Suggestions Please

[Lori Jordan]

You need to consider the adult size.

My cousin's son brought home this cute little iguana. Four years later, it was 6 foot long! At that size, most people convert an entire closet for the iguana, if not an entire room. They LOVE to jump, and he could go up to the top of her entertainment center.

She gave the iggy to iguana rescue. He is now owned by a person who has a total of 5; the entire basement is devoted to them, and a large outdoor enclosure for their use in summer weather. He is one of the lucky ones, he got a good final home.

There ARE reptiles whose adult size is still in the inches - less than one foot. I would think you need to lean towards that type of pet!!!!

Just my thoughts.

You maybe right i dont want something that big i was looking at Gechos,Money is not an issue,I just want something that is easy to care for.

And yes i have to do lots of research before deciding,I really know nothing about reptiles,I was looking at everything even frogs.

Before i decide i want to know everything about the animal we choose,I do not want to take a life of something i have no knowledge up so off to the Books!

[Chilli]

Everyone has warned you about certain characteristics of iguanas I was going to point out, so I won't repeat that. =D

What are you looking at in a reptile? One you can handle? Or more of an observation pet? I don't know the most about reptiles and such, but I do have some experiance (I helped rehome a gecko once and I currently am providing a home for a White's Tree Frog). There are SO many species of geckos and frogs(if thats what you're interrested in), so I'm sure you'll find something that suits you.

Good luck!

[CathyBogart]

Just a few I can suggest off the top of my head:

Leopard geckos: Small ( a foot long or under...usually unser a foot), don't climb glass, usually very easy to handle, and very easy care.

Crested geckos: about a foot long, they DO climb glass, they're also easy to handle. THere is a little more involved in their care than a leopard gecko but they're still pretty easy.

Bearded dragons: friendly, pretty easy to care for, though the setup can be pricey (I know you said money's no object, I'm just using that as a comparison to the other two)

If he really likes the LOOK of the iguanas, Chinese Water Dragons are similar looking but much smaller (I think they top out around three feet including tail) and generally friendly little guys. They still need a sizable enclosure, but not as large as an iggy.

[SunsetRose]

Iguanas are very demanding animals, you need to do alot of research before you make a final decision to get one. They certainly aren't what you would call "beginner" lizards either, although if you are dedicated, do your research and are ready, you can deffinitly manage just fine.

Here's a copy/paste of one of my posts on another site to a kid asking about iguanas.

Don't get an iguana, they're a pain in the you-know-what lol.

1) They get HUGE. A male iguana can get 5, 6 feet long. When they get that big, they practically need free roam of a whole room. Either that or a custom built enclosure that takes up half a room. And custom built enclusures are not cheap, especially if you don't have a family member who will build it for you.

2) They have an attitude. You can get an iguana, spoil it, give it an excellent diet, have a super nice enclosure for it....and it's not going to appreciate it one bit and it's still going to bite you, tail whip you, run from you and give you open mouth threats. Even once they are tame, they are still wild animals and can act like one at any given moment. Now take the fact that they get huge, and add it to the fact that they can be aggressive. What does this equal? It equals the possibility of a bite that will send you to the hospital to get stitches.

3) Nutritional demands. Now this can get so complicated it's not even funny. You have to keep the diet varied so it doesn't loose interest. You have to remember that what iggy likes today, iggy might refuse to eat and suddenly decide it hates it tomorrow. There are foods you must absolutely avoid all together like apple and cabbage. There are foods that can only be given in moderation like carrots. Carrots are high in calcium oxalates which can crystalize calcium and cause MBD. You have to watch calcium. They must be supplemented with calcium or they will get MBD (metabolic bone disease) and their bones can literally turn into rubber and they'll die.

4) Heating/lighting and humidity. You must have a UVA/UVB light for an ig. This light needs to be on for 8 to 10 hours a day and you have to either remember to turn it on and off, or buy a timer. They need a CHE (Ceramic Heating Element) to provide heat for them during the day . They need a nocturnal heat lamp to provide heat for them at night without disturbing their sleep (which isn't a wise thing to do because it makes them crankier than they already are to begin with). A heat pad is usually also necessary in the winter. Because iggies are from tropical rainforrests, there is alot of moisture in the air. So you need a humidifier to create some moisture in the air.

5) Breeding season. During breeding season, you will have to deal with a gravid female laying unfertile eggs. This can make her either aggressive, or sweet, or completely unpredictable. Your suddenly sweet male will become totally aggressive and unhandlable. And you get to deal with this until breeding season is over (a few months later).

And those are just the basics.

If you want a simple, easy, fun lizard, then check out leopard geckos and bearded dragons. They are not nearly as demanding and they are alot tamer and friendlier.

Don't get me wrong, they're great pets, but only if you can provide for them. Once you tame them (took me a year to tame mine), they can be quite affectionate and fun to have around.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I find SunsetRose's post rather harsh and full of incorrect statements.

