Who has or has had an iguana on here?

Yungair23 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-06-2006, 04:07 PM

Just was wondering how many people have had iguana's or still do? Did you like them? I've got one and he is better than my cat in my eyes, any one else think that? Pics would be cool too!

CritterHouse · #2 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 03:22 AM

I love my iguana! shes a hearty 13 years old and is still goin strong, she has the best personality as well. She even recognizes my dads voice when he comes home from work! Iguana's are one of the pest pets out there (not for newbie's of course). Heres iggy.

Fairy_of_insanity · #3 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 03:26 AM

I had one. I hate how they're portrayed as common easy pets in pet stores...they may be common...but they aren't easy...I loved sheldon, but i very quickly realized i didn't have what it took to care for him... As long as you are experienced and have done your research though, they
are very wonderful personalities!

snydergeckos · #4 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 03:30 AM

agree with both of them. they are awesome pets and have a lot of personality. but like they said make sure you know what youre getting into cause they are not as easy to take care of like when everyone thinks of a green iguana.

Alika · #5 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 03:46 AM

I have a three-year-old male. He's great most of the time, but right now we're struggling with nose-rubbing from breeding season.

I agree... iguanas are probably one of the very hardest pets out there. They are also one of the most expensive. I read somewhere that the only pet more expensive than a green iguana is a horse. My friend with a horse spends about $100/month feeding him. I spend $60-$80 feeding my iguana.

His name is Xander:

MTB Mamba · #6 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 04:18 AM

Wow, thats expensive, care to give a breakdown of those costs...?

Pythons_N_Boas · #7 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 05:09 AM

I Do!!! I Do!!!

NicoleRussell · #8 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 12:21 PM

I have two rock iguanas..they really are wonderful animals...but in this house the tegus cost way more to feed...they have their whole prey items shipped from RP and eat PLATES filled with carcases....

NicoleRussell · #9 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CritterHouse

I love my iguana! shes a hearty 13 years old and is still goin strong, she has the best personality as well. She even recognizes my dads voice when he comes home from work! Iguana's are one of the pest pets out there (not for newbie's of course). Heres iggy.

13---congrats on the healthy Ig...most don't make it that long

Yungair23 · #10 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 01:08 PM

Yea i have had my iguana coming up on a year now and he is at that age where breeding season hit him but it was a mild one next year i know it will be full blown and he is a free roamer thats the hard part...but yea iguan's are great pets very nice pictures and very nice iguana critter house thats an old iguana...How tame are all yours i have been at it 1 year and now im at the point where he ( though its breeding season ) he never wips bites occasionly when he is getting annoyed like if i uncover him from his covers lol..he is perfect when picked up but prefers to walk on his own (will climb down from my shoulder if he knows where he is) but he is always hesitant when in his territory are all your ig's hesistant or how tame are they? I am just wondering if this is as far as taming is going to get as we approach 2 years old. Also when did you all get your iguana's like what age baby's or what?

NicoleRussell · #11 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 02:09 PM

my cyclura are like old dogs...they don't have an agressive bone in thier bodies

mo1416 · #12 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 02:31 PM

They're all beautiful

Heidi · #13 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 03:13 PM

I've considered adopting once and even had the hubby considering it. We just decided it is too unnerving with the kids. I would want it to be able to come out to socialize but I need to consider my kids before anything. I have not rule one out but the children will have to be much older before I would consider it again. I love looking at the pictures though. They have amazing personalities.

Yungair23 · #14 (**permalink**) 02-07-2006, 06:13 PM

yea i was also considering adopting another to house with my young male i have i was considering an larger female but i decided that it would be best to just keep working with the iguana i have now i took a long hard look at it and noticed how much i do care for him and how much more another iguana escpecially a female would be to care for. I just wish i got mine when he was a baby tho...This photo below was his first day in his old cage he has gained alot of weight a few inches but mostly his spikes have become massive since i got him. He was docile when i got him a few wips but he is basically the same now as he was he never was an attacker or real flighty.

Nexus · #15 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 08:55 PM

I had an iguana about ten years ago but I had to have him put down. He was probably the best pet I had had up till then. He was 6 years old when I had to have him put down and about 4' 6" long. He had always been fine although he was a bit feisty for periods of the year until he hit 5 then he became a thing possesed. If I entered the room he would throw himself at the glass trying to attack me. When I went in to the vivarium to feed him I used to have to wrap a towel around my arm to hold him off with. I had to errect a set of curtains in front of the vivarium to stop him damaging himself trying to get at me.

One day he got the better of me and took a good chunk out of my right shoulder that required a trip to the hospital and some repair work by the nurses.

Even after that I continued to try and calm him back down to the pet / buddy I remembered but to no avail, about nine months after the shoulder incident I was changing the water and he got the better of me again this time I felt his jaws graze my neck at which point I decided enough was enough.

It was one of the saddest decisions I have made but I could not afford to run the risk of placing him with another owner, because of his behaviour so I made the sad decision and had him put to sleep.

I am not trying to put people off of owning them, but you really need to consider all the possible difficulties of ownership.

Regard
Nick

Alika · #16 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuenteK25

Wow, thats expensive, care to give a breakdown of those costs...?

Sure, sorry it took me so long to get back to you!

I buy a variety of fresh greens and veggies once a week. I buy from the Wild Oats store (organic) because the produce is always much nicer there. I have to buy them once a week, because he eats a lot and the greens go bad pretty quickly, anyway. So I usually get 4-5 greens and 2-3 veggies, which ends up being $15-$20 a week, which is how I get $60-$80 a month.

Every six months, I have to replace his UVB lights. I've found that it's cheaper to get them online. I usually pay about $50 with shipping. Sometimes I will buy UVA lamps and CHE's or vitamins at the same time, and then the price goes up.

In a pet store, those same bulbs would cost me $80. So that's $100-$160 on lighting every year.

My vet charges me $40 for an exotics exam and $20 for a fecal, which we do once a year. So that's another $60, assuming he doesn't need treatment for anything (like pinworms).

Of course there's also the extra electricity for his lighting and heating and humidifier, but that's something every herp owner has to contend with.

So, just with those basics (that's not counting replacing CHE's, heat bulbs, reptile vitamins, thermometers, occassionally building a new cage, emergency vet bills, extra heating and electricity costs, etc.), it costs me a minimum of $1120 a year to keep an iguana.

Yungair23 · #17 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 11:09 PM

yea its pricy...sorry about the iguana trouble Nexus i hope mine doesnt become that way any reasons that triggered it you think?

Nexus · #18 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 11:24 PM

Not really sure he had always been healthy, and had always had periods were he was obviously ready to breed, increased bobbing, colours more prominent, etc. Except this time he never came out of it and if anything became more aggressive as time went on.

Mine was probably an exception rather than the norm, which was a shame as until then he had had an incredidle personality and charm.

Cheers
Nexus

Yungair23 · #19 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 11:28 PM

yea i was gone all day today and only got to say by and just woke mine up to say goodnite i feel awful but he is such a good iguana he waited all day for his potty time (the tub) and now first thing tom. is when i will let him go im coming more attached to mine day by day. Thats really weird almost like a breeding season that never ended right?

Yungair23 · #20 (**permalink**) 02-13-2006, 11:31 PM

also alika i dont pay any where near 20 a week for food i usually get 3 greens 2 veggies and a fruit every other week and that is only 10 at the most..Though i noticed if you dont have the "stop and shop card" its around that price. Check into it my greens for like collards and akle are like a buck a peice.

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