I have raised and loved caring for green iguanas for twenty years as a hobby. In my small hometown, I was known as "the Lizard Lady" and it wasn't unusual for me to receive calls from locals, even the police, to come and "rescue them" from a loose iguana running amuck. They are wonderful creatures! As exotic as they are, they are not; however, easy to care for and should only be purchased as a "pet" by someone who will dedicate themselves to providing for their specific needs. (I once boycotted my county fair because they were giving them away as game prizes like goldfish!) You cannot just buy an iguana at your local pet store, take him home and toss him in a box and they do not generally make good pets for children. (I would suggest starting out with an "anole" first so that the child can learn how to care for lizards in general.)
Iguanas need and must have several critical things to thrive. First, they require a special habitat large enough to promote easy movement and will not cause entanglement. (Their tails account for 2/3 of their overall length.) They originate from tropical rain forests so they love humid, moist and warm temperatures; therefore, their habitat should be temperature controlled.
They need branches to climb, a heat rock to warm themselves on and a basking lamp to provide the necesarry vitamins their bodies manufacture from this type of lighting. (As well as real sunlight.)
A vitamin rich diet is very important for raising a healthy iguana. Calcium deficiencies can lead to broken bones, "rubber jaw", where their jaw becomes soft and rubbery to the point where the animal cannot eat), or stunted growth. Vitamin D deficiencies, from lack of proper lighting, will cause an iguana to grow weak and listless, to the point where it will die.
I have had many iguanas over the years and each has enjoyed a different diet because of personal taste, but I have always tried to ensure that the proper nutrients were somehow "sneaked in" so that they received proper nourishment. Most enjoy greens, carrots, grapes, strawberries...most fruits and vegetables, with a few exceptions that they should not, under any circumstances, be fed as they are not good for them.
For example, you shouldn't feed an iguana raw potatoes as it will give them worms. Tomatoes give them diarhea and should not be used in their diet. Certain plants that you may find in your yard are poisonous to them, but they will eat them if given a chance, like aloe vera.
Dandelions are a great "weed" to add to your iguana's diet as they are rich in calcium. Clover is also very good for them; which reminds me of why I wanted to write this article...
My present iguana's name is "Clover" and I have had her now for about seven months. She is about two and a half years old and has almost doubled in size since we brought her home. (Now, almost three feet long and requiring two hands to hold her properly.) She is a most finiky eater, turning her nose up at fare that most iguanas would love, much to my frustration. I've tried carrots, strawberries, grapes, cantelope, dandelion, clover, bean sprouts...the list is long and distinguished. She will dig out what she doesn't want, give me a dirty look and go plop down on her rock as if she is totally insulted whenever I attempt to "sneak in" something into her romaine that she finds distasteful. I am amazed that she is thriving as she is due to her picky eating nature.
Several days ago, I recalled having one iguana years ago who loved raw hamburger. (This particular lizard grew to six and one half feet long and weighed over 6lbs.) He was so large that I walked him on a leash like a dog! In my desperation to get "Clover" to eat better, I snuck in a few pieces of chopped up weenie into her romaine the other day. Much to my surprise she ate it! (And I was spared the usual dirty look.) So, the next day, I left out the weenie to see what her reaction would be. She approached her food plate with the usual zest, sniffed it with her tongue, dug around and then backed away from her usual favorite dish of romaine, refusing to eat and giving me the dreaded dirty look!
Well, I guess that showed me, huh? So, every day since I have included a small amount of weenie in her romaine. She continues to thrive and grow, and I get spared the dirty look at feeding time when the weenie is present. (And just in case you are interested, they are "Ballpark" beef franks...I wonder if she would eat the chicken or pork...hhmmmmmm.)
Yes, iguanas are so much fun to raise, if you are willing to accept dirty looks for love. Reptiles in general are not loving creatures and only tolerate being held or sitting on you because you are warm - not because they are affectionate animals.
With "Clover", I've learned that a little weenie can go a long way though!
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Contributor's Note
Please be a responsible pet owner. If you purchase an iguana please educate yourself about what their needs are. They are wonderfully exotic and intelligent creatures!
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