They get HUGE. A male iguana can get 5, 6 feet long. When they get that big, they practically need free roam of a whole room. Either that or a custom built enclosure that takes up half a room. And custom built enclusures are not cheap, especially if you don't have a family member who will build it for you.

Agreed. My iguana has a whole room to himself. Justin built him an "iguana jungle gym" to climb and "play" on and it certainly wasn't cheap. They also need a large enough water "container" to fit completely inside of. They love to swim, but they also poop in their water. We keep a dog water bowl in his room filled with clean drinking water in addition to a horse trough that he poops in. The poopy water needs to be very well cleaned out after every poop. He doesn't know that he shouldn't drink poopy water so getting it cleaned out as soon as possible is important.

2) They have an attitude. You can get an iguana, spoil it, give it an excellent diet, have a super nice enclosure for it....and it's not going to appreciate it one bit and it's still going to bite you, tail whip you, run from you and give you open mouth threats. Even once they are tame, they are still wild animals and can act like one at any given moment. Now take the fact that they get huge, and add it to the fact that they can be aggressive. What does this equal? It equals the possibility of a bite that will send you to the hospital to get stitches.

I agree with very little of that. If you properly care for your iguana it won't bite or tail whip you, actually the opposite- they can be rather sweet. My iguana love to be with us (he can be timid around strangers though). If you neglect your iguana than there's a good chance it will do those things. Yes a bite can and probably will send you to the hospital for stitches.

3) Nutritional demands. Now this can get so complicated it's not even funny. You have to keep the diet varied so it doesn't loose interest. You have to remember that what iggy likes today, iggy might refuse to eat and suddenly decide it hates it tomorrow. There are foods you must absolutely avoid all together like apple and cabbage. There are foods that can only be given in moderation like carrots. Carrots are high in calcium oxalates which can crystalize calcium and cause MBD. You have to watch calcium. They must be supplemented with calcium or they will get MBD (metabolic bone disease) and their bones can literally turn into rubber and they'll die.

Yes their diet can be complicated at first, but once you learn what they need it becomes rather simple. Yes their diet needs to be varied, just like people. They will have their favorites, but that doesn't mean they should only get that. They CAN have apple! They can also have cabbage in small amounts and not too often. Carrots are fine, it's the carrot tops that need to be given in moderation. The largest part of their diet should consist of leafy greens -collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc. (no lettuce, except for the occasional treat). They should also have a good amount of other vegetables- green beans, carrots, peas, sprouts, etc. They should also have some (not too much) fruit in their daily diet- banana, apple, berries, etc. We use a food processor to finely chop the fruit and vegetables. The leafy greens we tear into bite-sized pieces.

4) Heating/lighting and humidity. You must have a UVA/UVB light for an ig. This light needs to be on for 8 to 10 hours a day and you have to either remember to turn it on and off, or buy a timer. They need a CHE (Ceramic Heating Element) to provide heat for them during the day . They need a nocturnal heat lamp to provide heat for them at night without disturbing their sleep (which isn't a wise thing to do because it makes them crankier than they already are to begin with). A heat pad is usually also necessary in the winter. Because iggies are from tropical rainforrests, there is alot of moisture in the air. So you need a humidifier to create some moisture in the air.

This is really a pretty easy part of owning an iguana. Simply keep the iguanas lights on a timer, just adjust the timer according to the time of the year, but other than that you don't really have to worry about it. The humidity is easy too, just don't let it get too humid or that can get a fungus.

5) Breeding season. During breeding season, you will have to deal with a gravid female laying unfertile eggs. This can make her either aggressive, or sweet, or completely unpredictable. Your suddenly sweet male will become totally aggressive and unhandlable. And you get to deal with this until breeding season is over (a few months later).

Breeding season takes place during the winter months- approximately October through February. During this time feeding often becomes a bit frustrating as males often eat very little during this time- it's totally normal though. Males often dcan become a bit agressive (though mine luckily never has). Our male is totally handleable during mating season, we've never had any problems with that at all. Sometimes a pretend mate (made out of a sock) is recommended for males, we've never had one though.

[sweetpatata6]

Might I sugest a Bearded Dragon, if you're not too keen on Iguanas? They're really nice.

[Lori Jordan]

I have been researching on everything,And i am growing fond of the Geckos,They are beautiful,Hubby still wants a Iguana,But i do not think im ready to take on something as big as that at the moment.

Also i have dogs i would not want the Iggy in a cage 24/7,im not sure what the dogs will do,We found a blue spotted salamander in our yard a few years back and they were fine with that for the couple days it was her until a rescue came and got it.

I do not know how they would react if it was out and about,I would not want anything happening,My dogs are harmless but i dont know how they would react.

Does any one else have a Iguana around there dogs?How do they get along,also i have cats,They would most likely run the other way.