Our iguanas

Anyone who has visited the shop will have seen our display vivarium with our two iguanas, Izzy and Ruby. Izzy is the green male, Ruby is the red coloured female.

We do not keep baby green iguanas in stock, for some very strong reasons. Firstly, the issue of the ultimate size of the animal, and their accomodation requirements. An iguana can reach an overall length of 6 ft, they are active, intelligent animals, and an adult will require a very large enclosure. At present, our two are youngsters, and they occupy one half of the display tank. Our long term plan is to convert the two display vivs into one bigger enclosure, so the iggys will have a comfortable amount of space. They are agile and love to climb.

The other compelling reason for us not to routinely sell iguanas is their temperament. A male iguana, even when it has been tamed and socialised, can exhibit aggressive behaviour at any time, he will express his anger by puffing himself up, hissing, tail whipping, and sometimes biting. Do not underestimate the tail whip, its powerful and it hurts! A female can also display similar behaviour. A 6ft lizard with an attitude problem does not make a desirable pet. We work with our iguanas daily to ensure that aggressive behaviour is not taking over. Claire in particular has done wonderful work with them, and both will hand feed and allow themselves to be touched and handled. This requires an ongoing commitment and has allowed us to enjoy a remarkable level of interaction with these spectacular, amazing animals.

Anyone wishing to own an iguana needs to consider very carefully if they have space the equivalent size of a small room, and the time and patience to invest in their pet to keep its behaviour manageable... this means standing your ground and putting up with the odd scratch or bruise, but it really does pay off, if you can put in that commitment. Not everyone can keep an iguana, and you would have to convince us that you can, before we will consider selling a baby to you. This means we may sometimes decline to sell an iguana, or any other large reptile, to a person we feel is not going to be able to meet its needs. It is no good blaming the animal for its natural behaviour, and too many end up mistreated, neglected, or passed on to another unsuitable keeper. These are truly wonderful animals. But please, please think twice.

NOVEMBER 9th 2008