Is it expensive to keep at home iguana?

Question

I wish I could have lizzard at home, iguana or other, but there need to be terarium at home and diferent other things for keeping animals like this write.How could that all cost? And I have two cats at home,wouldn't that be a problem too for keeping lizzard at home?

Answer 1

Iguanas are not for beginners, they take a lot of time and dedication. They are the most intelligent of all reptiles, therefore, it's almost like taking care of a child. They do get expensive. Buying vegetables once a week, (they require a variety of different greens and carrots and cucumber and squash. Vet bills can get expensive. Building them a cage can cost you around 200 dollars, unless you let them free roam. Do not put an iguana in a terrarium. They do not make terrariums big enough for a full grown iguana. The enclosure needs to be at least 6'x6'x3' with a lot of ventilation. If you let him free roam, then you need to hang a UVB lamp somewhere that he can get to so he will get proper lighting. This lamp needs to be on a timer set for 12 on and 12 off. They are diurnal, which means active in the day time. he needs stuff to climb on and places to sit up high. Thes high places will make him feel more secure because he can look down over everything, therefore, relieving a lot of stress. Do not buy a heat rock. These are not for iguanas and can be fatal, iguanas get their heat from above, not below. If taken care of properly, they can grow up to 6 feet long, wiegh up to 25 pounds, and live to be 15 to 20 years old. Iguanas are not for beginners, so you should do a lot of research on these animals and figure out if you're ready to commit to this for the next 15 to 20 years. There's a book you can purchase at amazon.com that tells you everything you want to know about these animals. "Iguanas For Dummies" can be purchsed for around 40 dollars. I know it's a funny name, but this was the best investment I ever made when It comes to my iguana. If you don't feel like you can handle this, then I recommend getting something that doesn't get as big and you can keep it in a terrarium, such as a bearded dragon, a water dragon, or a gecko.

Owner of a 4 year old, 6 foot long, male green iguana.

Answer 2

I would reccomend something like a bearded lizard which can be kept in a very large fish tank (several hundred dollars). It would still be best to keep the cats away as they can stress out the lizard if they try to get to it through the glass. If you want to be able to handle the lizard the cats will be a threat both while you are holding it and if it escapes you. A lizard like an Iguana can actually become a threat to the cats when it reaches 4 to 6 feet. Because of all this it is best to separate the cats and lizard.

All lizards are going to be expensive. How expensive depends on the size of he lizard. Lizards require special equiptment like UVB lights, humidity generation, day and night heat sources, and a (preferably) glass cage. It should be obvious that as the size of the lizard increases the costs will increase.

Answer 3

The most expensive part of having an iguana is in making sure it has the proper enclosure and lighting. You cannot just put them in an aquarium. When purchasing an iguana, it seems quite small, but you must remember that they can reach 5 feet in size. You may as well get your cage to accomodate them for that size, as opposed to only 15 inches. Our iguana is three feet long, so his cage should be 6'longx3'widex6'high. On less your going to allow your iguana to roam free, that really is as small as you want to go for enclosures. So make sure you have room for that before you worry about anything else! Then you must consider the lighting that they require - basking light, UVB and night lamps. There is also the diet, which is leafy greens and such. Make sure you know what you are doing there, as you can poison them/ruin their kidneys and bones by feeding them improperly. Iguanas are not expensive to maintain, but the startup costs are high and then you must remember how big they get, the fact that they can live for many, many years and that there are many other aspects of owning iguanas that you need to consider - a vet, breeding season, etc. Our iguana and our cat just avoid each other. I would not recommend getting two - first imagine how much space you are going to need for the enclosure as now it would need to be even bigger. Second, iguanas can be territorial. I would recommend starting with something other than iguana, even as an owner myself.

Answer 4

iguanas are expensive in general along with any kind of lizards that grow to large sizes. an adult would probably be over $1,000 alone, not to mention the caging. they can be aggressive so cats+ iggy wouldnt mix. cages are spendy too and so is the other needs.

Answer 5

it is not expensive. All you need is an aquarium, or cage of some kind. If the cats are in the house, put the iguana in a back room, and shut the door. Use common sense. We had one and it actually laid an egg. You could see it through the glass, buried in the dirt ! If you're going to get one, you really should get two. How would you like it, if somebody stuck you in a cage for the rest of your life, by yourself...forever ?

Answer 6

Yes it would but no, they are not expensive.
They are rather low-maintanence actually.

Igunas are quiet creatures. And by introducing them to your two cats, you'd be breeding curiostity among both your cats and this would lead to your iguna getting hurt.

Your cats might try to 'play' with this iguna, and the outcome would be nasty.

Igunas cannot be just kept in a 'tank'.
They need to have freedom to move about.
Not to mention their food.

Hence, I would advise you not to have an iguna.

Oh and one more thing, Breeding cats are definitely more expensive than breeding an Iguna.

(:

Answer 7

Iguanas cost the earth. They need room-size enclosures. They're not a good idea.

Answer 8

its expensive having an iguana because i had one before its like 100 bucks for the cage and the heater well it depends wat kind your getting small or big ,big ones are over 50 bucks and small ones in the swuatmeet are 7 bucks.

Answer 9

the iguana itself is not expensive but everything else is very expensive. dont use an aquarium they will just outgrow it very fast.

Answer 10

Its freaking expensive