5597. Green iguanas

Green, or common, iguanas are among the largest lizards in the Americas, averaging around 6.5 feet long and weighing about 11 pounds

One of the most popular pet lizards is the iguana. However, they require a significant time investment and a high level of care. They have severe feeding and housing requirements and can grow to be fairly large and are extremely powerful. They can also be tough to tame and may grow hostile if not handled regularly. Thus, here are some things you should be aware of if you decide to get an Iguana as a pet.

Behavior and Temperament

Pet iguanas must be picked up and held regularly for them to learn to trust you and feel at ease in their surroundings. This can be difficult because they frequently find human interaction odd and may oppose it. As a result, you must handle your iguana with caution and compassion.

Some iguanas prefer to climb on their humans, so if your pet iguana enjoys this pastime, wear protective gear. The tail of an adult iguana is strong enough to break a human bone. When handling them, pay alert to any struggling or hostility, especially if youngsters or other pets are present.

Common Health Problems

Iguanas, like most pet reptiles, carry salmonella, which can be found in the iguana's digestive tract. Before and after spending time with your pet, wash your hands well and avoid touching your face. Take particular measures if you have young children, seniors, pregnant women, or immunocompromised persons in your house.

Iguanas can be tamed with adequate daily care, but they have a strong self-defense drive and will bite, scratch, and whip their tails if challenged.

Kidney disease, which is commonly caused by dehydration, is a common health issue for iguanas. If your iguana is lethargic, has to swell on its body, and is drinking or urinating regularly, take it to a veterinarian right away.

Diet

Fresh food is essential for an iguana's health, and a high-protein diet can lead to health problems such as kidney failure. Iguanas in the wild are strict herbivores who avoid ingesting animal protein, even insects.

In addition to a high-quality pelleted commercial meal, give your iguana some fruit and a calcium supplement. Furthermore, iguanas require constant access to fresh water. Follow your veterinarian's feeding recommendations to keep your pet at a healthy weight for his or her size.

Because iguanas ingest their food whole without chewing, everything you serve must be diced or shredded into tiny pieces.

Housing the Iguana

Iguanas can grow to be up to 7 feet long when their tail is included, and they typically weigh around 20 pounds. As a result, an aquarium or a tiny reptile enclosure is a very short-term residence for a baby iguana. This size often astounds individuals who begin with a small baby iguana as a pet.

Most commercially available cages are inadequate for this tree-dwelling species. A suitable enclosure for a single iguana measure around 12 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 8 feet tall. Many iguana owners prefer custom-built enclosures with ramps, shelves, and climbable branches. Many people may even transform a full room or a large closet into an iguana's habitat.

To digest its meal, the iguana requires a temperature of roughly 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat lamps normally placed less than a foot away from basking ledges, can be used to achieve an ideal temperature. The iguana likes to bask at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and its habitat should not be colder than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use UVB reptile lights to offer adequate light exposure for 10 to 12 hours every day. Mercury vapor bulbs are appropriate for big enclosures or rooms. Your iguana will be able to bask in these lights thanks to the large branches and shelves in the enclosure.

Iguanas require at least 70% humidity in their surroundings. You can make your iguana's habitat more humid by adding a pool of water to the enclosure or using a mister. Misting your iguana twice a day is generally recommended to enhance humidity and preserve healthy skin.

The Pros and Cons of Keeping an Iguana

Here, we'll list some of the pros and cons you should consider before keeping an Iguana as a pet.

Pro: Lifespan

If cared for properly, Iguanas can easily live for more than 20 years. With commitment, there is no reason your iguana cannot live this long.

Con: Expensive To Accommodate

Iguanas require exact living conditions to live a long and healthy life. They will require a terrarium that is large enough to accommodate their final size, as well as appropriate lighting, humidity, and temperature conditions. Not to mention the costly appointments with a vet who specializes in exotic animals. If you believe you will struggle to keep an iguana for the next 20 years, you should consider a different pet. 

Pro: Relatively Easy to Meet Their Diet

Iguanas eat leaves, fruits, flowers, and vegetables in the wild, and this entirely herbivorous diet must be mimicked in captivity. Iguanas do not drink much water in the wild because the greens they eat and the humidity in their surroundings keep them hydrated. We recommend consulting with your veterinarian for a more specific nutrition regimen for your pet iguana.

Con: Difficult to Train

If your iguana is exceptionally resistant, taming it can take YEARS. If you don't have the patience to wait so long, there are many more docile lizards available. Giving them food with your hand is also a possibility; this way, they will understand that you mean no harm.

Pro: They are Diurnal

If you enjoy observing iguanas, it's preferable if they're awake at the same time as you. Iguanas are diurnal species, meaning they wake up with the sun. In the wild, they can be found basking in the sun on a tree branch.

Con: They Aren't for Children

Iguanas have powerful jaws and will bite if they feel threatened. Rapid or unexpected movements can shock an iguana, and toddlers can be fidgety. If an iguana feels threatened and decides to strike, its powerful tail can cause significant harm. So, if you have especially young children, you might want to hold off on the iguana for now.

 

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Reproductive biology

Male green iguanas have highly developed femoral pores on the underside of their thighs, which secrete a scent (females have femoral pores, but they are smaller in comparison to those of the males).^[8] In addition, the dorsal spines that run along a green iguana's back are noticeably longer and thicker in males than they are in females, making the animals somewhat sexually dimorphic.^[8]

Male green iguanas tend to display more dominant behaviors, such as head bobbing and tail whipping. They also tend to develop a taller dorsal crest than females, as well as taller dorsal spines (or spikes). Large, round, very pronounced jowls are generally a male characteristic. Jowls are located under the jaw and are protected by the subtympanic plate, which is a large, green, circular-shaped scale.

Green iguanas are oviparous, with females laying clutches of 20 to 71 eggs once per year during a synchronized nesting period.^[35][40] The female green iguana gives no parental protection after egg laying, apart from defending the nesting burrow during excavation.^[40] In Panama, the green iguana has been observed sharing nest sites with American crocodiles, and in Honduras with spectacled caimans.^[16]

The hatchlings emerge from the nest after 10–15 weeks of incubation.^[35][40] Once hatched, the young iguanas look similar to the adults in color and shape, resembling adult females more so than males and lacking dorsal spines.^[40]

Juveniles stay in familial groups for the first year of their lives.^[40] Male green iguanas in these groups often use their own bodies to shield and protect females from predators, and it appears to be the only species of reptile to do this.^[41]

Behavior

When frightened by a predator, green iguanas attempt to flee, and if near a body of water, dive into it and swim away.^[14] If cornered by a threat, the green iguana extends and displays the dewlap under its neck, stiffens and puffs up its body, hisses, and bobs its head at the aggressor.^[9] If the threat persists, the iguana can lash with its tail, bite, and use its claws in defense.^[14] The wounded are more inclined to fight than uninjured prey.^[14]

Green iguanas use "head bobs" and dewlaps in a variety of ways in social interactions, such as greeting another iguana or to court a possible mate.^[8] The frequency and number of head bobs have particular meanings to other iguanas.^[9]

Green iguanas are hunted by predatory birds, and their fear of these is exploited as a ploy to catch them in the wild.^[14] A hunter imitates the sound of a hawk by whistling or screaming, causing the iguana to freeze and making its capture easier.^[14]