Is an Iguana the right pet for me?
April 20th, 2010 | 
Author: I was thinking about getting an iguana and was wondering about some stuff. People say they’re not really for beginners, but I had a Green anole lizard about five years ago, a gecko a few years ago, and I recently lost my green snake. I was wondering how much more difficult iguanas are then these other reptiles, and if iguanas weren’t for me, what other lizards would be good pets? Any info is appreciated. 🙂
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Iguanas get huge very quickly. You will probably find yourself outside of your means to take care of an iguana after a year or two. As they grow they can become more aggressive – this may be partially due to handling them less when they become unmanageable. It became a family project to build new cages for my iguana, he eventually reached 6 feet in length which was considerably longer than I was tall at the time! Many people are afraid of iguanas due to their sheer size. Also, with a bigger lizard comes bigger, messier, and smellier waste.
they get big and they aren’t for beginners
If you have to ask, the answer’s probably no. They get big, they take work to tame and keep tame especially at the beginning. They’re expensive, and they just get huge. Did I mention huge? On the plus side, they frequently have more personality than mammalian pets. The difference between any other lizard and an iguana is about the difference between changing a tire and assembling a car. Most people seem to find they end up having to work their lives around having an iguana in order to meet its needs.
Check out Melissa Kaplan’s http://www.anapsid.org
i would not recommend an iguana if you are just a beginner.
they get insanely big very quick.
if you do not have time on your hands and can not be around it it will become dangerous and attack you because it will not be used to being around people.
they take a lot of time to tame.
you will need to put aside a huge space for itbecausee as i said they get huge meaning they need a lot of space myFriendd has one and had to turn his guest room into his iguanas room becausee it had gotten so big.
iguanas are not a very good pet forbeginnerss i would recommend a bearded dragon they are easy to house, there freindly, and i have one so that makes them even better.
hope i helped
I have a green Iguana..For me it isn’t hard to take care of him.But they are expensive! They need lots of attention and care.You Need to get a beginners had book and read it ALL before you get the Baby.Green anole lizards and geckos are WAY different then Green Iguanas. Iguanas and grow up to SIX feet. I’ve had mine since Dec. 11 2007 and he is a little over 3 feet long.And to top it off he was only a couple weeks old .
Iguanas also have tempers.. You can pick out a nice iguana and for a while it can be nice and clam.But when it gets to adult hood..Man it can get bad.They Bite. I though they didn’t have teeth..Well i was way wrong. There teeth are small but sharp.And they whip you with their tails..That also can cut you and leave you bruised! There nails can also get sharp if you don’t look after them properly.In the beginning when i had my iguana i had scratches all over my hands.
Caring for an iguana is like caring for a Kid.It gets tough and you spend a lot of money on them..But you become attached..Idon’tt know if you really want theresponsibilityy.So you should go one step higher than a Green Anole Lizard or a Gecko. A bearded Dragon is a really great Lizard! I hope i helped make up your mind!
A full grown iguana needs an entire room to itself. They are definitely not for beginners. What kind of gecko did you have? If it was a leopard gecko, it should have lived 15-20 years.
my daughters iguana grew to better than 6+ft. he has a really sweet disposition, but she does put a lot of time and effort into him. he needs exercise, so he hangs out with her and in good weather, she takes him outside. they do grow quickly and they have to be handled a lot so they don’t get nasty or fearful. if you have the commitment and the time, then i’d say go for it. a lot of people find they do not as the pet gets larger . without the proper exercise they get bored.
If you are dedicated to the iguana, being it’s slave, chopping up good staple greens, giving the proper UVB, proper heat, proper enclosure size as he/she grows, knowing that w/ an iguana you only have a 50/50 chance if the iguana will tolerate you as it’s slave for 15-20yrs, knowing that you may end up w/ stitches from an iguana bite, giving daily/every other day baths, and that’s just some of the things … then maybe an iguana is right for you.
I don’t know what your personal life is or how dedicated you truly would be … that’s something you need to determine yourself.
I’d recommend reading as much as you possibly can and figuring out for yourself if an iguana is the right reptile for you.
Do consider adopting one if possible at a rescue center before buying a “baby/young” one from a pet store.
Sites for you to read:
http://www.greenigsociety.org/ – http://www.iguanaden.org/ – http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html
A great book to read and have on hand:
Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan
Yahoo has some great sites for Iguana owners… these groups helped me and still help w/ questions .. if you’d like to join:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/ – http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IguanaDen/