Iguana Facts and Guide On Buying Your Iguana

This article will introduce you to iguanas and answer the most common questions. We will discuss where iguanas come from, how long they live, if they are aggressive or venomous and so on. Then, we will talk about choosing and buying your iguana and how to bring it home on the first day.

What are iguanas and where do iguanas come from?

Green iguanas are arboreal lizards, which means that they live on trees in tropics and subtropics. These lizards are large and have tails that are few times longer than their bodies. Iguanas come from South America, including southern Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina.

Even though green iguanas are not native to Florida, they have been brought to Florida where they enjoy the warm climate.

Green iguana lifespan

Green iguanas live a rather long life, with males usually living longer. With good care, they live 10 to 20 years (for some males). An average is 15 years, and 10 years is quite unusual and low with proper care.

Green iguana size

Most adult iguanas reach 4 to 5 feet (121 to 152 cm). Some species can even reach 6 feet. Adult iguanas weigh around 18-20 pounds. Baby iguanas grow very fast and need proper diet high in calcium to grow.

Small hatchlings are usually 10 inches from head to tail, and they double in size within six or so months. Two-year-old iguana is often 2.5 feet long, and three-year-old iguana can reach 3.5 feet.

Are all iguanas same?

Not at all! All iguanas look differently, and it depends on where they come from. There are different color and size iguanas. One of the differences is a color pattern. There are erythristic (reddish or orange) iguanas, which are becoming more popular.

Other popular types of iguanas are albino (white, no pigmentation in the skin) or blue iguanas. Other ones are normal green iguanas.

You can find a list of iguana pets (besides green iguanas) and green iguana morphs in this post.

Are iguanas herbivores, carnivores or omnivores? Iguana diet.

Iguanas in the wild are omnivores, which means that they can eat both small insects and vegetables & fruits. But when keeping iguana in captivity, you should treat it as an herbivore, and feed it only fruits and vegetables.

Plus, some vitamins and minerals. Animal protein is not beneficial and only harms iguana. Read about iguana’s diet here.

Are iguanas diurnal or nocturnal?

Iguanas get active in the daylight and they sleep at night. So, they are diurnal. You can watch them being active during the day and getting tired in evenings. Turning lights off makes them go to sleep.

Are iguanas friendly or aggressive?

All iguanas are different, and you cannot say that all of them are aggressive or dangerous. Most people say that iguanas are unfriendly and aggressive, but this is not true in most cases. Some iguanas love interaction and enjoy being around their owners. Iguanas are also intelligent and can even be potty trained. But some others are shy or even aggressive. Generally, iguanas are laid back, love water and basking.

Remember that male iguanas are much more likely to become aggressive than females. Male iguanas become territorial and angry during the mating season or when they become sexually mature.

This mostly applies to iguana that needs to share a territory with another iguana, even if it is a female. They can bite and lash out with the tail.

If you really want your iguana to be social and friendly with you, make sure to get a baby iguana and build the trust and relationship with it for years. Everything starts with getting to know you and handling sessions, which should be increased gradually.

No matter what, be careful with a male iguana during breeding season. Their bites are serious (sometimes down to the bone!) and lashings hurt a lot. They also have sharp claws and their scratches cause deep cuts.

Are green iguanas venomous?

No, even though they carry Salmonella bacteria. If you don’t wash your hands after handling an iguana or kiss it, you risk getting infected with Salmonella, which will cause serious negative effects.

Salmonellosis causes fever, coma, and can lead to long-term disorders such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). People that are mostly at risk are children, elderly and people with weak immune system.

Are iguanas cold blooded?

Yes, iguanas are cold blooded and depend on environment heat to keep the warm. Iguanas require high basking spot temperatures of around 95-100 degrees (35-37.7 Celsius) to stay warm, digest food and more.

And now, a guide on how to buy your iguana pet…

Before you decide to buy an iguana, let’s see if this pet is truly for you and whoever lives in your house.

There will be different factors for picking an iguana, which we will discuss here. Make sure you are happy with them as you will have to take care of an iguana for 10 to 15, sometimes up to 20 years.

Before starting, make sure to read other post about pros and cons of getting an iguana here.

Here we will only discuss how to pick a healthy iguana and what to do the on the first day when you bring it home.

