First time Iguana owner...

[Jeanne]

I would have to disagree about getting a bearded as a first lizzard, Yes they eat alot but are extremly easy to keep and care for, and thier tempermate is great for the beginner, I have always recomended them, I have been keeping them for 5 or 6 years now and can't think of any negatives on getting one, (other than they eats like pigs) but feeding 1 dragon is only going to run $5 a week on the high side and the lighting an housing are very simple.

$5 a week huh? How is that? A baby can eat 30- 60 (60 is on the high side I think, but not impossible) crix in one sitting 3 times a day (and even more at times), and if 12 crix are lets say like they are here locally, .90 then it would definately cost more than $5 a week, more like close to around $94 a week in crix alone while it still is eating mostly bugs. Now, you may be able to feed an adult dragon on $5 a week if it only eats greens and has little variety.

Buying crix at petshop:
5 doz crix @ .90 per doz. = $4.50
3 feedings a day @ $4.50 each = $13.50
daily feedings @ $13.50 each x 7 = $94.50
1260 crix a week max

Buying crix through supplier:
Approx. $14 for 1000 crix. plus shipping
* And even then, it would still not be enough to feed the hungriest of babies

Caging may or may not be cheap, depends on what one chooses, however, lighting initially can be expensive, and some lighting must be changed out every 6 months to maintain effectiveness of uv properties.

These are the reasons I do not recommend dragons as a first lizard.

[Python-77]

I must agree with you Jeanne, while BDs are really docile and easy to handle and not hard to provide care needs to. They still do cost alot to feed, as babies and as adults. my adults eat around 20-30 in greens per week and around 200 crickets per week, plus BD pellet food. I spend about 35 a week on the 3 of them.

[JimiSnakes]

Often igs in pet stores are sick.. parasite infested and lethargic. Pet store igs are all wild caught.

I friend of mine had an iguana and was tail whipped by it. He became deathly ill and was in the hospital for a month for selminella(sp?) poisoning.

[JimiSnakes]

A baby can eat 30- 60 (60 is on the high side I think, but not impossible) crix in one sitting 3 times a day (and even more at times), and

Wow, I can't get mine to eat five-six a day. Why is that? I try to feed him all the time and he doesn't seem to care that they are there. Whoooo

[Jeanne]

Wow, I can't get mine to eat five-six a day. Why is that? I try to feed him all the time and he doesn't seem to care that they are there. Whoooo

How long have you had it? And where did you acquire it? How old is it?

[JimiSnakes]

How long have you had it? And where did you acquire it? How old is it?

One week, Animal Dreams, and one is about three months and the other can't be more than a month and a half. Please email me because I don't want to steal the thread...

jimcricket@twcny.rr.com

[vtjvt]

$5 a week huh? How is that? A baby can eat 30- 60 (60 is on the high side I think, but not impossible) crix in one sitting 3 times a day (and even more at times), and if 12 crix are lets say like they are here locally, .90 then it would definately cost more than $5 a week, more like close to around $94 a week in crix alone while it still is eating mostly bugs. Now, you may be able to feed an adult dragon on $5 a week if it only eats greens and has little variety.

Buying crix at petshop:
5 doz crix @ .90 per doz. = $4.50
3 feedings a day @ $4.50 each = $13.50
daily feedings @ $13.50 each x 7 = $94.50
1260 crix a week max

Buying crix through supplier:
Approx. $14 for 1000 crix. plus shipping
* And even then, it would still not be enough to feed the hungriest of babies

Caging may or may not be cheap, depends on what one chooses, however, lighting initially can be expensive, and some lighting must be changed out every 6 months to maintain effectiveness of uv properties.

These are the reasons I do not recommend dragons as a first lizard.

SORRY, I feel like a moron, my brain thought things out well but my fingers have a mind of thier own, $5 a week was suppost to be $5 a day.
The fruits and veggies I don't even count as an added expense because we are buying them and such for the family anyway.

[gotiggy]

Yes, he has become a member of the family. Even with all the bad press Iguana's have, we still like him, we are torn. We fear what he could become, but love him at the same time.


Yes, I know he will need a bigger cage and we are already planning on building in a section in my sons room. He has a reading corner, it is 6 feet deep, 4 1/2 feet wide and would be 10 feet high. Right now it holds his bookshelf, a bean bag, a lamp and side table. Yes, he has all the lights and we have back up bulbs on hand. I ordered Iguanas for Dummies, it should arrive soon!

Last night he jumped off CJ's shoulder and went up the curtains. He was hard to catch. We left him there for about an hour. Finally he sat down on the couch and Elvis came back.

He's probably already become a member of the family! Please try your best to give him a good home if you're going to keep him. You're already doing a great job, holding him and acclimating him to the family really well. But he's going to need a mch bigger cage in a year... and a bigger one than that in another year. Ig's almost need their own room when they become adults. They need to be able to have UVB light (do you have him under one of these?) and they need to be able to regulate their temps.


You can get all the info you ever wanted about keeping an Ig here: Melissa Kaplan's Green Iguana Guide Just click on the underlined PDF (you'll obviously need Adobe to read it). Or, you can buy her book, Iguanas for dummies.

Good luck with the little guy!

[frankykeno]

I'm glad that since you are committed to keeping him you are planning ahead and getting up to speed on his needs now and as he grows.

Our friends that have an Iggy turned a closet into a fantastic home for Toni. They removed the regular door and rehabbed a solid core door with wire mesh and plexiglass. Toni has logs wired in to climb on, lights to bask under, a sling thing she seems to love resting in, etc., etc. It's a really nice set up and with utilizing an existing closet structure it wasn't all that expensive to set up. They also have a cage they built that she can go outside in on sunny days as well as an iggy harness (though you have to watch them, apparently they pick up and eat anything and do it fast!).

Toni is doing very well and like you they bought her not really knowing her needs would be so high but are committed to her wellbeing and are doing a wonderful job with her.


~~Jo~~

[Shelby]

A BULB is not a uv light, you need to get a tube (like a fluorescent light). (I believe the reptisun 5.0 are good ones) make sure any tube you get has uva/uvb light.

I hope you have good luck with him.