Iguanas have become the favorite household pets of many. Pet stores and the internet provide a wide range of information about raising these reptiles including aspects such as cages, behavior, diet and lifestyle. This article also aims to provide some valuable information to iguana owners, and will show the basics of iguana pet care.

Out of all lizards, iguanas are the most popular to be taken home and kept as pets, and they rank highly today among other pet "fads." In pet stores, they can be purchased for affordable prices and they are not too difficult to take care of, once you know how. They are, however, high maintenance pets and a lot of your time must be dedicated to their upbringing and care.

When buying an iguana, you should consider issues like feeding techniques and diet, caging tips, veterinary medicines, common illnesses and others. In order to ensure a long, healthy lifespan, you must fulfill the basic requirements of supplying a proper cage and correct food for your pet. It is wiser to tame your pet from a young age because older iguanas tend to be more aggressive and more difficult to control. They also spend their time searching for ways to escape. Taming from a young age will be highly beneficial to you and your pet for the long term.

You most definitely must provide plenty of love and care to your pet, and you should be careful when handling it around children, elderly people, and pregnant women who may not know how to react properly to it and may receive an unwanted response from the pet. You also need to ensure that its cage is hygienic at all times and that the sanitation is maintained regularly.

People usually choose to take care of the "rainforest iguana" or the "green" iguana. These iguanas eat plants and tend to stick to shrubby areas. Taking an iguana away out of its natural habitat means that you need to make its new environment feel just like home. Providing branches for climbing and basking will definitely assist in their adaptation process as they are like to lie and relax on tree tops and catch the sunlight, and this must be replicated in their new habitat. You can use direct sunlight but if that is not readily available then other alternative heat sources can also be used as long as they are placed where they will not be contacted by your pet, as they could get burned.

It is also essential that you know the basics about your pet's digestive system and its composition. Because iguanas are Hind-Gut fermenters, they rely on their lower intestinal tracts for water re-absorption and to produce fatty acids and vitamins. This tract plays a crucial role in the pet's health and survival, and malnutrition or lack of hygiene will often lead to illness or death.

Iguanas have specific taste preferences just like humans and other animals. You may find that they don't like some foods you supply and therefore you should watch your pet carefully when it eats to see what needs to be changed. You need to be fully aware of your pets overall profile to ensure a maximum lifespan.

By owning an iguana, you will gain knowledge about reptile species and their lifestyles. Remember though that your pet now relies on you for its survival in captivity and so by learning more about its needs, you will be able to provide optimal level of care for your pet iguana.