Iguana Info wanted!

Let me start with this: I have the most fantastic students (all 136 of them)of all time!

A wonderful seventh grader (and his family) have donated a refrigerator-sized cage and set-up that used to house an iguana. Many of you may agree with me on this...it is sin to allow a cage to remain empty! I would like to have a classroom pet inhabit said cage, but I'd like to hear from people with experience with iguanas (or any other reptile you think would be good).

I have been around only one iguana that was full grown, and had the benefit of a tail-whip while it tried to remain balanced after nearly falling off of a railing.

Basically: What type of temperament should I expect? Would an iguana make a good classroom "pet"?

Would rescuing one be a good way to go? I have read that many are gotten rid of when they are adults because they aren't cute anymore.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

well the best advice concerning iguanas would be,-Dont get one,

they are called the disposable pet for a reason,
they have many health problems, and can be agressive, and get VERY large,

if you do decide to get one, try to adopt an adult thats tame

also, do NOT try to take the cheap way out (not saying you will ) but when it comes to its health, you will regret it in the long run if you dont spend alot of time on its dietary needs,

i used to have an iguana that was the sweetest thing, but that is unusual. they get very large and their nails and tail are very sharp weapons. i love iguanas, but i would not recommend one as a class pet

I would say a great big huge NO!!!! to an ig as a classroom pet. Also, a refrigerator sized cage is not really big enough for a full grown adult. They are not at all forgiving of their environmental requirements and most have less than amicable personalities (there are, of course, exceptions; I have 1 that is very good). Even a "nice" iguana will easily leave your arms bloody & scarred.

It may have changed, but I believe igs are the #1 dumped reptile; the rescues are overflowing in them. if you do decide to get one (for yourself perhaps--maybe do some show & tell) PLEASE adopt!

I hated the two iguanas I had long ago, and they hated me. I would never dream of allowing one to come anywhere near a kid in a situation where I might have some sort of liability. It's a shame to let the cage go empty, but unfortunately, I can't think of a reptile to put in a cage that size that's appropriate for a classroom setting. And most mammals would probably be too noisy (and less interesting). :shrugs:

Wouldnt a Bearded Dragon be ideal? :shrugs:

What about some bearded dragons? I don't think they would suffer from living in too large of a cage.

That may be a good idea. I don't know crap about beardies, but they would be interesting and cool. I love the ones at my local pet store, but I'm too lazy for shouldered reptiles, and I hate dealing with insects (feeders).

They also require specialized care compared to snakes but they are certainly easier to take care of than iguanas and they are quite personable. I like the uromastyx too. Not as cute, but certainly one of the more personable lizards as well.

Or a plated lizard would be good too there nice and not overly expensive, and there omnivorous

Thanks for all of your replies! An iguana is what was in there before (pretty sure), so that was what I had first looked into. As for kids handling whatever I decide to get....there isn't much worry about that. Between salmonella, critters getting loose, and actual teaching (45 minutes for each period), I don't think I'll have much time at all to bring it out when the kids are around. My planning period, on the other hand, is fair game! :grin01:

Dean: I had two sugar gliders, but they have both passed after living a long life. *With a big neener-neener to my mom who never thought I (as a high schooler) would stick with a pet that lived that long!* My gliders were nocturnal and noisy when awake, but the kids sure loved to watch them. I am definitely wanting a reptile of some sort that I can handle.


I have not looked into the different types of reptiles; mostly because I'll end up finding something that is perfect for me and I can't live without it.....but it's rare in the pet trade and extremely expensive (story of me and my critters, right there!).

I'll look into bearded dragons, as well. My husband had suggested a chameleon, but after about a minute of looking, I realized that isn't the best for me.

Anyone else with more info on any other reptiles would be fantastic!

Depending on whether the cage can be modified to incorporate water, and to maintain high heat.... maybe a Water Dragon? They have that "juvie iguana" look without the nasty personality.

But I'd give a strong third to the Beardie idea.

I've always seen beardies in short cages (aquariums). Would one appreciate a 5 foot tall cage?

I LOVE my beardie! They do climb a little bit in the wild (Australians will often find them on top their fences), so It would probably do OK in your cage.

