What are the Pro's and Con's of owning an iguana?

I want to get an iguana. I have always wanted a reptile and an iguana seems to be the pet for me. I can't handle crickets and iguana's eat fruits and the like. What are the pro's and con's of having one and any tips to owning a pet iguana?

ProCOOLa pet uniqueConnot very distinct sorta messy

i think iguanas are friggin cool! i would say pro's about iguanas are that they are way awesome and neat looking. i would name mine reggie. con's are claws, tale whips, have to keep the tank at the right temp all times, and i heard that they're kinda hard to take care of. but as long as you do everything your suppose to and give it lots of love and care you'll have no prob.

Oh easy I had an iguana for over three years now!!Pros--- It can sometimes be hard to find( so always make sure its in the cage)Cons--- It is a quiet pet. Easy to take care of! Is so adorablethose are just my opinions but u should follow them cuz i had one for 3 years and i still have it!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

Before succumbing to impulse and rushing out to get an Iguana, take the time to find out if you are really suited to owning an Iguana.ProsNon-allergenic, no sneezing with Igs! A fascinating, full of personality large lizard They can make wonderful companions when socialized properly Many can be 'potty trained'Herbivorous - no bugs to feed! ConsGrow to 5 feet long or more, and will require a porportionally large cage, or better yet, whole room of their own! Have powerful, sharp teeth that can cause a bite severe enough to require stitches. Large, sharp claws! Have specialized heat, light, humidity, and diet requirements It's tough to find a vet knowledgeable about reptile care You'll need an Ig-sitter when you go on vacation! Require a lot of time for food prep and socialization Two words: Breeding SeasonA proper diet is essential to your iguana's health. Unfortunately for igs, until fairly recently the recommended diet was terribly unhealthy. People were told to feed items such as dog food or monkey chow, or just to throw in some lettuce once in a while. The high protein diets such as dog food and monkey chow did produce large igs, but they had short life spans, often dying of kidney or liver failure. Igs are herbivores and should not be fed animal protein of any kind. Lettuce of any kind, be it romaine or iceberg, is not a healthy diet for iguanas either. It is mostly water and fiber, and does not even begin to provide the nutrients necessary for and ig's health.Iguanas should be fed a diet consisting of dark, leafy greens with a high calcium:phosphorus ratio. Greens such as collards, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and turnip tops are all good choices. Try to provide variety and offer at least 3 greens per feeding. Grated winter squash such as butternut or acorn, sweet potatoes, and zucchini (not very high in nutrition but a good water source) can be added on top of the greens. Fruits such as melons, berries, or grapes can be given sparingly, as treats. They should not constitute a major part of the diet.There are some greens to avoid or use sparingly. Greens like kale and spinach are high in oxcalic acids, which bind the calcium your iguana needs. While a little bit of these greens will not hurt your ig, and they can be used once in a while for variety, there are so many other good greens out there that it seems silly to use these.Below is an example of a nutritious iguana diet:Greens: (should make up about 80-85% of the salad)Collard GreensDandelion GreensEndiveTurnip Tops(Collards and Dandelions are my usual staple greens..I try to use at least 2 other greens per salad and rotate them - Escarole, Arugula, Chard, and other dark leafy greens can be used for variety)Vegetables: (should make up about 10-15% of the salad)Grated Acorn or Butternut SquashGrated YamsFresh Green BeansRed, Yellow, or Green PeppersFruit / Other Treats: (No more than 5% of the salad)Sliced GrapesStrawberriesBlueberriesMelonCanned Green Beans (very rarely...look for no salt added brands)Wheat bread soaked in waterHibiscus, Rose, or Day Lily flower petalsThere is a lot of information about iguana diets that has come to light in the past few years. Two of the best sites that deal with iguana diets in all their complexity are Melissa Kaplan's site, and the Iguana Den site. Rather than simply reiterate what is coverd in such depth on these sites, I encourage you to visit them and read more about iguana diet.

they get like 5 feetbig tank takes time to clean and lots of moneyyou cant just start with a big tank you have to get a small one and make your way up they are big and cant be easily moved around and picked up like a beady or geckogreat pets that can be taken on walksno expenses on live food and breeding insects to worry aboutawesome pets! for some it totally makes up for ithope this helped!

