The green iguana - Not the best lizard to keep as a pet.

Green Iguana - Iguana iguana - A name so nice, they used it twice.

I like lizards and would love to have one as a pet.  They need to be fed every day and require lots of room, so owning one has never been a reality.  If I were to get a lizard, it would not be a green iguana.  Owning a green iguana as a pet would be a mistake.  They start off small, as all young organisms do, but they can live up to 20 years of age and grow to a whopping 6 foot, 20 pound somewhat aggressive and moody creature.  

That's not to say that people don't own them, and they are found in the wild from southern Texas well down into South America.  They have been introduced in parts of California and Florida and can also be found on some Caribbean islands.  Green iguanas are primarily vegetarians, but will take living organisms occasionally.  As pets, they are easy to feed; they take a wide variety of fruit and vegetation.  However, their large size and capacity for causing injury make them a risky adventure for anyone.  If you really want a green iguana as a pet, it is suggested that you be very experienced in the care of reptiles.

I saw a green, wild iguana while visiting Colombia.  I was amazed at how quickly it climbed a tree and how easily it crossed over to another tree in the intertwined canopies.  They move fast.  Their strong limbs and sharp claws make them excellent climbers.  And their long tails give them balance both in the tree and on the ground.

An amusing aspect of iguanas living in the more northern latitudes is that they become somewhat stiff and incapable of much motion when it gets cold.  In fact, they start "raining" from the trees.  Last year there was a cold event in southern Florida that sent many of them into a stupor.  The result was that thousands of them fell from the trees that held them.  Considered an invasive species there, they were collected and euthanized.  You can see a news report here.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com