They are coll to look at & very handleable. You may even be able to find a rescue (I know Baltimore's MARS often has them)

Why not a snake? They are easier to keep than any lizard.

As for snakes, I'd want something I could easily handle on my own. Ten foot+ snakes are out of the question. I would absolutely LOVE an arboreal snake (green tree python) but I have not looked into them at all, and I have no idea if my new cage will be appropriate (with slight modifications).

Anyone read where I said I would love something I couldn't have? It appears a GTP might be it. My family certainly can't live without the 1-2 weeks of pay it would take for me to purchase and ship a GTP for my classroom...and I certainly know that my school won't pay for it! (Snakes give most of them the heebie-jeebies).

*Sigh* Back to ideas I can afford...unless anyone knows of a GTP rescue! :grin01:

I am pretty new to what is available in the pet trade that would be appropriate. If there are snakes that would thrive in such a tall cage, but still remain in the "less than 7-8 foot" range, please leave a comment!

Thanks for all the replies so far!

The thing I would worry about with a GTP in a classroom would be the fact that they would not be a good species for students to handle, especially seeing as how you'd be liable for any and all damages. GTP's and other chondros have enormous front teeth- they are not venomous, but those teeth can easily lay a hurting on you, and from what I have read they have a disconcerting tendency to strike to the face. As an experienced herp keeper, YOU could handle them carefully, but I don't think I'd take the risk of letting a student do so (I am a teacher also, btw).

I thought of a Jungle Carpet Python too. I saw them at MARS for about $200-300 depending on age, gender, etc. Not TOO bad, and they are lovely to look at. But that's all it would be, a display animal. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have a bunch of cuban tree frogs in my classroom that are display only.

What is the mesh size of this enclosure? Is it small meshed? Solid glass??

If it is either small meshed OR solid glass, why not do a "mini-rainforest" ecosystem. Put some live potted plants in there, like ficus trees, spider plants, palms, and some vining philodendron or pothos. Add some cut branches going up and down and across, at a variety of levels. Maybe some bromeliads or orchids if you are REALLY daring. Attach some UV shop lights to the upper reaches and add a few spotlights for basking spots. You could then add a variety of critters to the setup, again, depending on mesh size.

Some of those that come to mind are a variety of geckos- including day, tokay (these guys are rather aggressive- but beautiful), house, crested or leaf-tail. Anoles? A rough green snake (insect eater)? Treefrogs such as green, cuban, red-eyed, tiger leg monkey, or whites (gets large and will eat other smaller critters).

That might be really neat.

Whether the animal was snake, lizard, or gecko, it would most likely be a "display" animal (that is there for my handling pleasure). I really don't have the class time to bring a pet out on even a semi-regular basis, but something that could be seen would be better than something that hides in a hole all day. Hence my thoughts of iguanas and GTPs.

As for mesh size, I don't know. The cage has not been delivered yet (it was offered to me during parent-teacher conferences) so I'll be able to get a grasp on what I need when I see it.


My desires are too big for my budget! :grin01: I would try to get a grant to something nice-and-pricey, but I'm not sure my district would be up for it...and I'd have to wait until next August (waaay to long to leave this cage empty in my room).

Looks like I've got some saving to do before I can even start dreaming of a critter.

It is not true that chondros have huge teeth. While sizeable, they are not huge. Emerald tree boas have much larger teeth. My chondros are completely tame, but I believe she stated that the snakes would not be handled anyway due to liability. They are more expensive and a baby would run you around $375 plus shipping for a cbb animal. They require much smaller tanks to begin with though, so your huge cage would not be suitable. There's the problem of gradients in a cage that large as well as humidity. I wouldn't think a chondro would be suitable for that reason. I don't see why you couldn't get a smaller python species though. Even a large adult corn like my amel would love a cage that big. He's a climbing exploring fool! Give me an e-mail or pm me and we'll talk.

The russian rat snake (Patherophis ((elaphe)) schrenkii) can grow to 7 or 8 feet. From what I've read they are mostly diurnal and climb alot. I've also read that they rarely bite and are very calm, inquisitive snakes that enjoy larger cages because they're so active.

I have a sinking feeling though that if you get any snake big enough to occupy that cage, you're going to get grief from parents.