Across the country, there appears to be a growing need for Reptile Rescue Organizations. As a Reptile Rescuer in the Southern California area, I know this to be true. It seems that the common Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana ) is the reptile that we are rapidly becoming the most over-run with at this time, but most any other type of reptile has the potential to become a rescue in todays throw away society. It has become such a problem in Southern California, that the largest rescue organization in our area, R.A.R.N. (Reptile and Amphibian Rescue Network) estimates that it has turned down as many as of 500 green iguana calls a month, because there is just no place to put them! R.A.R.N. also spearheads the Advisory Counsel on Large Reptiles, which is considering all available options in order to better deal with the growing iguana problem. Here at Reptile Rapsody, we call ourselves the 'Home of the White Iguana' because like the proverbial 'White Elephant' everybody seems to want an Iguana until they find out what is involved! We are forced by space constraints to turn down an average of 20 Green Iguanas a month! At any given time we have between 10-20 available for adoption! All this and we have only officially been doing rescues for about a year now! We don't advertise the fact that we do rescues, up until now, this is solely by word of mouth! We do this on our own, out of our own pockets. Adoption fees and donations help, but it does not even come close to covering all of the expenses for our rescue efforts. When we started doing rescues we only had two pet iguanas, we now have eight that have become permanent members of our family due to handicaps. It is a difficult job to place handicapped animals in just the right family situation.
Every year a million or more, baby green iguanas are imported into this Country, to be bought at Pet Stores and Swap Meets across the country. Often times these baby iguanas are purchased on impulse, by first time reptile owners who don't fully understand the level of care and commitment involved. Many pet stores unfortunately, pass incorrect and potentially dangerous, care and feeding information about green iguanas. To the potential new owner, this faulty information is often taken as absolute fact. Many new owners do not take the time to research their iguana's needs. What's worse, they may receive incorrect information regarding the longevity and eventual size of the iguana. As a result it is estimated that 2/3 of the baby green iguanas imported will die in their first year of captivity!
How many of us have walked into a well reputed pet store and looked at all of those cute little green iguana babies, then suddenly realized that many of them were sick, thin and dehydrated? Often times they are kept in open topped pens so that anybody can reach in and pick one up. Many unsuspecting people then buy one of these cute, calm little baby iguanas thinking that they have picked the perfect tame trusting pet, only to have it die a few days to weeks later. Dis-heartened by this, many of these same people give up on the idea of reptiles as pets, because they are "just too fragile".
Unfortunately, for the ones that survive, the prognosis remains bleak. Many times I have been guilty of politely interrupting a pet shop employee who was giving improper care instructions to a new owner. It usually goes something like this, iguanas are very easy to care for all you need is a 10 gallon aquarium and a hot rock, you feed them lettuce and crickets! When I interject "NEVER LETTUCE, or crickets" the usual response is "Romaine" to avoid arguments (and getting thrown out of the store) I usually add "you know we offer free iguana care classes. They are open to anyone who would like to learn more about green iguanas, why don't you give us a call and come join us for an hour or so to learn about your new pet". Many pet stores now display our flyer.
Unfortunately one of the largest pet store chains in our area refuses to allow us to post a flyer about the class, I am told by the supervisor, that 'Corporate' is afraid, that posting such a flyer would detract from impulse sales! They don't make much off of the iguana at $10.00 ea. but with each sale, they can push the supplies, and that is where they make their money. It deeply troubles me when I hear comments like that from pet shop employees. It seems a sad irony, that a pet store, which depends so much on animal sales for its livelihood, should show such a small regard for the lives of the animals they sell!
There is so much conflicting information out there dealing with all of the things that green iguanas need to remain healthy, that it can be hard for the first time owner to know what is right. One popular older green iguana book still sold in pet stores even states " All a green iguana needs to eat to stay healthy are crickets" it also goes on to state that an iguana's life expectancy only averages about 5-10 years! The fact that an iguana could live that long on a diet of just crickets, only goes to show how hardy these animals really are! It is up to responsible reptile owners to get the correct information out there to the general public.
Most of the green iguanas that we receive here at Reptile Rapsody are suffering from severe abscesses or varying stages of Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). One of our worst cases was 'Oliver'. He was brought to us by a local animal control agency. He was turned in to Animal Control by his previous owner when no one, not even the local pet stores, would take him. At two years of age he was only about 8 inches in total length! His ribs had all been broken in several places and as a result his chest space was extremely narrowed. His lower jaw was so soft and swollen that he looked like he had the mumps! One shoulder blade and two legs were broken. Now he is strong and healthy. Even though he is severly deformed, but I suspect his life has been drastically shortened. When questioned about diet by the animal control officer, his previous owner proudly announced "I feed him what the pet store told me to; iceberg lettuce!" He had kept the iguana housed in a 10 gallon tank. Oliver was never taken outside to enjoy the benefits of natural sunlight, and he did not receive any nutritional supplimentation. His previous owner had no idea that unintentionally, their ignorance were the cause of this poor little Iguana's problems.
You may get the impression from this writing that I am against pet stores, but that is simply not the case. There are many responsible and caring pet stores out there. These pet stores exhibit a genuine concern for the animals they sell. As a responsible pet owner seek these shops out, as they can supply you with mounds of useful information about reptiles. My hat's off to the owners of these wonderful pet shops, keep up the good work. What can you do to help? Join your local Herpetology club and encourage them to start an active adoptions committee, if they do not already have one. Support your local Animal Shelter or Humane Society, Contact and assist your local rescue organization, if one is available in your area, if not, start one yourself. Even if you can only handle a few abandoned or mistreated reptiles at a time, the rewards of knowing that you can help some, make it all worth while! Encourage pet shops not to sell hatchling green iguanas, and promote reptile education programs.
For a copy of our book "Iguana Basics 101" please send a $15.00 or more donation, this is requested to cover the costs of printing and shipping. requests can be sent to;
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