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Are Iguanas ... Good for people who are beginners in keeping reptiles? No! Easy to keep? No! Able to keep in an aquarium tank? No! They will grow huge, eat a lot, and have to spend lots of time and money to make their environment and for their food and electricity. But, Get very tame...Yes! Can be toilet trained...Yes! You will become a person who can not live without an iguana...YES!!! |
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Size
First of all, I want to tell you about their size. Maybe you can not guess by just watching those cute little babies at your pet shops, but they really get HUGE. I mean it. Average size of baby iguana you can see in shops has SVL(Snout-Vent Length) of around 6cm and total length of 30cm or so.
But year later, you will have over 1m iguana. Their SVL will be over 30cm. That is 5 times bigger in length and 125 times bigger in their mass. You'll have to believe me, this is true.
And 3 years later, You will have an iguana with SVL of 40cm over. That will be 300 times larger in their mass or weight. Their total length will be around 1.5m to 2m.
So, think about this very carefully. Can you live with this huge dragon? You should take enough time to think. If you are uncertain, think again. I will not recommend you to buy one before you can recognize this creature and imagine the life with this creature.
It will be better to ask somebody who has mature iguana to see. It is not too late to decide after seeing an adult iguana.
Cost
Even if you can purchase your iguana by few thousand yen($10 to $20), you should use ten times as much to create their environment to give them better life.You will have to make their cage, heating system, lighting system, etc. You should not keep them in an aquarium tank. They are not a fish. Cage must be at least 1m by 0.5m by 1.5m height. You can build it your own or use a glass green house.
You also have to think about the running cost. Those are mostly spent on their food and electricity charge for heating and lighting. That will be quite a lot.
Also you should prepare for maintenance fee of your equipment, vitamin and mineral supplements, and save some money just in case you have to go to a vet.
All these must be prepared before purchasing an iguana.
Time
Time will also be necessary for daily maintenance. Juvenile iguanas eats several times a day and defecates several times a day. I will recommend someone will be always at your home. If you live alone and you have to go out early in the morning and return late at night, who will take care of your iguana? I will not say it is impossible but you should make up your mind to wake up 30 minutes faster every morning. Give them their food, clean up their cage, and make them sunbathe in a warm sunny day. At night or at your lunch time, you will have to go to the grocery store and buy them some good leafy greens. Iguanas will become a fantastic pet if you are willing to do all these things. I will not recommend to people who can't think of their life like this.Conclusion
Iguanas can be your great companion, if you...- have a love to iguanas.
- recognize their size correctly.
- have plenty of room to keep 2m dragon.
- have enough money to buy expensive calcium rich greens and pay the raised electricity charge.
- have time or make time for their daily maintenance.
I will have to ask you to think more, if you...
- saw the little baby iguana at the pet shop and just thought it is cute.
- haven't seen any mature iguanas.
- are at home only to sleep.
I really feel very sad of hearing "I didn't know they get so big.", "I didn't know they cost so much.", "There are no space for iguana.", etc..
These excuses can be avoided if you try to recognize them and simulate your life with iguanas before purchasing them. I think it is important to spend time before buying them.
Please think for a while, and think again. If you still want to live with iguana, then they will become your friendly family.