is an iguana a good pet to have?
2006-12-08 01:07:35 · 7 answers · asked by Frank A 4 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
I am on my second Iguana the first died at the ripe old age of 12 not bad considering she was stunted from her first owner's lack of care.
I do not recommend a iguana for a pet. It is a wild animal. I love my Vinnie (the present over 4 foot 7 year old) and I would not give him up for anything ...that being said.....
He is high maintance. He is a wild animal and you can never totally trust him.
He is pretty good at relieveing himself appropriately but when he doesn't it is a nasty!!!
No plants are safe from his stripping it so extreme caution is needed for your choice of plants in the house.
He may reach 7 feet long by the time he is ready to go to the rainforest in the sky. Finding a competent vet is very challenging and expensive.
At his full size he can break a man's leg with his tail. His bite locks onto anything it can fit in its mouth. I can not stress that yes...my Vinnie is wonderful, he is very gentle around me. But he has a wild animal brain ,,,,,flight or fight for survivial and I can never really know when he decides he is at that point, or what may cause him to feel he needs to do either.
I know this is long but the decision to get an iguana has to take a long time. In my area Iguanas are restricted meaing you can not own an iguana, or sell iguanas (I had mine before this law came in and am okay to have Vinnie until he dies)
There are plenty of smaller lizards or snakes that are much "safer" to care for.
Think long and hard!!!
2006-12-08 02:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by Searching for answers 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Searching for answers gave a very good answer for someone considering making an iguana part of the family. Yes, I have scars on my arms and hands from bites and getting snapped by a tail or scratched, but I also consider Iguanadonna a part of life that is made more full by her presence. Before you decide, go to www.anapsid.org and Melissa Kaplan's Herp and Green Iguana site and read, read, read! Make an informed decision before going to the expense of setting up a habitat for an iguana and bringing one home, because they do take some time and a great deal of attention, not to mention that they will eat all the houseplants, climb the curtains, take over the bathtub, (with you in it!), scare the dinner guests when they climb their legs to get at the salad and terrify ferrets, dogs, cats and go swimming with the goldfish and Koi. Did you know that an iguana prefers to take bowel movements in water, such as bathtubs, drinking bowls or the fish water? At ten plus years, Iguanadonna has a body four feet long with much more than that in tail, which is solid muscle and used as a defensive weapon. Then there's that yellow eyed stare an iguana fixes on you when they want something, usually a little more warm Vitamin E oil rubbed on their heads after their bath or a tidbit of a treat, usually the whole head of romaine. I'm glad to have known such an aristocratic character and happy we said yes when the people, who never considered everything before taking her home, asked if we wanted her.
2006-12-09 00:38:45 · answer #2 · answered by cowboy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh what could I not say that is good about iguanas. Myself I love them, I have 2 of them. But yes as other people have pointed out they do require alot of work, attention, and most of all love. Iguanas do need love too. If you have the patience and willingness to learn everything about them then your iguana will be your best friend. Ichabod, my 6ft male loves to sit next to me on the couch and watch tv or he will come find me for some attention. But this is after years of taming him and just because an iguana is tame doesn't mean that you don't need to reinforce it all the time. If you really are serious about getting an iguana tho, I would read up on them 1st. There are excellent websites like Mellissa Kaplan's as before mentioned. I purchased a book myself when I first got Ichabod because I had no clue about them and I would recommend it to everyone that has an iguana "Iguanas for Dummies". So if after you read about them and still decide that iguanas are the animal for you, I would ask that you try to rescue an iguana 1st before buying one. Only because it is very sad to say but iguanas are one of the #1 throwaway pets. They are cute when they are small but when they are big, people just get rid of them. Well I have rambled enough, I hope my info helped you tho. Best of luck!!!
2006-12-08 07:03:34 · answer #3 · answered by turtlefan01752 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For a bigginner, not really. Iguanas get very big and need a lot of space. They have to be fed various food. (laituce and carrots alone wont do it!) They have to be taken out of their tank every day to tame them and so they can exercise. If they dont get proper care, they are easily affected by deseases and calcium or vitamine defeciency. And sick iguana can be a very mean iguana! I you decide to buy an iguana make sure its your only pet cause it will take up all your time.
On a brighter side, if you are very caring and give him all he needs, iguanas can be very good pets. They get very colorful and some tame down a lot. Some people let their iguana loose in the house, but i dont really recommend it.
Finaly you have to choose your iguana carefully. Its better to get a young one so he gets used to you. And make sure that he is in really good health.
If you need any infos on how to care for them, there are very good sites on the net or ask your question here!
Good luck!
2006-12-08 01:59:51 · answer #4 · answered by mpberrigan 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do a search on Melissa Kaplan and iguanas...she's the queen of iguana info.
Iguanas can grow quite large - to the point that they pretty much need their own bedroom!
2006-12-08 02:15:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have one, I love her, but wouldn't own one again. To get info on how to keep and iguana go to:
http://www.greenigsociety.org
2006-12-11 08:11:34 · answer #6 · answered by iggy315 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are great but they need lots of care and responsibility.
If you are not taking good care of them, they can easily become ill, thin, aggressive or stressed and stay small....Taking care includes a big terrarium, proper nutritious food with calcium and vitamins added, proper temperature, UV lighting, keeping them clean and handle them frequently so they will be tamed and not aggresive or scared.
2006-12-10 14:46:57 · answer #7 · answered by Nostromo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