Green Iguana

[Tkryan]

Hey there all.

Im new to the forum, looks great :yes:

Just after a bit of advise, Ive been keeping Herps for bout 8 years. had bearded dragon's, chinese water dragons, Basilisks and a Argentine black and white Tegu.

ive always been very fond of Iguana's but hesitant because of stories i have read, heard.

Are they really as bad as people make them out to be?

When i say bad i mean, Temperament, difficulty in taming, sudden aggression?

I would really love to add one of these guys to my family.
any info would be greatly appreciated

[jarich]

I had two for years. One was a sweetheart and I never had any problems with it, the other was a holy terror that never calmed down and Im pretty sure dreamt of killing me in its sleep. There are a lot of variables that make a difference. Are you able to get captive bred iguanas there in SA?

[poison123]

I've had my iguana for over 2 years now and she is very aggressive. I got her as a tiny baby and she just never calmed down. I've had friends and family members with pretty calm iguanas.

[Gungirl]

I had one for years growing up. It was a calm and relaxed 99% of the time. I remember being 9-10 yrs old and going in its room to clean. He would come over to me and push on me until I took time to rub his head and he would almost beg for treats.

[poison123]

I had one for years growing up. It was a calm and relaxed 99% of the time. I remember being 9-10 yrs old and going in its room to clean. He would come over to me and push on me until I took time to rub his head and he would almost beg for treats.

I wish mine would come to me for that reason :( Mine only comes to be to beat me up.

[Gungirl]

My dad took a lot of time with him when he was little.. sitting in the room with food on his lap for hours at a time. It was not a simple thing but it worked and if I ever get another one I will do as he did. Our iggy had an entire room once he reached 2ft long, putting him in the room fully set up made him much more relaxed and happier. He was harder to deal with before he had all the space..

[Tkryan]

Thanks for the feed back guys, I am able to get captive breed Iguana's.

Still not hundred percent sure though, but in no big rush want to make sure im positive before i make this commitment. right now for me its between a iguana and a argentine Black and white Tegu

[Corey209]

Thanks for the feed back guys, I am able to get captive breed Iguana's.

Still not hundred percent sure though, but in no big rush want to make sure im positive before i make this commitment. right now for me its between a iguana and a argentine Black and white Tegu

Get a chacao giant argentine tegu!

[Tkryan]

Ive actually had one before and he was a absolute dream, Im just so fascinated by iguana's thats why im tyring to get all the info i can before i make a decision

[StudentoReptile]

If the decision is between a tegu and an iguana, then one thing you need to evaluate is: food cost. Can you more easily meet the needs of a carnivore or a herbivore?

[Tkryan]

to be honest i can do either. i have a large breaded colony of dubia roaches 1000+ and a colony of crickets that i use to feed my Tarantulas. In terms of a iguana cutting veg and fruit daily is not a problem although the diet is different i prepare fruit and veg every day for my wifes Macaw so a few extra min wont hurt. Money is not really a issue the personality and temperment is most important to me. I want a large lizard that will enjoy my company ( most days anyway) as i understand this is not a domestic animal.

I am not worried about the dedication or time taming will take, My main concern is i want a more even temperment and im getting so many mixed responses about the iguana (although that is what i really want) people that are making me doubt my decision.

[Lankyrob]

If the iguana is what you really want then i would go that way, you are more likely to go the extra mile to make things work with an animal that you are attached to emotionallly.

[Tkryan]

If the iguana is what you really want then i would go that way, you are more likely to go the extra mile to make things work with an animal that you are attached to emotionallly.

I agree with you one hundred %. see the reason im still even considering other lizards is because is i have 2 daughters, although they are old enough to understand and know to stay away from the Reptiles and will never be unsupervised around any of our animals i have to be cautious with my decision

[Lankyrob]

I agree with you one hundred %. see the reason im still even considering other lizards is because is i have 2 daughters, although they are old enough to understand and know to stay away from the Reptiles and will never be unsupervised around any of our animals i have to be cautious with my decision

Locks on all doors solve any issue, when we got our snakes our daughter was 3, all cages are locked and the keys are kept out of reach :)

[Tkryan]

hahaha This is very true. will im getting cage sorted out tonight and tomorrow theres a big Reptile expo this weekend here in SA so hoping to find something. Unfortunetly there arent any adoption places anywhere near me