Giving Your Iguana Better Health...continued But iguana owners whose igs grow into adults know why they keep them and the list of positive far outweigh the negatives (well, sometimes they do...) First. They are vegetarians! Who wants to go to the pet store and pick up little pale-fleshed baby mice to feed to a creature who usually could care less about you. Who wants to sprinkle meal worms in a dish and watch them wiggle around...ugh! Crickets, cockroaches, other invertebrates are live creatures who jump and crawl and don't seem all that appetizing. Iguana people get to go to the green grocer or produce aisle (or garden) to make a nutritious meal for their favorite reptile. Unlike many reptiles, iguanas don't have to eat food from the pet store. As a matter of clearly documented fact, iguanas that are fed commercially prepared diets do not do as well as iguanas fed freshly washed, calcium-rich vegetables and greens. Second. Unlike most reptiles, like snakes and even other lizards, iguanas bond with their human caretakers. The stories and anecdotes about how iguanas interact with caring, doting owners are legion. While it is not recommended, many iguanas even like to sleep with their human counterparts. Veterinarians often comment on how close their iguana patients are to their owners. Some are perfectly calm when held by an owner but can become a twisting, biting creature when held by a stranger. Others are so docile that anyone can hold them. Personality is definitely an iguana characteristic. Third. Iguanas are very long-lived. When you know a hamster or rat or bearded dragon will only live a few years, bonding won't take place. Too painful to invest your emotions in an animal that may die quickly. Dogs, cats, parrots, and iguanas live ten, fifteen, or twenty years (if you are lucky) and will reward good care with longevity. An iguana that is housed properly, given the proper range of temperatures, fed appropriate food regularly and given sun exposure daily during warm weather will not only be healthy but will cost much less in vet bills than most animals kept as pets. Regular vet visits and preventative care will catch problems before they become serious and very expensive. No vaccinations or licenses. No huge bags of kibble or pooper scoopers (iguana pooper scoopers - now that might be a commercial item!) Fourth. No fur or hair to get into your nose or on your clothes. Many people are allergic to fur-bearing animals so reptiles are a reasonable choice. People who can't have a cat or a dog will get a snake or lizard. The only thing that people with allergies have to remember is cleanliness. Iguana cages must be kept free of dirt, dust and mold. A moist, humid environment can cause allergic reactions to the mildew and mold that can build up. And it's dangerous for the iguana too. Fifth. Iguanas are educational. Because of the specific environmental requirements, kids learn about temperature gradients, calcium:phosphorus ratios, animal husbandry, tropical and temperate rainforests, and the importance of proper care of such a unique lizard. Many school projects can be created around the green iguana. Science and biology are the perfect venue for learning about the care of reptiles. Other children will find it fascinating and a well-prepared report can be used to improve the care of iguanas improperly cared for by others in the classroom. Sixth. Little dinosaurs. Everyone has a fascination with prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs. Obviously, lizards, like the iguana, are distant cousins of the dinosaur. Lizards are also distant cousins of the prehistoric creatures that became birds. Lizards and birds have a lot of evolution in common. Think about it - they both lay eggs to reproduce, their feces is made up of three parts - urine, urates (the white stuff) and fiborous vegetable matter, and they like to live in trees! Look at a pterodactyl or other winged dinosaur and you will see many similarities with lizards and birds. People who love dinosaurs are very attracted to iguanas. It is like having a prehistoric creature in your house. Seventh. Iguanas will let you dress them up in silly costumes. If you have a sweet-tempered, docile iguana, most likely they will let you put hats on them and let you dress them in various themed outfits. Think about it - you can go into almost any pet store and buy a sombrero for your iguana. Most animals - except for dogs, perhaps - would never put up with being turned into Elvis or a devil for Halloween. Our iguanas, when we have given them lots of interaction and family time, are more than willing to let us fuss over them. There are many reasons to give thanks for having an iguana in our lives. All the special equipment and care we lavish on them is worth it when we realize that we have chosen to give this wild, rainforest creature a special place in our home. So many iguanas die in shipment and because of inadequate care. So - special thanks go out to all the caring, special people who have given their iguanas such a wonderful and thoughtful place in their lives.

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Iguana Hall of Fame
Favorite Ig Names
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A Day in the Life of an Iguana

IGUANA IGUANA NEWSLETTER WILL NO LONGER PUBLISH THE PRINTED NEWSLETTER.

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THE JOYS OF IGUANA OWNERSHIP
Printed issues ofIGUANA IGUANA Newsletter contain sample articles, like:

From Monster to Mouse and Back Again, Living with a (part-time) Mini-Monster, From the Mail BAg - What I Go Through Living with a Crazed Male Iguana (with photo essay), Nails are for Clipping, Spotlight on Vegetables - The Rutabaga, Ask Dr. Spike - When is it too hot for my iguana to be outside?, Keep Cool!

Taking a Bite Out of Summer, Reviewing Your Iguana's Health, A Pool for Your Outdoor Enclosure, Adding Humidity to the Outdoor Enclosure - A Mist System on a Times, An Iguana Picnic, Ask Dr. Spike - Why does my iguana eat dirt?, Happy Summer!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?, Breeding Season, Castration - Surgery and Chemical, The Presto Salad Shooter for easy meals, Ask Dr. Spike - My male iguana turns orange. What does that mean?

Dehydration - Dying of Thirst, Organ Damage Caused By Dehydration, Dehydration - Observable and Clinical Signs, Signs of Viseral Gout, Summer Fruit, Conversion Chart, End of Summer Iguana Salad, Lizards Living Large in Florida, Humidity in the Enclosure, Ask Dr. Spike - My iguana eats his feces - Ugh!, Happy End of Summer!

Skeletons in the Closet - Building a Closet Enclosure, Electrical Work in the Clsoet, The Third Eye, FallBack - Change your timers, Ask Dr. Spike - there are strange things in my iguana's poop!, Lots of Halloween Iguana Hats, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! and Happy Iguana Halloween!

Many Reasons for Giving Thanks, The Proper Way to Hand-Feed An Iguana that isn't Eating, Preparing the Blended Food, From the Mailbox - I Lost My Iguana in the House!, Autumn Torte Recipe and Fig Dessert for You and Your Iguana's Thanksgiving Dinner, Happy Thanksgiving!

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