This is my standard letter to people who are getting ready to buy an iguana. A similar but much shorter page can be found at: http://www.geeky-boy.com/buy_ig.html --- I like my iguana a lot and I think he makes a great pet. I'm glad that you are finding out more about them before getting one - they make great pets ... *IF* you know what you're getting into. The main thing about iguanas that you have to be ready for, is that within 3 - 4 years, they get *BIG*. You have to build a cage that goes from floor to ceiling (they are naturally a climbing animal). They also get STRONG. When it's time for the yearly vet checkup, you need to use quite a bit of strength to get them into a carrying box. Once at the vet, the iguana can become very frightened and will lash out and try to bite. Last year I wasn't ready for it, and his bite gave me a huge gash that bled a lot. Now the vet and I wear heavy leather gloves (although he can still give quite a bruse if he bites a gloved finger). Iguanas are also naturally rather wild. If you want yours to be tame (a necessity actually) then you must handle it most days. When you first get him, it will take a month before he is completely used to you. Better to get a small iguana - I would not want to try tame a large one. Even once he is completely tame, if you stop handling the iguana for a month, he will lose some of his tameness. It will take a week or two for him to become comfortable with you again. During that time, don't be surprised at how strong his tail is when he whaps you with it. The handling is probably the hardest thing to do with the iguanas. Not because they are hard to handle, but because of the time required. A full-time job or full-time schooling doesn't leave much time at the end of the day for interacting with your iguana. It's easy to get busy for a few days and forget about him. (Unlike a dog, an iguana will not trot up to you and ask to be played with.) Once you get out of the habit of handling him, he will make it that much harder by trying to keep you away, mostly by whipping his tail at you. It can take a several weeks to get back into the handling habit if that happens. Even when they are completely tame, they will still challange you from time to time. Especially a male who is going through his breeding season (they start at 1 or 2 years of age). You can tell it's his season because his legs will turn orange and he will be much less tame. During this time, you should still handle him, but less so. Give him a little more space. He can't help it. And there are other times when iguanas can be downright dangerous. Take a few minutes to read http://www.geeky-boy.com/perry3.html - I have to put up with that at least once a year. (And imagine an un-tame iguana acting like that *all the time*!) Finally, if there are family members who are not completely comfortable with him, he will know it and he will lash his tail at them. That will keep those other family members uncomfortable. So, you will have to accept being the sole care giver for the iguana. That said, if other people can get over their fear, they can become good friends with the iguana. My 9-year-old son climbs into my iguana's cage and pets him several times a day (except during breeding season). There have been a few times that he has gotten whapped with the iguana's tail, but it hasn't stopped him. My iguana has never tried to bite my son. In spite of my iguana's size and strength, I feel comfortable with my son interacting with him. There are a few expenses to deal with. The biggest one will be the cage. It cost me about $300 (US) to build his cage. It's not much to look at - if you want a nice looking one, be prepared to spend quite a bit more. Fortunately, you won't need a big cage right away. Most people keep baby iguanas in tanks. That will work for about a year. Then you'll need to worry about space. Also, iguanas need special lighting. A fluorescent tube that gives off UV-B is essential, especially for those of us with long winters. Get a ZooMed "Iguana light". You'll have to replace it every 6 months or so. You will see regular screw-in light bulbs that advertise they are "full spectrum". What they mean is "full visable spectrum". They give off mostlly visable light, a little bit of UV-A and a teeny-tiny amount of UV-B - not nearly enough to keep an iguana healthy. You need the fluorescent tube within a week or two after getting your iguana. They should also get the vast majority of their heat from overhead. In spite of what the pet store person says, don't get a "hot rock" (or "sizzle stone"). In fact, ignore 99% of what the pet store person says. Most of the correct information about iguanas has been discovered in the past 5 years or so. Most of the books and pamphlets you see are terribly out of date. (This can be true of recently published material also, since that material is often based on older sources.) More on up-to-date information in a moment. For heat, you'll want to use regular high-wattage light bulbs shining on him from above (I use 150 watts placed several inches away). Be sure to have a metal screen to separate him from the lights. Otherwise he will burn himself trying to get too close to the bulb. (They don't feel pain much - he will actually come into contact with the hot bulb if you let him.) Also, be sure to have a cool spot in his cage. They regulate their temperature by moving between warm and cool as needed. About up-to-date information - the internet is your best bet. My web page will get you started (http://www.geeky-boy.com/iguana_blurb.html). Follow the links in my page to Melissa Kaplan's page for detailed and in-depth information. If she doesn't know it, nobody does. P.S. - if I sound negative, please understand that I really like my iguana. If I knew then what I know now, I would still have gotten him. But so many people get them, not knowing how to feed or take care of them, and they are usually totally unprepared for how big they get. It always makes me sad when people write to me asking the best way to get rid of their iguana. If I had to guess, I would say that over 50% of iguanas die or are put to death during their first 5 years of life (they have a life expectancy of about 15 years). So, definitely go for it if you're willing and able to care for it!