Are Iguanas Safe For My Children?

Question

Its crazy I just found some pictures of Iguana Bites!

I am thinking of buying a book to learn more before I buy an Iguana for my family. There is one here:

http://www.petcareguides.org/iguana/iguana-care-bible/

The bites I saw were crazy!
http://www.anapsid.org/bites.html

Not sure if this is pet is safe with children....

thanks

Answer 1

No reptile, especially one that reaches the size of a green iguana, is safe for small children to handle. Besides the issues of samenella there is the natural instinct for the lizard to defend itself from what it perceives as an attack by the child.

I recommend getting Iguanas for Dummies. You have already found the author's site at anapsid.org.

Here is some care info

Diet:
Iguanas are herbivores; they do not eat animal protein of any kind. Commercially available Iguana food is not suitable for use as it usually contains animal protein. An Iguana's primary diet should consist of Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Escarole, parsnip, winter squash, alfalfa, strawberries, figs and a calcium supplement. The greens should make up the majority of the diet.
The Iguana should be feed early every morning. They will spend the rest of the day digesting the food. Water should be provided, preferably in a dish too small for the iguanas to immerse themselves in.

Size:
Iguanas can grow to 6 foot in length.

Age............... head to vent…..total length
Just hatched……...2 in ………….6-8 in
3 months……...….4 in…………..12 in
6 months…………6 in…………..18 in
1 year…………….8 in…………..24 in
18 months…….…10 in…………..30 in
2 years…………..12 in…………..36 in
3 years……….….16 in…………..45 in
4 years……….….18 in…………..54 in
5 years…………..20 in…………..60 in
6 years…………..22 in…………..66 in
7 years…….up to 24 in….....up to 72 in


Housing:
Where x is the length of the iguana, housing should be x tall, x deep and 1.5 x long. Iguanas are arboreal and need to have something to climb on. A bathing area is also desirable. Iguanas instinctually poop in water and they are likely to consistently use the bathing are to do so.

Heat:
Iguanas need a basking area, normally at the top of the climbing area that has a temperature of 95F. The lower areas of the cages should be cooler as a lizard regulates his body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler areas. The lowest temperature, nighttime, should not be less than 75F. Nighttime heat can be provided using ceramic heaters or night bulbs. Never use heat rocks with Iguanas as they can cause burning.

Light:
Iguanas live in equatorial areas. They should have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. They also require high quality UVB lights (such as reptisun 10) to facilitate vitamin D production to allow calcium absorption. Vitamin D drop are not a suitable replacement due to problems with dosing and lack of evidence on their effectiveness. Daily trips outside, in a suitable enclosure, are desirable when temperature permits.

Handling:
Iguanas must be handled daily to socializing them. As they can inflict injury with their tails, teeth, and claws the purchase of protective gear for the forearms is often considered (my son uses a leather jacket and gloves). They are not domesticated animals so this behavior is instinctual on the Iguana's part. The daily handling is to show them that you are a friend rather than a threat. Never punish an iguana, but at the same time do not let them win. If the Iguana learns that tail thrashing will cause you to put them down, they will always tail thrash when you try to pick them up.

Health:
Iguanas require reptile vets. Regular vets do not have the training needed to understand what is happening in an Iguana, or any other reptile. You can find a list of reptile vets in the US at http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html.

Lifespan:
In captivity Iguanas given proper care can be expected to live 20 years.

Answer 2

Iguanas are not great pets for children. They're not great pets for most adults for that matter. To care for them properly it takes an expensive set up and a lot of time. If you still decide you want one keep doing a lot of research and have everything set up before you bring it home. They have also been known to carry salmonella. Not good at all if you have small kids. And like you saw some can be very aggressive and can give a nasty bite and a tail whip that will leave a nasty welt. Good luck

Answer 3

I own an iguana and I wouldn't recommend any other pet when it comes to children. They are strict vegetarians and are friendly. You just have 2 be careful with how you interact with it. And wash your hands VERY well after an contact with it or anything it has come in contact with.

Answer 4

I own a lizard farm, complete with plenty of iguanas. They can be aggressive, expecally the males. They do grow very big, so keep in mind that you need to have a large cage. They can bite and scratch.

Answer 5

hi there
iguana's some are good and some a need work but for a first time lizards i would suggest a bearded dragon... they have great personalities and they love being held...we have many reptiles and we also have children we also rescue many reptiles and most are iguana's b/c ppl don't realize how big they get ... and it takes lots of time to train them .. but if u want a lizard ur best bet is to get a bearded dragon ...just my opinion

Answer 6

it depends on the ages of your kids. i wouldnt get one for younger kids.
i have had 3 iguana's and none of them have ever biten me, now i have been hit with their tails and it stings a bit.
if you handle them everyday it gets them used to human contact and you will be less prone to bites. handle them every chance you get when they are babies and they will be more calm when they age.
i would advise buying more than one book or doing lots of reading online about them cause some of what the books say are wrong. like broccoli isreally bad for them, but according to some books its ok. but it almost killed my iguana.
also see if any of the vets in your area treat iguana's and ask them their advise

Answer 7

No get a regular pet type animal if you're not allergic. Reptiles carry too many bacteria that could cause infections in a child.

Answer 8

ok its a horrible choice because they get up to 7 feet long and eat like crazy and scrach and sometimes bite if i were u i would get a breaded dragon they dont eat that much and mine hasnt tried to bite or scrach me

Answer 9

I would look out for the whipping tail. It's a defense mechanism. My brother used to have one, and it feels JUST like a whip!!!

Answer 10

I had a staffy but gave it away like a week ago they are very rough he acctually bit open my daughters arm then ripped off her skin