• The best choice is a captive-bred iguana from an established breeder. This is because imported iguanas can’t always get used to new conditions, carry multiple infections and often don’t survive in captivity.
• When picking an iguana, observe its character and personality. Is it sociable, happy and calm? Does it like being handled? If it is not and actually looks unhealthy, scared and aggressive, it will not become the best pet.
• If you cannot find a breeder that is selling a captive-bred iguana, choose a young small iguana that has been imported. For imported animals, look closely for behavior and don’t choose iguanas that easily panic and hide. They should be easy to handle and shouldn’t be running around with too much energy.
• Don’t choose an iguana that looks stressed, malnourished or ill. Iguanas that have been possibly caught and held in enclosures with other iguanas start stressing. Because of stress, iguana starts becoming weak and its health declines.
• An iguana can be carrying infectious parasites or bacteria (such as previously mentioned Salmonella) which weakens its immune system and can transfer these bacteria to you. Most sick iguanas become weak and die, even if your try hard saving its life.
• Suspicious indicators of poor iguana health are: low weight, swollen limbs or toes, hanging skin (sign of dehydration), damage in the eye(s), and lumps in the skin. Also look out for jaw swelling. Healthy iguana should also be docile, walk around calmly and flick the tongue from time to time.
• Look at iguana’s body – it should not have a lot of scratches or black pigmentation. Its belly should be full tail should be full and round.

Adopting an iguana

PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING AN IGUANA INSTEAD OF BUYING ONE! THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF GREEN IGUANAS WAITING TO BE ADOPTED, BECAUSE THEIR OWNERS COULD NOT CARE FOR THEM!

Of course if you adopt, you should still look for a healthy iguana. If there are some issues that you can fix, then go for it.

But do not choose an iguana that is seriously declining and will require a lot of money for vet trips. Usually, very ill animals do not make it. But everything will depend on your situation – please help iguanas in rescues instead of buying one.

Should I choose a male or female iguana?

Getting male or female iguana can be quite the same. Even though there are differences in male and female iguanas, they can be both docile, friendly to their owner and have similar characters. Some differences include:

• Male iguanas can become aggressive during mating season, when they start marking their territory. They can become aggressive to both other iguanas or pets and their owner. This is not always the case, though.
• What is more, male iguanas grow larger than females and have bigger crests. They also often live longer than females.
• Another fact that depends on the owner is the potential interest in breeding iguanas. You will have to think ahead about female iguana and take extra care of her when she starts laying eggs.

How to determine the gender of your iguana?

You won’t be able to tell the sex of your iguana before it reaches sexual maturity at around the age 1.5-2 years old. At this time, you can examine its vent area for specific features.

Male iguanas are much larger than females, and it becomes obvious when they become older. Male iguanas have larger head with lots of bumps on top of the head and down the spine.

They also have larger cheeks. Females have generally smaller heads. Male iguana’s cheeks are large because of big muscles, which make them look swollen.

Another way to find out iguana’s gender is to look at its pores on the sides of the legs. You can only use this technique when your iguana becomes sexually mature (around 2 years of age).

• Male iguanas have large and prominent pores that are ‘sticking’ out on the both sides of the legs. Pores start at the base of the tail and progress up in a straight line. These pores are filled with fluid that iguanas use to mark their territory during the breeding season.

• Female iguanas have the pores, but they are not as prominent and are lighter in color.

Have a look at this picture. Once you can see the difference between the pores, it becomes easier to identify iguana’s sex.

What should you do after buying and bringing iguana home?

After you have bought the chosen iguana, you should take it home and follow strict procedures within a month or so. Before bringing an iguana home, make sure its enclosure – terrarium/vivarium is fully ready.

You should consider the temperature, humidity levels and food and others factor. Read on how to set up a terrarium here.

• Bring you iguana home in a box that has holes in it, so your iguana can breathe.
• Find a veterinarian that cares for iguanas. After bringing it home, test your iguana’s feces for any parasites. Ask your vet to examine your iguana physically and tell you if everything’s alright.
• Place your iguana in its vivarium/terrarium and provide with food and water every day. Also offer it some electrolyte solution. Foods should include fresh leaves and fruits, such as plums and strawberries. Even if your iguana doesn’t eat in the first few days, be patient. If the iguana hasn’t eaten for more than 10 days, show it to your veterinarian to start force feeding.
• Avoid any handling of your iguana for around a month! Make sure to give your iguana time and peace while it’s adjusting to new environment. If these are hatchlings, don’t handle for 14 weeks.
• Cover most of the terrarium and don’t come too close to it for few weeks (other than giving food etc.). Observe your iguana for any weight changes. It should start gaining weight after few weeks if adaptation period has been successful.
• Provide your iguana with fresh water every day and mist it regularly in the mornings and evenings with warm water.
• With young iguanas, give them some vitamin supplements to help with growth. You can dust their food with calcium or spray the food with vitamins. Read on iguana’s supplements here.