Get to know your pet Green Iguana

Green iguanas are the largest type of lizard that inhabits the United States and is found primarily in South and Central America. They are also living in Mexico, the Caribbean, the Eastern Pacific and the Southeast of Brazil. These iguanas are also the most popular pet iguanas in the US.

When green iguanas hatch, their length varies from 17 to 25 centimeters. In the next three years they will increase their weight from 12 grams to 1 kilogram. Most well-cared for iguanas will reach 4-6 kilograms in their lifetime, but some can reach a whopping 8 kilograms.

Although these iguanas are called green, they do not necessarily have this color. Young iguanas vary in color from green to brown, and adult iguanas take on a uniform color. Colors are often affected by mood, temperature, health, and social stature.

Green iguanas possess a distinctive dewlap or large layer of skin under the throat that tends to be more dominant in males than females because it serves as an intimidation mechanism and as a way to impress females. It also helps regulate body temperature. The eyes are positioned laterally and are protected by moving and immobile lids. The thyroid and endocrine glands are controlled by the parietal eye which also acts as a solar energy meter. The scales and plates on the head are more irregular and much larger than those on the rest of the body.

Green iguanas are arboreal lizards, which means that they enjoy spending time in trees and in open spaces. When young, iguanas prefer to stay in the lower parts of trees, but as they mature they move higher. By lying down and sunbathing in the trees, they satisfy their need to absorb sunlight. They will only go down if there is danger or if the female needs to dig burrows to lay her eggs. Iguanas prefer to create their habitats and resting areas around the water so that they can easily jump out of trees to escape predators and also cool off. They are lucky to have good swimming skills and it helps them a lot to avoid being caught by enemies.

Green iguanas make wonderful pets. Anyone interested in owning an iguana should read and get all the information they can get before deciding to care for an iguana of their own. This will ensure a healthy bond between an iguana and its owner.