'Iguanna Size?'

Iguanna Size?

MissyG (64.136.27.228) -

I like iguanas, but they can get simply HUGE. Do people keep their giant 5 foot iguanas in tanks still? Or does anyone let them run around the house?

Comment #1 Vicki (152.163.38.85) -

Yes, they do get huge. We bought one for my daughter when it was a baby. Remember how cute they are when their little dewlaps are the size of a dime? Mine is about 6 feet long now, with a dewlap as big as my open palm and he SLEEPS in a big glass case with his lights and heat, but I let him out to roam about during the day. I can't imagine never letting them out to move around. I take him outside to walk in the grass and bask in the sun too. He always comes back in.

The problem is that he has gotten so aggressive that I am afraid he will seriously hurt one of the dogs if he so chooses. Sometimes he is bad and sometimes not...very unpredictable. I have pretty much limited him to roam in my bedroom and he likes to sit on the back of the sofa and look out the window.

The other problem is the lovely poop piles they leave as they roam about. Mine used to be very very good about using the newspaper. Not so any more. He is indiscriminate and my bedroom carpet is the victim usually.

I have given serious thought to trying to find somewhere for him to go so he could live in a more natural habitat, but I am just not sure where to start. I do not want to see him mistreated or in a worse position than he already is. Since I live in Pennsylvania, he is a long way from his natural equatorial climate for living outside all year long.

Good Luck!!

Comment #2 Jeanette from AZ -

Are you serious? Six feet long? Oh my gosh that's huge!! I don't think I could handle an iguana in my house that would be that long. My daughter wants to get one (there's one in her classroom) and now I don't know if I want to get one if it's going to be six feet long LOL.

Comment #3 Courtney (1) from The South -

I think I would just stick with a lizard. Iguanas are too hard. What do they eat? If you have a 6 foot long iguana does it cost a fortune to feed it? I suppose they just roam the house because they couldn't fit in an aquarium. Or do you keep them in the backyard?

Comment #4 snakelover from ask me -

Mine is about 3feet right now. She mostly eats greens, romaine, some fruits and when I am lazy some commericial iguana food. They are not the cheapest pets in the world. Most people don't realize that a reptile's habitat, dietary needs, and maintenance will cost more than the animal.

Comment #5 JESSICA (24.181.34.45) -

IDON'T LIKE IGUANAS I AM JUST DOING A REPORT ON THEM!

Comment #6 Colin (63.176.159.153) -

I myself have a HUGE iguana and I have it in a HUGE tank, but I also let it out during the day in a fenced area in my tard, and one that has bushes and shrubs in it, and he loves it. I also tried donating it to the Pittsburgh Zoo and they said they cant take it because its already to big and old and would have trouble adapting to the zoo life environment.

Comment #7 Heather (65.87.56.105) -

I have two Iguanas. They are not too big yet. Vinnian is about 13 Inches and Adikis is about 9 Inches but they are growing at an amazing rate. I keep mine in a old large glass display case that we turned into a cage. I can stand inside it and I have two logs that cross in the cage and I am still wondering if they are going to fit when they are full Grown. I have not owned Iguanas before but have had other breeds. Out of all the breeds I have had I like the Iguanas the most. I take mine in the car with me and they love swimming in the bath tub. I love having them around. If both of them can't fit in one cage when they get larger I will have to go buy another cage but don't mind. I love them both but do have a favorite and that is the larger one Vinnian.

Comment #8 Pepper (24.181.77.114) -

Iguanas can grow to be six feet long, if cared for properly. They also have a long life span, so please think carefully before getting one.

Iguanas need proper lighting, with UVA/UVB. In order to maintain health, they must be fed a proper diet and have several hours of exposure to UVB lighting and temperatures in the 80-85 degree range. Feeding them improperly or not giving them the proper amount of light/heat will cause health problems and death over time.

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