Suggestions Please

[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.

[SunsetRose]

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.

Iguanas are wild animals. Very, VERY rarely will you just happen to come across a completely tame, sweet iguana that somebody hasn't been working with. They don't tame themselves, if you come across a sweet, friendly iguana, then it came from somebody who spent alot of time with it. It doesn't matter how well you provide for an iguana, you can't expect them to just be sweet because of it. They aren't like children who you can pull a guilt trip with and say "oh I've provided food for you, a roof over your head and the clothes on your back, you need to listen and behave". Once your iguana is tame, then they are deffinitly sweet for the most part. I bet you spent alot of time playing with and interacting with yours. But again, they can still get hormonal during breeding season and they have bad days just like you and I so even with a tame one, there is still the possibility of being bit or whipped.

And about my post being harsh, I wouldn't call it harsh, just blunt. Honestly people NEED to do research before getting one and most people dont. I will give them every single troublesome and bad aspect of owning an iguana if that will get them to think twice about wanting one so the poor ig doesn't get stuck in a neglectful home. If you can read something saying that iguanas can be the meanest lizards possible to own before they get tame, they're hard to tame and they're just as demanding as a dog and not be put off by it and are still dedicated to owning one, then that deffinitly makes the experienced iggy people feel better about somebody getting one as their first lizard.

And about iguanas a dogs, I can have mine together no problem. The dog just needs to respect the ig's space, so you do need to have a well behaved dog. But a dog with a high prey drive might have more of an issue.

[Twisterdog]

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.

I had a six foot long male iguana for many years. While he could occasionally be sweet and friendly, for the most part he was aloof.

He was not overtly aggressive unless threatened, however, his perception of "being threatened" involved anyone wearing a hat into the house, for example. He would club anyone with his tail that made the mistake of not believing when I told them they better take that hat off. He, for the most part, ignored the dogs. But, he would not hesitate to bat them across the room with his tail, either, if he thought they were getting too close to him, too loud or rambunctious, etc.

He never bit, thank goodness, because bites of a large iguana are extremely nasty. But his claw were lethal weapons, and I trimmed and filed them regularly ... wearing leather cat gloves and a leather coat, BTW.

He was an interesting, beautiful, amusing pet. He was not cuddly or friendly. He had the potential to do a lot of physical damage. And he was most definately properly cared for and never neglected every day of his entire life. A lizard is not going to be appreciative of good care, and reward it with affection and good behavior, the way a well-trained dog might. A lizard is not a domesticated animal. It can be tamed, to some degree, but there is a wild creature right under the surface. Not a big deal when you have a lizard the length of your hand. A very big deal to the inexperienced reptile owner when you have a lizard the length of your entire body.

[SunsetRose]

I totally forgot about the "killer claws". I have to clip my guys' claws regularly or my skin will be shredded with just them climbing, I don't want to know what my hand would look like if they were thrashing around.

A really good book to read would be Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan. It covers everything you need to know.

And another note regarding iguanas and other animals, they won't hesitate to swat a dog or cat if they feel threatened. Cats will usually take the hint and leave the iguana alone in the future, but some dogs can percieve the tail swat as an invitation for play. And once again, the iggy swatting your dog or cat really isn't a big deal when they're younger and small, but when they get bigger, a tail swat can cause injury to a cat or small dog.

I would really suggest either getting a hatchling or juvanile iguana so that way you can get used to handling it and it will be easy for you to control. And it won't be a big deal if it bites or swats. By the time it gets big enough to cause injury, it will probably be tame for the most part. A large one that is tame may not remain tame after being moved and you certainly don't want a large one that has never been worked with or handled to try and tame it yourself.

[columbine]

One of my friends had a dinos - I mean an iguana that she took very good care of. She's a biologist. Last I saw the two of them he weighed more than she did, and she said she was spending more on him than on herself (if she split the rent evenly between them). We've fallen out of contact, but I was really impressed with how, as she learned each new facet of keeping an iguana healthy, she complied with it and just bore the expense. It's that kind of commitment.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

And about my post being harsh, I wouldn't call it harsh, just blunt. Honestly people NEED to do research before getting one and most people dont. I will give them every single troublesome and bad aspect of owning an iguana if that will get them to think twice about wanting one so the poor ig doesn't get stuck in a neglectful home. If you can read something saying that iguanas can be the meanest lizards possible to own before they get tame, they're hard to tame and they're just as demanding as a dog and not be put off by it and are still dedicated to owning one, then that deffinitly makes the experienced iggy people feel better about somebody getting one as their first lizard.

They do need to know all of the cons of owning an iguana or any pet before they decide on getting one, however they should know the pros too. Iguanas are one of my favorite animals- no doubt my favorite reptile. They can be great pets. If all you only tell someone the bad aspects of owning an iguana they could be missing out on a really special pet that they may really enjoy. The need to know both the pros and cons to make the best decision for their family.

To me proper care is more than just knowing how to correctly feed him. Spending adequate time with him is also part of properly caring for an animal. Proper care is also knowing how to read your iguana. You can read your iguana just like you can any pet. When a cat arches its back and hisses you know he wants to be left alone. Iguanas give you warnings the same way any other animal will. They will usually stand up, stick their dewlap out and usually close their eyes. As a show of dominance they may bob their head. They will usually give you plenty of warning before whipping or biting. If you ignore the warnings he gives you or if you approach him too quickly in a manner he's uncomfortable with then you may get bit or whipped. They absolutely can be aggressive, but a properly cared for one is much, much less likely to be aggressive than a not properly cared for one.

Also iguanas recognize familiar sounds- including voices. They are often frightened by new people with new unfamiliar voices. Taking a group of guests to meet your iguana is not usually a good idea. If guests come and want to see him we'll tell them to look but not to get too close. We will ask them to be quite too. If it's just one or two people my husband will usually hold our iguana and if Izzy seems comfortable with them then we'll let them touch him.

You also have to remember that they are a reptile- not a dog or a cat. They don't desire to be with you all of the time, they need time to themselves too. My iguana has days when he wants to climb up us (though he's a bit too big for that now) and he has days when he prefers to just hang out. You have to respect that.

They do indeed have sharp claws and they love to climb! Scratches will most likely happen. Clipping them often does help though. Izzy often wants to climb up us, he's too big though so we don't let him. We just pick him up instead.

[Lori Jordan]

Thank you all for your advice!

I have decided against getting a Reptile of any sort,I'm not comfortable doing so,I am not going to risk on getting something i know nothing about.

Maybe in the future we will decide to get one,But i am the kind of person that would have to know everything about the animal before getting one.

And i have alot on my plate with the 4 dogs i have and the 4 cats,As i am the only one that takes care of them.

So my husband and i decided we are just going to get a nice Tank set up,I have always wanted clown fish,So we are going to go with that or even Angel fish i absoloutly love them,I had them in the tank i have now but they all died,So now my pond fish are in it.

And im just going to keep that tank for the pond fish as i winter them in the house.

Thanks again,But i don't feel right,and you know it is not to be if your having second thoughts.

My daughter has been wanting a Geckos for ages so i think that is the only extreme we will go,Not an Iguana.

[SunsetRose]

Thanks for being responsible!

A leopard gecko would make a great pet for your daughter. They are mellow and easy to tame, don't get very big, and don't require a whole lot of space or maintenance. They are a great starter lizard to get you ready for that iguana later on

I love saltwater aquariums, the fish are so beautiful. I would love to have one, but I don't think I would be able to keep it maintained with all the salt levels, PH balance, ammonia level, temperature etc. If I do ever get one, I would probably hire somebody to come in once a week and keep it maintained and clean for me.