How to Buy an Iguana as a Gift
Iguanas make great pets for older children. They're inexpensive and easy to care for and live happy, placid lives for up to 10 years.
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Instructions
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Check with the parents before buying an iguana, if the recipient is a child.
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Consider the personality of the person you plan to give the reptile to. An energetic child may not enjoy an iguana as much as a quieter youngster would. Iguanas are slow creatures who like to spend their days basking in the sunshine.
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Consider buying a gift certificate and letting the recipient pick out his or her own iguana.
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Find out if the recipient has an appropriate terrarium for the iguana, or make arrangements to provide one.
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Buy the reptile from a reputable pet store, iguana breeder or local humane society (if you opt against the gift certificate).
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Inspect the iguana's living conditions at the place you're getting it from. A dirty environment can make the animal more likely to harbor bacterial diseases.
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Check that the iguana you've selected doesn't have any open sores on its skin and has clear, bright eyes.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider buying a young iguana. If purchased when small and given an hour or two a day of human contact, iguanas grow up to be docile and affectionate pets.
Iguanas are herbivores, although they will eat some small bugs.
Iguanas can carry the salmonella bacteria, so they're probably not safe pets for children under age 8 who are too young to wash their hands consistently and thoroughly every time they handle the reptile. For the same reason, iguanas shouldn't be given to people with compromised immune systems.
Small children can also be hurt by the iguana's long tail and sharp teeth.
It's best not to give an iguana to a dog owner, since most canines see iguanas as prey and will attack them.
Comments
View all 12 Comments-
OMG! how stupid are you? iguanas are inexpensive, VERY expensive to set up, need a cage at least 5 x 3 x 3 foot (minimum), require special lighting and diet, are always to be considered wild animals, and are incredibly inappropriate for a child to keep as a pet. even the tame ones can and will scratch and bite if startled. they grow to be up to 6 feet long and live 16 to 20 years in captivity. an iguana is a commitment, not a present.
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ds9881
Oct 17, 2008
If you buy an iguana as a gift, yhou may as wellbuy a small coffin and burial plot for it as well. Especially if you are giving it to a child. All too often, well meaning people buy igs without doing any research first. Then they end up with a sick or dead animal that they didn't have any idea how to care for. -
mel1981
Apr 01, 2008
buying an iguana as a GIFT? as an employee at a pet store, i see first-hand why buying pets as gifts is WRONG. especially for a child who probably knows nothing about the proper care and doesn't really understand what to expect. green iguanas ARE cheap (we sell them for $15), and that's why so many people buy them... until they get 5 feet long and the owner gives it up. iguanas are NOT carnivorous, nor do they TYPICALLY have a temperament meant for a child to keep as a pet. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING A REPTILE, PEOPLE!
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mel1981
Apr 01, 2008
buying an iguana as a GIFT? as an employee at a pet store, i see first-hand why buying pets as gifts is WRONG. especially for a child who probably knows nothing about the proper care and doesn't really understand what to expect. green iguanas ARE cheap (we sell them for $15), and that's why so many people buy them... until they get 5 feet long and the owner gives it up. iguanas are NOT carnivorous, nor do they TYPICALLY have a temperament meant for a child to keep as a pet. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING A REPTILE, PEOPLE!
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saltwater101
Nov 16, 2007
NEVER give an iguana as a gift! Even if its for yourself, an iguana is probably not a good pet in the long run. Not only can they become aggressive and territorial as adults, what are the chances you can take care of them properly? You need extensive research and to talk to iguana owners. So many baby iguanas die because their owners feed them the wrong vegetables, or dog food even! Iguanas have very delicate dietary needs, and are SUPER prone to metabolic bone disease, and it can be fatal. if you even manage to save it from MBD, the effects are damaging and permanent, their fingers can become like noodles and they cant climb anymore. Also, an iguanas nails need to be trimmed or he could literally gouge hole in your arms! BE VERY CAREFUL about iguanas,they do not make good pets for beginners or even snake-owners.They are a pet in their own genre. please dont get one, especially as a gift
