my self as well as iguanas for my friends!i personally saw more wild basilisks than iquanas... all the igs were gravid as well!the locals have even accepted them as an everyday sight!all the rescues have an over population of them..(igs that is)they seemed to have adapted quite well to survive..from what i saw it is a battle you cant win..most pet stores in the area dont sell them there is no market for them when you can catch them in your backyard!!!

I'm not a Floridian, but we were in the Keys last winter, and got a bit off the tourist track (my 13 year old wanted to see No Name Key because it features prominently in some of the books he was reading). Wandered around a bit in the brush and discovered a large healthy, and happy looking iguana apparently living wild. Well, we asked the waitress about it over lunch, and she agreed that there were a number of them living wild there. They had originally been released pets, but were now successfully breeding.
So they apparently can live in very Southern Florida. (No idea what they do to the ecology of the region, though the waitress did mention that cats seemed to be their main predators).
Corinne
dragonfly@w-link.net