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Iguanas, are they a good beginner lizard?

Not really, these grow to be 4' to 6' from snout to end of tail. They either need a VERY large cage (at least 6' in length) or a room to themselves which is better. A better starter lizard is a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon. Both great lizards with great personalities.
 
In a word, no.

As previously mentioned, leos and beardies...and if you want to avoid bugs and UV lights, I'd add Crested Geckos to the lizard n00b list as well.

regards,
jazz
 
I might add Blue Tongues to the list as well, but my favorite starter lizard would have to be the Crestie.
 
My petstore owner who used to raise them, would tell you definitely NOT. They get big and they can be ill-tempered at times. He will not sell them at all anymore, because too many folks couldn't handle them once they got beyond the cute stage.


Actually, my daughter wanted a bearded dragon, but after reading about all the things they require, decided to stick with the snakes :) Of course, I ended up being the one with all the snakes and she simply has a puppy (which really belongs to her best friend, but likes her better).

So whatever you decide on, make sure you do plenty of reading before committing yourself.
 
My bearded dragon is easy to care for, but she is in a 40 breeder which is the bare minimum- she ought to be in a 4x2 foot at least. Then they need a UVB light and a full spectrum light, and a basking spot of 105ish, and they eat lots of insects, which also require care, and as adults they are supposed to eat greens, but that doesn't mean they will, and they need two kinds of supplements. I wouldn't trade her for anything, though- she has a ton of personality, and I wouldn't call her difficult at all if you have the money to buy all the accessories.
 
Nanci said:
My bearded dragon is easy to care for, but she is in a 40 breeder which is the bare minimum- she ought to be in a 4x2 foot at least. Then they need a UVB light and a full spectrum light, and a basking spot of 105ish, and they eat lots of insects, which also require care, and as adults they are supposed to eat greens, but that doesn't mean they will, and they need two kinds of supplements. I wouldn't trade her for anything, though- she has a ton of personality, and I wouldn't call her difficult at all if you have the money to buy all the accessories.
Click to expand...

The accessories weren't the issue... in fact, Kieran ended up with the 55gallon tank we bought for the future beardie, but it was the insects, the greens, the supplements and removing the greens within a certain time frame that put us off. The corns were simply lower maintenance critters :)
 
The thing I hate is cleaning green soupy poo off of slate tile. Or worse, her branch, her brick, her hide and her sandbox. Snakes- just scoop out a handful of aspen. Dragons would be so much simpler on aspen. She goes in the bathtub 90% of the time, though.
 
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