Iguana? NOPE, Beardie!!!

Ok, this is how it goes...

My dad used to have iguanas when i was much younger, never more than one at a time, becasue they always died!

i never realized why, becasue then i was young and stupid.

I remember a lot of things, and now i am realizing why they died

1)Hot Rocks in the cage

2)Small Glass Aquariums

3)Feeding iceberg lettuce

4)bad lighting/heating


and he said "once the cat dies" which is my cat, by the way, "im going to get another iguana"

and i am HOPING that the cat doesnt die, for obvious reasons, and so my dad cant get an iguana

so, i was thinking::

"Hmmmm, i wanna bearded dragon, dad wants an iguana, which he cant, because hes not smart enough, and too stubborn to change, maybe i can talk to him and say, 'iguanas are pretty hard to keep and a lot are put in shelters becasue owners suck at keeping them, but bearded dragons are a lot easier to care for, so maybe youd get one of them, and id do the dirty work like cleaning and feeding, and all that, and we have something to share'"


and i know just about everything about keeping one, like hot temps ~110*, cool temps ~80*

feed babies as uch crickets as they can in 30 minutes, giving 5 at a time, a couple times a day, and have a bowl of greens, NOT iceberg lettuce

Full spectrum UVB lights needed in the 20 long for a baby, and 55 for adult




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i was wondering if there were anything else that i need to know, and just so you know, it probably wont happen, since he might not want one, and IF (and he is stubborn, so i might not get to him) let him let me get one, which is a lil costly, and i dont have any money, becasue i spent ALL my money on a new, great, digi. camera (EXPECT LOTS OF SNAKE PICTURES SOON)

but, my birthday is July 22, so aybe if i act quickly, and show my parents i really want one, they would get me one, or at least give me enough money for one.

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thanks, post your comments

[JLC]

Wow...I hope you can talk your dad out of that Iggy! Or at the very least, help him to learn better ways to take care of it.

You've got the barest basics down for beardie husbandry, but please continue to do as much reading and research as you can. For instance, they don't just want greens, but a variety of fruits and veggies along with their greens. And you need supplemental vitamins and calcium as well. Don't feed crix that are too big, or they could choke to death on them. (Crix should be about the same size as the space between a beardie's eyes) These are just little details that come to mind immediately. Not to mention shedding issues and substrate issues and what-all else.

And do your research on Iggy's, too. If your dad is hell-bent on getting one, then you'll want to be as fully prepared as YOU can be to help him get the best care possible, in spite of your dad's stubborness.

Good luck with it.

i have been doing EXTENSIVE research on beardies for the last.....3 days, but i mean, like, 18 hours online asking questions through AIM, caresheets, personal stories

i know all--well, MOST-- of the little details, i just didnt want to post them, theres kinda a lot to write, but easy to do

i think i am ready for a beardie

....now, persuading those darn parents....




p.s. i will do a lot of research on ig's too, just in case

[elevatethis]

Even if your dad does want an iguana, I'm sure he won't be resistant to any advice you can give him on how to actually take care of them.

And make sure that you ADOPT an adult Iguana. There are so many shelters that keep them and can't take in any more because of people wanting to get rid of them, and not enough people wanting to adopt them. Buying a young Iguana just supports the dilemma going on right now with them as pets.