About Iguana
Iguana is a green iguana who was named, after a great deal of family debate, Iguana. He is seven, he is roughly four and a half feet from nose to tail tip, and he believes the warmest shelf in the room belongs to him by ancient right. He is not a cuddly animal in the way a dog is cuddly. He is something better and stranger: a small prehistoric neighbor who has decided, on his own terms, that you are acceptable.
The specimen sheet
- Species
- Green iguana
- Age
- 7 years old
- Hatched
- Spring 2019
- Length
- About 4 ft 6 in, nose to tail
- Weight
- Around 9 lb
- Home
- A six-foot climbing enclosure
- Wakes up
- When the lamps do, at 7am
- Signature move
- The slow, judgmental head bob
Five things that are true of him
- 01
Deliberate
Iguana does not rush. He considers a branch, commits to it, and arrives when he arrives. Watching him cross a room is a lesson in patience for everyone involved.
- 02
Opinionated
Some greens are accepted. Some are pushed to the edge of the dish with visible contempt. The rankings change without warning and there is no appeals process.
- 03
Sun-driven
His whole day is organized around warmth. He is at the basking shelf when the lamps come on and he stays there until he has had enough, which is usually about two hours.
- 04
Quietly social
He will choose a shoulder, settle in, and stay. It is not affection as a dog would recognize it, but it is a choice he makes, and he makes it often.
- 05
Territorial about height
The highest point in any room is, in his view, his. Bookshelves have been surrendered. A curtain rail was lost in 2022 and never fully recovered.
How he actually lives
Warmth and light
A basking end and a cooler end, so he can pick. UVB lighting runs on a timer and the bulb gets replaced on the schedule, not when it dies.
Height to climb
Six feet of enclosure, most of it vertical. Shelves and fixed branches matter far more to him than floor space ever has.
A herbivore plate
Leafy greens and vegetables, chopped small, varied through the week. He eats in the morning once he is properly warm.
Water and soaking
Fresh water daily in a dish he can climb into, plus a warm shallow soak. He does a good deal of his drinking that way.
Safety and care, as general guidelines
These are the things we would tell anyone thinking about a green iguana. They are general points about the species, not advice about a particular animal.
Adult green iguanas are large, strong and long-lived. Fifteen to twenty years is a normal commitment, and the animal reaches full size long before that.
They are not generally considered a beginner reptile. The space, lighting and time an adult needs are all substantial.
Claws and tails are working equipment. Calm, unhurried handling and long sleeves make life easier for everybody.
Never lift or restrain an iguana by the tail.
Wash hands before and after handling, and keep enclosure cleaning separate from food preparation. This is standard practice with any reptile.
Supervise young children around any large reptile, and keep other household pets out of the picture entirely.
If you are thinking about an iguana, talk to a reptile vet and an experienced keeper first. Iguana was rehomed once already, and that is the common story.
