Thinking About Iguana Adoption?
If you have made decision to get yourself a pet Iguana, you might decide that you would like to simply adopt a fully grown Iguana, instead of buying a baby Iguana and watching it grow. However, adopting a fully grown Iguana is not a decision to be taken lightly – especially if you’re new to Iguanas and have never cared for (or at least helped care for) an Iguana before.
Will it be difficult to find an Iguana to adopt?
Most pet owners have regular pets like cats and dogs, which makes it quite easy to find a cat or dog to adopt. Fewer people own Iguanas, but if you live in or near a big city, you probably won’t have too much difficulty finding an Iguana owner who has decided to put their pet up for adoption. This is because a lot of people who decide to get Iguanas don’t fully realize the responsibility involved in owning an Iguana. After a while, some of them decide that it is a bit too much of a responsibility after all, and decide to put their pets up for adoption. This is good food for thought for someone considering getting themselves a pet Iguana!
However, if you have decided that you are willing to accept the responsibility and are ready to adopt a fully grown Iguana, there are a few things to consider.
- Do you have space for a fully grown Iguana?
Fully grown Iguanas can be up to six feet in length from head to tail, and need to be housed in special enclosures or cages. It’s not really practical to let an Iguana run free in your house like you would a cat or a dog – especially if you live somewhere where it gets really cold in winter. Iguanas need to be kept in places where you can control the temperature and humidity, for them to remain healthy.
- Do you have the patience to maintain an Iguana?
Iguanas require a lot of care. They need to be fed like most other pets, but they also need sunlight (or specially fitted heat lamps), they need to be sprayed with water and washed to ensure that they receive enough moisture and you also need to ensure that the temperature of their cages or enclosures remains relatively constant.
- Do you think you will enjoy owning an Iguana?
The appeal of owning a dog should be fairly obvious, even to someone who is not a dog lover. It’s always happy to see you, shows appreciation when you feed it or pet it, and in the case of some dogs, it protects your home. The appeal of an Iguana is a lot more subtle. It doesn’t appear to have much of a personality, it doesn’t jump all over you and lick you when you get home and can also be quite grumpy sometimes. But to a true Iguana lover, they are the best pets ever. You really have to understand Iguanas to see their appeal.
If your answer to these three questions was yes, then go for it and get yourself an Iguana! Just make sure that if you do get an Iguana, you do indeed give this interesting creature all the love, care and attention it deserves!