Iguanas are the most common lizard species to be kept as a pet. For someone looking for an alternative to your traditional dog or cat, they can be safely kept at home as long you follow the right guidelines.
Some people think that iguanas are low maintenance pets, however this is far from the truth. They are an exotic creature and you are taking them far from their natural habitat. So in order to have a a happy and healthy pet, you need to make sure you are 100% prepared. Here are a few tips for anyone considering keeping an iguana as a pet.
Finances
To look after an iguana properly you'll need to make certain financial commitments. You need to provide the right diet, a spacious habitat and also regular trips to the vet for a health checkup.
Commitment
Iguanas can live for up to 20 years in captivity. You need to think long and hard about buying such a pet. If you do it on a whim you will probably regret it later when you realize that your pet has become a life partner. You'll need to spend time with it so it can get used to your presence and eventually you will feel comfortable handling your iguana without fear of it escaping or running away.
Bear in mind too that if you are lucky enough to keep you pet healthy for a number of years, it's possible that it may grow very large. This means you will have to buy a bigger enclosure, feed it more often and also you need to be more careful about having young children and pets around as some large iguanas can become aggressive and difficult to tame.
Willingness to learn.
There are a lot of things that you can potentially get wrong when caring for an exotic pet such as iguana. If you are of a lazy temperament, and you;re not interested in the finer details your iguana's natural habits, then it's probably not the pet for you.
They have specific requirements when it comes to their diet. Some people think it's fine to feed them on dog food, but iguanas are hind-gut fermenters, which means they have a particular digestive makeup and you have to be very careful about what you feed them.
Generally iguanas are better off processing mainly vegetarian foods with the occasional insect. If you feed t mainly animal proteins, your pet may develop complications such as kidney stones.
They also have specific requirements for living. Being cold-blooded creatures, they need special heated lights in their enclosure for part of the day, otherwise they can easily fall ill due to bad circulation or exposure to the cold.
James L Crow writes is a online journalist who writes for a number of websites. His latest project is for a site where you can learn how to lose fat gain muscle fast.
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