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While
Hollywood likes to show iguanas crawling alongside dusty
Mexican roads, in the wild, green iguanas are typically
found in the rainforest, spending most of their time up
in the forest canopy. Being tree dwellers, it's obvious
that they are excellent climbers, but less known is the
fact that iguanas are also excellent swimmers.
Iguanas
are a large family of lizards with over 700 species found
through much of the temperate and tropical regions of
the Americas. The iguanas showing up in pet stores are
typically the common green iguana and likely have been
imported from tropical iguana farms.
As
we know, all reptiles are "cold-blooded" which means their
activity increases or decreases with their body temperature.
Iguanas are accustomed to sleeping during the somewhat
cool nights of the tropics and coming out to warm up in
the morning sun. They then head out to look for plants
to eat - and to keep a watchful eye on territorial rivals.
Next they bask in the afternoon sun, as their bodies need
to be warmed to at least 35C for proper digestion.
While
most reptiles and amphibians have diets consisting of
insects and other small creatures, iguanas are vegetarians,
eating leaves, flowers and some soft fruits. They should
not be fed anything containing animal protein, which can
be hard on their delicate digestive systems. They typically
get their water from the vegetation they consume but will
take the occasional drink.
Now,
let's talk about iguanas as pets. Iguanas, if raised in
a healthy, friendly environment can become eventually
quite tame, even enjoying an occasional back or head rub.
While they are not dogs (or parrots), iguanas are social
animals and do develop a (lizardly) bond with their human
owners. Be warned though: they have a mouth full of sharp
teeth that can easily slice open your skin if they decide
you're deserving of a bite. An iguana's strong serrated
tail can also lash out and cause some damage if it catches
a handler in the face.
Iguanas,
and many other reptiles for that matter, have very special
living requirements (housing, temperature, humidity, lighting
and special food). While an iguana in a pet store for
$25-$50 may look like a good price for a pet, you should
be looking to spend at least another $300 in housing and
climate control equipment for starters and another good
chunk of cash on a first trip to the vet. And once you
bring home your new pet, you need to be ready for years
of daily food preparation, cleaning and disinfecting the
cage.
Still
ready for a vegetarian lizard in the family? A couple
more items might change your mind. Those cute little iguanas
you see in the stores are probably less than a year old.
A few years from now that little guy will be five to seven
feet long and weigh up to 20 lbs.! This basically calls
for a cage the size of your bathroom. And healthy iguanas
can live up to 20 years of age or longer. Unfortunately
a lot of iguana owners are not fully prepared for the
responsibilities of this increasingly popular pet and
many ill and dying lizards end up in the care of humane
societies. In the end, you might decide to just visit
iguanas in the local zoo or on your next trip to Acapulco.
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Looking
for lizardly love???
While iguanas can be hard to handle
due to their large adult size, there are many other
smaller species of lizards that, while requiring
significant care, are much more suited to life in
a home terrarium.
Check out your local pet shop and looks into anoles,
chameleons, skinks among many others. |
Some
good sites for info on iguanas:
NOTE:
I highly recommend any research you do on any pet be
done over the Internet or in specialist magazines. Most
books, even ones printed in the last 10 years, typically
are 20-30 years out of date in terms of the latest developments
in animal care. Consult several current sources and
use your judgement in the case of conflicting advice.
If you end up bringing a pet into your life save the
better websites so you can stay up to date and quickly
get answers to the questions that inevitably crop up.....Naomi
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