Posted by Allison on June 17, 2000 at 12:04:08:
This is a long story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible. Earlier this year, my fiance's mom gave his little brother an adult iguana. His brother is 19, but is never home and totally irresponsible. So his mom has been caring for the iguana for about six months now. She has no experience with reptiles and received bad advice from the previous owner. (Like feeding it mice and keeping it in a small cage.) She is disabled and just recently moved into a handicap apartment complex, which does not allow herps or large pets, so she has to hide it. The poor thing is about 3 ft long living in a 4 ft cage that is kept in a closet. I don't even know if he has a light in there, but he has a heat rock. (As if being locked in a closet wasn't punishment enough.) She can't really pick him up, so he stays in the cage all the time.
We offered to take the iguana since we can at least handle him and provide better care. I've done some research on iguanas, (I sent her a lot of caresheets after she got him), but have never handled or been around one. According to his mom, the iguana has lived in a cage most of his life. (Not the 4 ft one though.) Is it possible to have him free-roam our house now, or do they have to be trained from young? The previous owner did say he was paper trained, but kept him mainly in his cage. Where can I go to get more information on caring and caging a large iguana?