How to Care for Iguanas

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Tim Cole. I'm with the Austin Reptile Service. I've been keeping reptiles and amphibians for over forty years. I actually started out keeping iguanas when I was a kid, and back before I knew any better I thought they would make a good pet. But I learned the hard way that they're rather difficult, and take up a lot of space. There are a lot of lizards out there that do make good pets, and I would encourage you to look at a different species of lizard, rather than a green iguana. Green iguanas get large. They average five to six feet long if they're males. They can get pretty tough to deal with when it comes to breeding season. Even the owners will have difficulty dealing with them. Unfortunately, they're one of the most commonly dumped reptiles in the pet trade. We do reptile rescues, and iguanas are number one on the list. The animals that people are getting rid of, and mainly for two reasons; number one their size, number two their attitude. And there are a lot of animals out there that make much better pets. And granted, every once in a while a nice one will show up, but overall, they don't do well as pets. They don't want to be messed with. They do require a large arboreal cage, they're climbers. You have to provide UV light for them, a heat source. If you live in the southern half of the U.S. you might be able to keep them outside for nine months out of the year, which is not a bad way to go, 'cause a large iguana requires at least a hundred square foot cage. There's lots of web sites out there about iguanas. There's lots of books out there about iguanas. I encourage you to do your research before you get one. If you're absolutely insisting to get one, contact a rescue group. Don't buy one. There are plenty of rescue groups out there that have iguanas that need homes."