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Navigaar...they are sooo cool! I bought my son an iguana in November for his 14th birthday, he named him SoBe (like the drink, lava lizard) My son was VERY good with him and I "babysat" often and have to say I really enjoyed it SoBe got out a few times but always came back when I called him....kinda cute! Then in February he jumped out of my sons hand into a hole in the wall where the hot water pipes are in the living room and we haven't seen him since. We currently live in a huge old 2 story house....we were really bummed he never showed back up.

The iguana's natural inclination is to "Run and Hide". They are all like that. Beardies don't do that. The male does a little but the female wants be with me ALL the time.

Beardies are know for their friendly, loving behaviour. Even when I would JUST meet one, I was a stranger to them, they were all very snuggley. Once I ppicked them up they didn't want me to put them down

Every, about 30 or so, iguanas I've ever had always hid when they first got here. The longest any of them hid was 3 days then they'd show themselves because they were hungry. I think I have a few pics of my last two. Let me look.

About two years ago, I got up before sunrise (I often do this) and sat with my coffee at the dining table. I had opened the blinds to my patio so I could watch the sun rise. I thought I saw an odd shape on my patio table, but dismissed it because I had cleaned out the storage shed out there the day before and had piled a lot of old clothes on the patio table to sort thru.

As the sun started coming up, this odd shape became more defined and I saw several triangular shaped points sticking up. As I was staring, wondering what they were, they moved and a large Iquana head appeared! I jumped up, turned on the porch light to see better and there sat the largest Iquana I had ever seen in person. It's body was about two feet long and it's tail was at least three feet long. The colors on the Iquana were gorgeous!

It looked quite comfy and warm where it was. I went back into the kitchen and fixed it a large salad with lettuce, tomatoes, avacado and put it on a paper plate. I verrrrrry carefully and slowly opened the patio door and slowly reached out and sat the salad on the table. This Iguana just stared at me. After I went back inside, he started eating and ate the whole salad!

When I knew my neighbor lady was up, I called her and told her "You will not believe what I am sitting here staring at!" Her son had a small Iquana and I knew they would love this one. So, after hearing my story, she sent her son down to adopt the Iquana. He gently put a soft towel over the big guy, who now had a full tummy, and carried him to his new home.

As soon as the Iquana was gone, I really missed him. I visited him a few times and he seemed quite happy in his new home, where he had free roam of the house, since they did not have a cage yet big enough for him.

This is a picture of the last male someone gave me. He was in very poor condition. Dehydrated and malnourished. Once I got him he did improve for a while but a sudden illness took him within a week. Here is what he looked like BEFORE I got him:



Here he is after he was with me for a while:



I miss him so much. He was more like a puppy than an iguana. He used to follow me all over the house and a few times I think he wanted "More", if you know what I mean. :Wink:

He spend his entire life in a wire cage with NO real sunlight. They fed him garbage and CANDY!! He was doomed. They thought lettuce was actually Good for him.

His mate was chewed up so bad from being trapped with him she was very depressed. I kept him away from her once she came here and gave her EXTRA attention and cuddling. When they are in heat the male is Very aggressive and hurts the female. All her spikes were ripped off and she was covered with scars. Her last days were in comfort and love though. She passed away from prolapse. She was the sweetest girl. They were both full grown.

Is lettuce not good for Iguanas? Our Iquana always liked it as long as he had avacado and carrots to go with it. I always used the loose-leaf lettuces. I also gave him mealy worms once in awhile.

I need to know the right things to feed an Iquana or Beardie because I may get one or two some day. I love your little Beardies.

An iguana will eat lettuce exclusively if you let them. The are known as "Lettuce Junkies". Lettuce has no nutritional value is has been called "Crunchy water". They fill up on it and don't get any nutrition from it and won't eat the nutrionally rich foods they should. An iguana with lettuce in it's diet probably will have many diseases and a shorter lifespan because of it.

It's not so bad for Beardies IF you give them it, in very small amounts, mixed with other leafy greens such as kale or chard and sprinkled with ReptiCal powder. At least that's what I have been led to believe from other, longtime Beardie owners. Spike's Dad told me this. The beardie in the video.

Great - that gives me a better idea. My Iguana was quite healthy though. He like spinach leaves. Kale and chard sound like a good idea with the powder supplement. Thanks!

When and if, in the past I ran out of fresh greens for a day or two, I'd go outside and pull up a clump of grass from the yard. They loved that and make quite a mess of the dirt but they usually ate ALL the grass. Also, lizards eat flowers. I gave the beardies daffodil aand a tulip last week and they took big bites of them.

Once, when I had the big boy, I was in the kitchen and he was on the table looking out the window. I had cut a piece of chocolate cake, put it on a plate and put it on the table. I turned my back on it for about a minute and when I turned back around he was all into it. He had vanilla frosting all over his face and some on the top of his head. I LMAO at that. I didn't care. I know they will go after sweets once in a while if left unattended. I let him have it and cut another slice. Later on I came back in and he was LAYING in it. Sooo Funny. I wish I had a pic of that. The things they do are so innocent and comical.

What great stories and photos! I can just picture the little scaly guy jumping into that piece of cake. And Phyllis, I love that image of you fixing a big salad for the wandering iguana and he eats it all. Navigaar is absolutely right about the worthlessness of lettuce. It won't harm a reptile but it won't do any good for it either -- it's like eating a slice of water. Better to give them dark leafy greens like kale and real veggies. If all they get is lettuce, they won't get any nutrients.