green iguana (iguana iguana)

the green, or commen, iguana is subject to many, many, myths. unlike with some reptiles, most of the myths are about good traits, instead of bad. the myths include:

myth: iguanas are very docile          fact: iguanas will not attack you outright, but they will fight if they feel threatened.                             

myth: they are omnivores as babies, and herbivores as adults.         fact: iguanas are herbivores for their entire lives, but due to the fact that they will eat some maet in captivity, some owners thought that they were meant to be omnivores

myth: adults are herbivores, and therefor are not very dangerous.        fact: iguanas teeth are like razors, and their tails can be used like whips. if they feel extremely threatened, they can put you in the emergency room easily

myth: they make great pets for bigginers.         fact: they need very large (iguanas can get 6.5, or 2 meters long), often custum made, habitats; they need a very wide variety of fruits and vegtables fed fresh to them every day, and they need their habitat to be kept very clean; and they actually do have the high risk of giving you salmonella, unlike most other reptiles.

myth: they are very cheap        fact: while the iguanas themselves can somtimes be bought for under $10, they need a variety of equipment, some of which can cost a lot (some setups can cost hundreds of dollers).

as you can see, iguanas are very misunderstood, but most people do not see it that way, since most myths exagerate bad traits, instead of good ones. they think that no harm can come from people keeping them as pets. what most people don't realize is that while some iguanas are bred in capyivety, the vast majority ar ecaught from the wild, which as you might guess, hurts their wild population.