por's- they are very cool colored smart lizards are neat easy to keep groomed very friendly if trained and can be held unlike other lizardscon's-cost a lot get very large have to spend a lot to build huge en closer can be aggressive if not handled hard to get them to come around good site to visit www.greenigsociety.org

DON'T GET ONE.I had one and it was horrible. She got over 4 feet long and my dad had to build her a 7 foot by 3 foot cage. She was VERY mean, everytime i tried to feed her shit whipped me with her tail as many times as she could, leaving wellups on my arms and face. Whenever i tried to hold her she clawed my wrists horribly. One she even bit through me thumbnail. They're really aggressive. Get a bearded dragon they don't get huge, only like 2 feet (tail is more than half body length) And they don't require as much attention, or care. They're VERY calm and adorable. I watched Juno with my Bearded dragon on my shoulder the other day. Or a chameleon, they won't really hurt you. They need a lot of care though.Pros-cute when babycons5-6 feet longaggressive Huge clawsBitesNeeds HUGE cageGets very expensiveSave yourself the hassle.

Every iguana is different, some are sweet some can be very mean.I have 2, both females, both totally different attitudes.You should know the proper diet before getting one. Know the proper set up (uvb, heat, living space, diet). Know that one day you may have to be rushed to the ER for stitches from an iguana bite. Make sure that you have a good herp/reptile vet close to you. Know some medical issues that iguanas can have.To me there is a lot more Cons then there are Pros ... and coolness isn't a Pro or Con to me, because not everyone sees igs as coolPros* Igs can show affection, not all, some* To some iguana owners, there ig is the world to them, just like any pet can be, they are a joy in my life to haveCons* Living space (some people can't provide the large enclosure space that igs need)* There size if properly cared for can be over whelming for some people* Attitude, some igs can become very aggressive/mean to there slave/owner and/or other people* Igs are not like cats/dogs they aren't going to come jump up on your lap and want to be held, some igs prefer just to be left alone* Breeding season, depending on if you get a male/female (this is pretty wide range, but depending on the sex of your ig you may or may not have issues)* Daily feeding (some people after a couple of years get sick of daily chopping of food, going to the grocery store ... igs need greens, not just some pellets from a jar)* Medical expense ... If you have a female, you may or may not need to have her spayed ... Igs can get many medical issues, some may be nothing that you do ... Make sure you are able to offer the medical expense, exotic pet = exotic pricesI would recommend you read, read, read and read some more about owning an iguana before you commit to owning one. They aren't the easiest reptile to own, if your not willing to commit to owning one, don't. If iguanas are giving the proper care/diet they can live 15-20yrs. If your still in high school, enjoy high school, plus if your possibly going away for college most dorms don't allow pets, if your ig gets attached to you he/she may not accept someone else taking care of him/her.Sites for you to read:http://www.greenigsociety.org/ - http://www.iguanaden.org/ - http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.htmlA great book to read and have on hand:Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa KaplanYahoo has some great sites for Iguana owners... these groups helped me and still help w/ questions .. if you'd like to join:http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/ - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/IguanaDen/

ok here goespros - they are wonderful and unique animals. they all have distinct personalities and are great for scaring people outta ur house!!!!! they do odd things and are fascinating to watch and give you hours of amusement and wouldnt give my 2 up for the world.cons - they are completly vegetarian and have a very varied dietthey require heat, specific light and very large tanks - all of which cost money and electricityyou have to have a very good reptile vet easily to hand coz when things go wrong with iggys they go very wrong very quicklythey require handling and taming every day and not just for 5 minutes it requires hours everyday and everyday till they die which could be in excess of 15 yearsthe females need very specific egg laying boxes and the males can be very aggressive during mating season they are not fussy about using their claws, tails or teeth to get rid of u. there are wild animals and are not domesticated so even if you have a very calm iggy you will still end up with stitches at some pointthey climb on absolutly everything so if you have delicates you had better glue them down or they will be brokenyou have to be on top of ur housework as they lick everythingthey are called "little green children" for a reason they demand alot of time and energy.