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Posted by Ig Chick and Mr D on January 30, 2001 at 20:29:07:

In Reply to: How difficult are iguanas posted by Isaac on January 30, 2001 at 16:00:07:

Personally, we think that COST is one of the most prohibitive issues when it comes to keeping iguanas for many people. Enclosures, replacing UV every six months, the need for constant fresh food, regular vet care, increase in utility usage (electric, water, home heating fuel). In many cases what we come across is people not having the money to provide good care, not the unwillingness to provide good care. They try to get by with what they have or use cheaper alternatives that do not meet the needs of an iguana. Ultimately these people end up with sick and/or dieing animals and then are faced with larger vet bills they can not afford.

As far as an iguana being a first reptile ... it is our opinion that they are not unless the person in question has really done their homework and fully understands all the requirements, including how time consuming these animals can be. Iguana can be fickle creatures and often times require more than average socialization time.

What makes these animals relatively difficult to care for are all the reasons I mention above and more. There are safety issues that include risks to the animal, as well as to the human. The salmonella factor alone is worth an entire section.Salmonella, scratches, biting, tail whipping, claw loss, mouth rot -these are jsut a few examples. While it's true that salmonella is only contacted through ingestion, unless you are really on top of your game in the cleaning and disinfecting department, it is an issue, especially for young children who, much like iguanas, put everything in their mouth. One of the other issues is that it can be very difficult to locate a vet who is knowledgeable about iguanas. IF you're in doubt, scan the message boards and I'm sure you'll find one or two posts from people who claim there isn't a reptile vet within 80 to 100 miles of them. IF you don't have a vet lined up, don't get an iguana.

Unlike dogs and cats, where care information is easily accessable almost every where you go, accurate care info for iguanas is difficult to find. The majority of the correct information is on the net and not in pet stores. One of the things we have noticed is that iguanas tend to be appealing to lower income families due to how cheap one can be purchased for. Because accurate care info is not available in pet stores, these people mistakenly think that the $5.00 iguana is going to be cheap to care for. Most of these lower income families do not have access to the internet so the chances of them finding accurate info before it's too late are slim to none.

Are they a good second or third reptile? Again, it depends on how informed the human is. Iguana care is very different from most other reptiles/lizards. The closest comparison we have found is the Uromastyx and even that is not exactly the same. We always tell people research, research research and then research some more.

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nodding in agreement ... (more) iZ's mom 01/30/01 (0)

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: Personally, we think that COST is one of the most prohibitive issues when it comes to keeping iguanas for many people. Enclosures, replacing UV every six months, the need for constant fresh food, regular vet care, increase in utility usage (electric, water, home heating fuel). In many cases what we come across is people not having the money to provide good care, not the unwillingness to provide good care. They try to get by with what they have or use cheaper alternatives that do not meet the needs of an iguana. Ultimately these people end up with sick and/or dieing animals and then are faced with larger vet bills they can not afford. : As far as an iguana being a first reptile ... it is our opinion that they are not unless the person in question has really done their homework and fully understands all the requirements, including how time consuming these animals can be. Iguana can be fickle creatures and often times require more than average socialization time. : What makes these animals relatively difficult to care for are all the reasons I mention above and more. There are safety issues that include risks to the animal, as well as to the human. The salmonella factor alone is worth an entire section.Salmonella, scratches, biting, tail whipping, claw loss, mouth rot -these are jsut a few examples. While it's true that salmonella is only contacted through ingestion, unless you are really on top of your game in the cleaning and disinfecting department, it is an issue, especially for young children who, much like iguanas, put everything in their mouth. One of the other issues is that it can be very difficult to locate a vet who is knowledgeable about iguanas. IF you're in doubt, scan the message boards and I'm sure you'll find one or two posts from people who claim there isn't a reptile vet within 80 to 100 miles of them. IF you don't have a vet lined up, don't get an iguana. : Unlike dogs and cats, where care information is easily accessable almost every where you go, accurate care info for iguanas is difficult to find. The majority of the correct information is on the net and not in pet stores. One of the things we have noticed is that iguanas tend to be appealing to lower income families due to how cheap one can be purchased for. Because accurate care info is not available in pet stores, these people mistakenly think that the $5.00 iguana is going to be cheap to care for. Most of these lower income families do not have access to the internet so the chances of them finding accurate info before it's too late are slim to none. : Are they a good second or third reptile? Again, it depends on how informed the human is. Iguana care is very different from most other reptiles/lizards. The closest comparison we have found is the Uromastyx and even that is not exactly the same. We always tell people research, research research and then research some more.

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