The Green Iguana may be the most common of all the iguana. These are the type of iguana that you’ll find in your local, chain pet store where they can be purchased for around $20.

General Information for the Green Iguana

The green iguana can be found in both North and South America. They are a common animal in Central America, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina and the Lesser Antilles.

Due to human breeding of these animals in the past 20 years or so you can now find them in the Greater Antilles and even in Southern Florida. They are not native to the last two regions so their growth in these areas can be contributed to human introduction.

For the most part all Green Iguana are the same. However, they do have minor differences between them depending on where they are located on the planet. Green iguana from South America do not handle cold as well as those from Central America.

Also, the green iguana that are found in Central America may have horns on their noses that can be as small as a bump and as large as one half inch. This seems to be a trait that only these iguana share.

Where to Buy the Green Iguana

When it comes to having a pet iguana the green iguana is the most common and can be found in most retail chain pet stores. They are also found in the independent stores as well due to the availability of the animal.

If you’re looking for a pet iguana you can look at the local pet store but you can also look in other places such as a local reptile show or in the classified ads of your local newspaper.

It is said that almost 1 million green iguana are imported in the U.S. each year as babies. They do make a great pet as long as you can handle them as adults.

This is where most people fail when it comes to iguana ownership, adulthood. You have to remember that the little baby is going to grow and you need to be able to have a suitable home for it as well as a healthy diet.

The Green Iguana Size

The topic of size is very important to understand because most people don’t understand this and when their little iguana gets big they don’t know what to do.

The Green Iguana can get as big as six or seven feet and weight up to 20 pounds.

You will also find that the male iguana will grow larger than the female.

In the case of a female green iguana you can expect an adult to be about 5 feet long.

The full grown male iguana will have long spikes on his back and large femoral pores underneath his back legs.

The Proper Cage

The fist thing to remember when it comes to this type of iguana is that they need a lot of heat. When they are just babies, one light as a heat source is fine but as they grow into an adult you will need multiple bulbs in order for the iguana to stay worm.

I want to mention right here, STAY AWAY FROM HEAT ROCKS. Don’t use any form of heat that comes from the bottom of the tank as iguana tend to burn themselves from this type of heat.

For the light bulbs it’s best to make sure you have a UV light which will help the vitamin D synthesis process. This is where the UV light passes through the animals body and helps maintain its vitamin D levels.

You will also want to have UVA and UVB bulbs on the cage as well. By having the proper lighting you can be sure that the animal doesn’t get a metabolic bone disease.

You want to keep the basking spot in your cage around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You also want to be sure that the light is coming from above the animal and not below.

You see, on the top of the head of the green iguana they have a small organ called a parietal eye which is what they use for thermoregulation. It’s also used to detect any predators that are coming from above like a bird of prey.

It’s also good to mention here that when building your cage or even buying one make sure that you are able to access the animal from the front and not the top. The reason for this is because coming in at the iguana from the top all the time will add stress to it because it feels as if it’s being attacked.

For the cooler side of the cage you want to maintain about 80 degrees in that area for this type of animal. Make sure the iguana can easily move from area to area to regulate it’s own temperature.

The substrate on the bottom can be simple rabbit pellets or something of that nature. You want to make sure it’s something easy to clean and maintain.

Also be sure to have branches to climb on and a source of water.

Green Iguana Food and Water

When it comes to water for the iguana the needs change from baby to adult. As a baby the iguana cannot find its water source on its own so what you need to do is spray the iguana once a day with water. Furthermore, a couple times a week you want to take the iguana and put it in its water dish to soak to be sure it’s getting enough water.

As an adult you still want to make sure there is plenty of water available but understand the animal will lead itself to water as needed. Its a good idea to have a large enough water dish for the iguana to climb into. These animals live by water in nature and they are excellent swimmers.

As far as the food goes you want to stick with greens such as kale, collard greens, escarole, turnip tops, beet greens, mustard greens, dandelion, Chinese cabbage (bok choy), Swiss chard, hibiscus flowers, endive, sprouts, arugula, green cabbage,pea pods and water crest. You can also supply fruit about once a week. If you give the animal to much fruit then chances are it will have a case of the runs which can be messy.

Handling The Green Iguana

In general the green iguana does not have a bad temper and bite. But don’t be fooled if these animals decide to bite it can be very painful and bloody. The best practice is to let the animal get used to its environment before to much handling occurs.

These animals, over time can grow into one of the most rewarding reptiles you can own if you take your time with them an develop that bond. Breeders are even making color morphs like a blue iguana or a yellow iguana, which is basically the same as the green iguana but very eye catching.

Although it’s a good idea to let the animal get acclimated to its new home you also want to make sure that you get comfortable handling the animal before it gets to be large. The taming process should begin when the animal is young to avoid injury to you or to the animal later on.

The Green Iguana will make a great pet with the right care, right housing and a whole lot of love.