What Do You Know About Iguanas?

My only experience with iguanas comes from the ones I helped take care of at my first job at a pet store. They’d come to us as babies and it was my job to feed them, which sometimes included holding their little jaws open to get the vitamin-infused Romaine lettuce into their little mouths when they wouldn’t eat. Fun times, right?

I did, however, learn a bit about them because I needed to know at least the basics when customers asked. Though I’m not interested in having one myself, I do think they’re very interesting animals, and my husband, who did have one as a teenager, said they make great pets.

The video above goes into more detail about what’s involved in iguana keeping and care. For example, though you may get one that’s quite small at first, they can grow to be upwards of four to six feet from nose to tail and can weigh up to 20 pounds!

They’re also not a pet you only plan on having around for a few years — in captivity they’ve been know to live for 20 years.

It’s also important to teach kids how to safely handle an iguana. As babies, their claws are needle sharp and I can’t tell you how many times I’d come home scratched up after a shift of feeding babies. Their tails are also used as a defense and can get pack a pretty good wallop when they whip it around! You get used to keeping the tail away from your face pretty quick.

Have you ever had an iguana?