Do iguanas make good pets?

Question

i remember feeding my cousins iguana lettuce and carrots when i was just young. i loved it he was so kewl. i was thinking about getting an interesting pet for my room and i was wondering if iguanas are easy to take care of and worth the while?

Answer 1

Iguanas can be fun pets, but in my experience not the easiest to take care of.They require a lot of space (they get big) and you need to heat that space to keep them comfortable. When mine got big, I moved them into my spare bathroom and warmed it up. I'm sure there are better ways to do it, but it worked for me. Also, mine developed some kind of mucus around their mouths and I had to give them injections.

If you are looking for an interesting pet to keep in your room, try a bearded dragon. I kept mine in a 40 gallon tank. They still need heat, but they are smaller and in my opinion, easier to deal with.  

Answer 2

Iguanas aren't really a great starter lizard. They can get to be real big. If you were thinking of getting a lizard, start with maybe a leopard gecko or an anhole.

Answer 3

  not  really,  but  they  are  good  with baked  potato  and  veggies

Answer 4

well i cant say anything anymore, so ill just say don't agree with the answer you want to hear, listen to those like evanescence_fr3ak...

Answer 5

Great pets, lots of work though!  They need a ton of room when they get bigger, a big veggie diet, and are pricey to take care of, iguanas needs lots of care.

Answer 6

Iguanas can make good pets, but only if you are willing to put a lot of time into caring for them and the effort to tame them. To help you answer your question, no, they are not very easy to take care of. They can live over 20 years and if you put the correct amout of time into caring for you iguana it should live a long life and will eventually grow to 6+ ft. ( meaning you will need a custom cage). If I were you, I'd stick to getting a bearded dragon or something that doesnt need as much maintenance in the long run.  

Answer 7

Iguanas make beautiful pets, if you have the experience, income, space, time and means to take care of it.

They grow very large (6 ft or so) and because of that need huge enclosures, sometimes as big as a room just for themselves. (9-12 feet) Because they're diurnal, you'll need not only heating fixtures, but also full UBV/UVA lights so they can absorb the vitamins in their food.

Your iguana will need a varied diet of greens, veggies and fruit, not just lettuce. Their food will take up space in your fridge and is something you'll need to get up everyday to prepare. (consider this especially if you're still in school, an iguana will not understand that you're running late and the bus is leaving.)

Aside from all the care requirements, when iguanas grow they can become less and less tame over time. I own a pair of these beautiful animals and have had them for eight years since they fit inside my hand. They came to me very tame and though the male has stayed tame and will happily sit on my shoulder; the female bites, chases me and has whipped me with her tail countless times. Trust me, it hurts.

So instead of burdening yourself with a green iguana, that is definitely not easy to take care of... have you considered geckos, bearded dragons, collared lizards, skinks and the like?

Answer 8

Iguana's make fantastic pets, but make sure you do your research before buying, as far as i know different reptiles have different ratings, such as level 1 for beginners etc.... if you are a begin er try a bearded dragon to start with as they are quite hardy and easy to maintain, but what ever you decide to get, think about long term, how big will they grow? what size tank they will need when they grow? stuff like that. don't jump in head first. good luck!!!!

Answer 9

I'd like to first say lettuce (romaine and others lettuce) do not make ideal diet for iguanas. Romaine is mainly water. Good staple greens for iguanas are, collard, mustard, turnip, endive, etc.

Owning an iguana has it's pros and cons. Depending on the iguana you have a 50/50 chance if he/she will tolerate you as it's human slave. Some iguanas can be very "loving" to there slave/owner. Some can be very "aggressive" towards the slave/owner. Iguanas take a lot of time to socialize, and you still may not have a "loving" iguana. If you don't provide the proper spacing for the iguana, that can lead to "aggressiveness" also, so you need to provide a living space of 6-7ft tall x 8-10ft long x 4ft, then you need to provide the proper UVB, there are UVB tubes that will provide the UV ray he/she needs, there are some UVB that say they provide the UV ray when the actually don't and there are some UVB bulbs that can actually cause eye damage to your reptile. There is daily multiple feedings. Daily baths. Many health issues that iguanas can get in time. You may end up at the ER for stitches from an iguana bite. If you end up w/ a female you need to provide a nesting box, multiple X-Rays just to see if she is gravid, then you need to have one after to make sure she laid all the eggs. If you are in high school please consider, if you go away to college whom will be taking care of the iguana for you. Iguanas if properly cared for can live 15-20 years. If you go on vacation, who will care for your iguana, iguanas again may or may not like the pet sitter. They are not like a cat/dog where you can just leave food out for a few days and be fine. If you want a reptile just because it's "cool", an iguana isn't the pet for you. There are a lot of iguanas in shelters that there owners thought where a "cool" pet to have. If you are not going to give the time after the "cool" factor is over, again iguana is not right for you.

I'd say to read up on iguanas and other reptiles, find out which would be best for you and your life style. And think about future also.

Most first time reptile owners, go towards Bearded Dragons. They can be much more easier to handle, and less "aggressive".

Sites for you to read:

http://www.greenigsociety.org/

http://www.iguanaden.org/

http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

http://www.anapsid.org/mainlizards.html

http://www.baskingspot.com/

http://www.reptilerooms.com/

A great book to read and have on hand about Iguanas:

Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan