Iguana?

[ShortStack]

Well, until my boyfriend moves down and I have a place to keep a snake, that's pretty much out of the question because I'm not allowed to have one in the house. So, I'm really wanting another animal, and a girl I know has an iguana for sale. I am still waiting to hear back on details, but I was curious about buying them. If I decide to get one, but I don't get it from the girl I know, where is the best place to get one? I know we have a reptile show coming through in May, so do they normally have them? How are the prices? Any other basic info/advice you have? Thanks!

[jmugleston]

Personally I love iguanas. I have a few myself. That said, I would advise against getting one. They get big. Require large caging, a special diet, and special care. Their temperaments can be variable depending on the sex and season. If you don't have quite a bit of experience with lizards an iguana would be a bad choice. If you're wanting a lizard pet there are a number of better options out there.

[purplemuffin]

Yeah I don't know many people who own iguanas who recommend them.. They are AMAZING animals.. But get ready to spend more $$$ than any snake. They need huge enclosures, an extremely varied diet, and almost always seem to need vet care at some point(from breaking their tail while whipping it to getting something infected, to getting impacted on human hair from walking on the carpet and curiously licking it, they know how to get themselves into the most expensive and worrisome kind of trouble)... And they do get huge and can be incredibly dangerous. I feel safer with a monitor than I do with a male iguana in mating season!

Oh yeah, mating season. That'll mess you up, boy or girl, they both go crazy(males attacking everything, girls hormonal and egg laying..Just hope they don't get egg bound!)

I really would suggest any other lizard other than an iguana. At least for now. They need a lot of planning. Beardies are a good option, and so are water dragons(But they tend to be picky eaters and get substrate in their eyes!)

But good luck with your choice!

[ShortStack]

I appreciate the advice, but IF by chance I do decide to get an iguana, then I would only make that decision after doing A LOT of research. I would never blindly get a pet and just assume that I was capable of taking care of it. I'm not saying they aren't a lot of work, but I'm not going to just say, "Oh, they're too much work" before I've researched and decided that for myself. I also wouldn't be alone in this. No, my boyfriend isn't here yet, but he has had several iggys over the years, and still has one now, and he is just a phone call away with a lot of advice. He and I have briefly talked in the past about me getting one.

One of my main questions is what is the average price of a baby, and where is the best place to buy them.. Petstore, breeder, reptile show, craigslist, ect.. I'm definitley interested in the reptile show prices and quality, because that is the 1 place my boyfriend hasn't gotten any of his, so I don't have any info on that one. Thanks.

[purplemuffin]

Rescues are always great, but if you rescue one you'd likely end up with a lot of problems(either unhealthy or with some bad habits!), and I don't really recommend buying from petstores. Most babies I've seen on kingsnake are like 15 dollars to 25 dollars. In petstores I've seen them for 5. It's the cost of setup that is where the money goes

I've never seen iguanas at a reptile convention, but a lot of them down here don't allow people to sell green iguanas at a convention(which honestly I'm okay with!)

Sorry if I sounded harsh. It's just crazy how overwhelmed people can get by these awesome animals. I have no doubt you would do more research first, but so did Nathan's family, and no research prepared them for the terrors of their first breeding season! They thought their iggy was psychotic! There is a reason why they are for sale on craigslist all the time when they do survive long enough to get big!

Don't get me wrong, I love our iguana, but oh boy how our lives would be easier if she was something else, lol!

[LizardPants]

Listen to Purplemuffin's advice. Sorry for the doom and gloom, but...

Iguanas are great, but they are a real challenge. Even if you ARE experienced with some of the easier lizards such as bearded dragons or leopard geckos, iguanas are in a completely different league.

Can you buy or grow fresh organic produce to feed it every day? Can you clip it's nails? Iguanas can scratch you up worse than any house cat, whip you with their tail (which will also scratch), and they can also bite. Not all of them are this aggressive (many CAN be quite sweet), however are you prepared to deal with the aggression? Oh one more thing, their poop is in a different league too!

"Petstore, craigslist" Sorry to be harsh, but are you serious? In my opinion these are the two worst places to buy any animal. Buy from a good reputable breeder.

[ShortStack]

"Petstore, craigslist" Sorry to be harsh, but are you serious? In my opinion these are the two worst places to buy any animal. Buy from a good reputable breeder.

Ya, I've heard the "horror" stories.. It's just trying to get opinions from all angles.

[BPelizabeth]

Youuuuuuuuuuu looooooooove Gizmo....lol (yea I was singing that)

Ok what everyone stated is true...they are very difficult and not a starter reptile. Their bites are super super painful and get ready for scratches all over your arms...seriously you will look like a crack addict....lol

Ok with all that being said....look to see if their are any breeders. Do some research on different stores and see what looks best. ??? Other than that not sure where to get them. You can go on green iguana society website and there is tons of info and ppl that have been keeping them forever. They have so much knowledge!!

As far as their cage....once grown they will need a cage around 6ft by 5ft, and they eat a TON! lol All greens and veggies though but you will be surprised how quickly they go especially with a full grown iggy. With iggys its kind of a crap shoot....hence if you get a rescue adult...its easier in my opinion. Babies take a long long time to train and take a long time to become tame ...but some just never do. They will hold everything bad against you as it was clearly your fault..and their memories are forever.lol Babies are fairly vicious most times....as they are scared to death you are going to eat them. It takes at least a couple of hours a day for 6 to12 months to get a baby to tame up in most cases.

With adults the males after about 3 years will go into mating season and some of the most calm and loving igs will go after their female owners hence you have to be very careful. Many of them come out of this after the season but I know a few owners whose hubbys have to handle the igs during this time. With the females they are not as agressive but even though they have not mated will lay eggs and you have to make sure that they do not get egg bound.

Now....lol...with all this being said it can be very rewarding especially when you are dealing with someone like Gizmo. He is super fun and has a great personality. But I have my little iggy baby that is not quite a year old. He was abused and is just a physco. I work with him usually about 3 hours a day and it is slow slow slow going. lol I am hoping when he gets a bit bigger all will calm down.

hmmm...I think I have covered a lot. Check out green iguana society....there is soooooo soooo much great info and join and talk to ppl there. You can find me under Michelle Bell. Hope that helps.

[Valentine Pirate]

There was a PDF I downloaded a long time ago when looking into iguanas that's about 80 pages written by Melissa Kaplan, you can find it here. It has TONS of info, and of course find other sources for your research, but it proved to be a great help to me (I decided against an iguana for now, at least until I have my own house where I can make some custom enclosures that won't have to move much xD)

As far as where to get one, I know Tom Crutchfield and others are breeding albinos, and I'd bet a few bucks they'll also have normal green ones for sale that you can pick up. Reliable breeders are definitely the way to go in getting an iguana. I really advise against getting these lizards, but it's your personal choice, good luck!

[BPelizabeth]

You do what you feel you want to do. I think you have such a big heart that you will be able to give it the time and dedication needed. They can be very rewarding.....and they can break your heart ....super smart lil lizards!

Valentine...thanks for that info...it was awesome! You can also check out bannana iguanas...they are yellow and black and super cool looking.