breed Library > Iguana > Iguanas (all varieties)

Description

Although iguana can refer to other members of the lizard family Iguanidae, this article concerns members of the genus Iguana. For information on other genera. The species of iguana most commonly kept as pets is the Green iguana.

Personality

Iguanas tend to have tall, flat plates jutting from their back like spines, when adult. Several species of this genus are common as pets, especially the Green Iguana in the United States and Canada, which can easily grow to six feet long, even in captivity. When treated well they can be docile, affectionate, litterbox trainable, and even walked on a leash. Such pets are either crèche-raised, or harvested from the wild in Mexico. The average life span of a well taken care of pet iguana is usually 20 years. Captured iguanas kept as pets tend to be thin and nervous, often dying from side-effects of the stress of adapting to captivity - though if they're given a large swimming area in which to hide, their chances of survival improve, as they live on streambanks in the wild, diving in when alarmed or for other reasons. As they are cold-blooded creatures, they thrive in humid climates. The Green Iguana needs to be in temperatures of 75 to 90 degrees. If it is not kept under UVB lighting it can develop metabolic bone disease.

Things to Note

Iguanas are omnivores. They eat plants and meat, though usually tending to eat plants, mainly leaves and fruits. Sometimes iguanas (especially younger ones) will eat eggs, insects, and other smaller vertebrae.