Caring for a reptile is not the same as caring for a guinea pig, rabbit, cat, or dog. I know…since I have all of those pets in my family. Back in June, I decided to add two iguanas to my family (you can see my posts about my journey back into reptile care here). I figured that since I had an iguana as a child, it would be easy for me to jump back into caring for an iguana again as an adult. I was way off-base.
There is SO much to learn about proper reptile ownership. Every reptile has its’ own needs for proper health. These special requirements include proper habitat, diet, and taming/interaction. Before acquiring my new iguanas, I spent a lot of time researching Iguanas on the Reptile Care Center on petMD®, and I am still continuing with my research even today.
This post is going to share the tips I have found that will help you succeed in caring for an iguana in the three categories of habitat, diet, and taming.
Habitat
An iguana habitat is fairly simple when it is young. You can find a wonderful cage online at the Reptile Purchase Center on PetSmart.com. I chose a ReptiBreeze cage in the largest size and decorated the interior with branches and self-made shelving for them to climb and bask. The mesh paneling is also on the top of the cage allowing for their UVB and basking lights to be placed at the top on the exterior of the cage which is helpful for regulating temperature and avoiding burns.
The disadvantage to a ReptiBreeze cage is the mesh paneling. While iguanas like the mesh for climbing (iguanas prefer to spend most of their time hanging out in trees in their natural environment), the mesh allows the enclosure to lose humidity too quickly. In order to counter-balance this, I apply coconut oil daily to the full-length of my iguanas (as recommended by my veterinarian). I also mist them and placed a large pan in the bottom of the ReptiBreeze cage that I keep at least one inch of water in at all times. This helps them stay hydrated and shed easily.
Diet
This has easily been the most complicated part of proper iguana care. Before access to great resources such as the Reptile Care Center on petMD®, it was commonly thought that iguanas had a diet similar to other lizards, and thus they were fed insects, fruit, and vegetables. As it turns out, iguanas actually should not have a diet that consists of insects at all! Too much protein in an iguana diet will cause kidney failure. Because iguanas are strict herbavores, they also do not need a calcium supplement that includes phosphorus (so, be sure to purchase a phosphorus-free calcium supplement from the Reptile Purchase Center on PetSmart.com). Here is a quick guide to a proper iguana diet:
Taming
Some reptiles are the type of pet you just look at…iguanas are not those kind of reptiles. Iguanas grow to be five feet or larger and weigh upwards of twenty pounds, so it is important to raise a friendly, well-socialized iguana. The taming process starts when they are young. However, when you first bring your iguana home, you will want to give him some time to adjust to his new environment before adding in the stress of handling. During the first two weeks, just feed, water, and clean your iguanas habitat. After that, the exciting process of taming begins! In having two iguanas, I have found the rumor that reptiles have individual personalities to be 100% true. My one iguana was calm from day 1. I could pet her, hold her, or pick her up without any tail whipping or other fight or flight responses.
This is my iggy during a bonding session. See how calm and curious she is?
My other iguana however, was very fearful. Her response would be to posture, run, tail whip, or open her mouth really wide to try and scare me away when I approached for bonding time. Their unique personalities required an individualized approach to taming. My more social iguana is taming easily, but my more fearful iguana is taking much more time and confidence on my part. Confidence, because I have to be able to catch, and hold, a threatening iguana until calm. Through my research, I learned that the best way to tame a fearful iguana is through letting them realize you are not going to hurt them, but also not giving in to their threats. Remember, these reptiles get very large, so if my baby learns that tail whipping makes me go away, I’m going to have a BIG problem later on. So, instead, if she tail whips when I am cleaning her cage, I then take her out and pet her until she is calm. If she is calm when I clean her cage, I talk to her, but otherwise leave her alone. I am applying positive training principles to my iguanas, and I have made a TON of progress!
My Personal Experience
In the end, I have learned so much more than I ever would have expected in my venture back into reptile ownership. Reptiles, depending on the kind you choose, can be a lot of work, so be sure to research the reptile you are most interested in to determine if they are right for your home. I chose iguanas for many reasons, and while they are a more high-maintenance reptile, I am very happy with my choice! My other pets still have not met my iguanas, as I feel this is something that comes after my iguanas have thoroughly bonded with me and trust me, but I am sure, in time, they will become a part of my household. Until then, they get bonding time with me in a quiet room by themselves, where there are not as many “scary” things. I look forward to sharing the next stage in my journey as an iguana owner with you! If you have missed any part in this series, I will be posting all the links on my Iguanas as Pets Page.
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I’m curious… From where do iguanas get calcium in their regular diet? You mention a calcium supplement so they must need calcium. Do you know what they’d be eating in the wild that would give them that?
Purrs,
Seville
That’s a great question! Many leafy greens have a naturally occurring calcium, and that is why a leafy green should be part of an iguana’s daily diet. In the wild, iguanas eat a lot of plants that would fall into this category. However, in captivity, we can provide a calcium supplement to their food to be sure they are getting enough calcium in their diet and help them live long, healthy lives.
Great information Kama! We have a full grown Iguana at the shelter that I work at. His name is Frank and he just loves to eat his morning salad (typically falling asleep inside of it). He is huge and unfortunately I’m not sure the owner did all the research about all of his requirements. Either way, he will find a great home, hopefully like the one that you provide for your friends. Thanks for all of the great information. Hopefully someone who is considering adding an Iguana to their family will follow your tips.
It seems reptiles are a species I am constantly learning something new about! I had not heard about the coconut oil thing before – very cool. I’ve met some very large and friendly iguanas. I’m glad they didn’t tail whip me. That would have hurt!
It definitely packs more punch when they’re big, but they also need more space to tail whip when they’re bigger, so if you hold them close they can’t whip as hard 😊
I never knew all of these cool facts about iguanas. A friend of mine had one for many years and it made a fabulous pet.
I’ve never had a reptile, but they sure do fascinate me! I’m excited to learn more about them through your experience!
I don’t know much about reptiles, but at the last Pet Expo I was able to see an iguana and snake up close. And they were really neat! Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Wow, I never knew how much was involved in taking care of a reptile. I have never had one before. I found this to be very informative. It made me realize that an Iguana can take just as much if not more time to care for than the cat or dog. I always mention in my posts to research the dog breed before you bring them home, it should be research ANY pet before you bring one home. Thanks for sharing.
Love this!
This is really interesting! I had no idea that iguanas were herbivores. That is cool to know. Reptiles are really cool creatures. 🙂
I envy you. I’ve always wanted an iguana. Instead, I got a Bearded Dragon, though, because I figured they were easier for a first-time reptile owner. I love my Shirley, and haven’t looked back. Still, I can’t help but think that someday … maybe … I’ll get an iguana. Thanks for the post!
Have to admit I’d feel nervous having an Iguana as a pet, but this excellent information makes it a bit easier for me to get my head around it! Have shared it to my Pinterest Adoption Tips! Thanks.
I have an iguana that’s 6 years old and 5 ft tall he is a male he’s very active and he loves to be all up in the business he’s never in a cage the only time he’s in the cage is out in my backyard where I feed him and he Sun Bathes.
I have a question I live in Iowa and I need to try to find some how to train him in a cat litter box of some sort because it gets 0 degrees out here do you have any suggestion