BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I went to see a friend who recently rescued a baby iguana from a moron who wasn't prepared at all for the pet. It has been living on mulch from the garden with no light what-so-ever and a heat rock for the last 4 months. ugghhh!

Anyway, I stopped at the pet store on my way over and picked up some stuff for her new baby and when I got there I got to hold him. He was beautiful but skiddish (not his fault). But I gotta say, he just didn't compare to my nice thick happy little bluey at home!

No offense to those who own Iggi's but they just don't compare to bluey's in my opinion. I've handled many Iguana's and they are neat in their own right but Bluey's Rock!

Need I say more.....

i agree blueys rule!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never any doubt!

Iggys can go postal on you if you're not careful too, I saw a thread on a forum that shows what damage these guys can do, (even through a leather glove) and relatively unprovoked at that!
I think Blueys just make better herp pets for those that want to handle their animals. That and their tongues are just so freakin' cute!

SailleSkinklover wrote:Iggys can go postal on you if you're not careful too, I saw a thread on a forum that shows what damage these guys can do, (even through a leather glove) and relatively unprovoked at that!
I think Blueys just make better herp pets for those that want to handle their animals. That and their tongues are just so freakin' cute!

Whoa - that's scary...

Scary indeed. And I like Iggys but ... would you want to kiss one? I think not.

I would love a huge 6' male iguana.

Baby iguanas are really cute and that is their downfall. People buy them on impulse or underestimate their adult requirements. I can't tell you how many folks I direct to iguana rescue on our local reptile forum. Thank goodness some folks can deal with them. Tail whips, bites, high incidence of Salmonella, large size, etc. make iggies too much of a challenge for me. Thankfully, the internet discourages many "would be" iguana owners and directs them to easier alternatives---like our beloved blueys!

NomadOfTheHills wrote:I would love a huge 6' male iguana.

What about a pathetic skinny little misunderstood iguana.

misunderstood iggy's face:

Nomad's face:

If I had the money, I would raise a pathetic skinny little misunderstood iguana.

I get so many people who talk about iguanas when I tell them I have reptiles. They all think they're cute and would make an awesome pet. I just ask if they have a spare bedroom to house it. People are so stupid sometimes. Hopefully BTS will become more popular, and recognized as the amazing pets they are.

I never recommend breeding iguanas. There are enough being bred or wild-caught out there, we do not need more. If people want iguanas, and I think they can handle it, I always say rescue one, don't support a breeder. Almost opposite of what I say about BTS...

And Nomad, if you want a 6' giant iguana, go for it! At least you can understand the requirements and care needed for these. Personally, I love the rhino iguanas.

I will probably get an iguana when I have my own house one day. At 6'2 and about 210, I think I can handle an aggressive male in breeding mode.

I know and have read of many females, who have large male iguanas. What happens? They get attacked. Moral:

Don't get an iguana longer than you haha!

I have had my share of Iguanas in the past.

I have had 2 large ones. Both were given to me. The first one I ever owned was awesome. Great temperament, loved hanging out on my shoulder, and I took him to the local petstore and the Ace Hardware (I worked there and the employees loved her) and she did great in the car and out in public. I owned her for about a month and then she got really sick. Never did have a great appetite for me ever since I had her. Didnt think much of it. Then all of a sudden she started having seizures and died the next day.

While in AP Biology at the time and disecting fish, I asked if I could bring her in to disect and basically preform an autopsy. The teacher agreed and we found out that the previous owner had left her free roam and she at 21 cents in change. 2 dimes, one penny. She died of Zinc Toxicity from the 1 penny.

The next one was a little guy I saved from the local petstore. It was very sick, dehydrated, MBD, gout (from the MBD), mouth rot, etc. He was in bad shape. I was treating him with Calcium Gluconate, syringing in some food and water, giving him some electrolytes, etc. but he never pulled through. I had him going for about 2 months before he died.

The third one was evil. She was also from a petstore that the previous owner dropped off. She was beautiful but aggressive. She would rather fight than flight. While holding her, you could feel her trying to crawl towards your face with her mouth wide open. I found her a home with someone in Illinois.

If I ever get another iguana, it would definitely be a rescue, or a rhino iguana. I would rather have a Argentine Black and White Tegu though.

My female iguana lasted nine years from a 4inch petstore purchase to a 4and 1/2 foot adult(she was short of about 1foot of tail)she was very well behaved and only bit me once(my fault)I left my finger in a bowl of peas too long when feeding. The vet got whipped when she went for examinations (never tried it with me)and the only times she tried to escape was when not being watched properly in the garden, she always wanted to vault the fence for next doors tree.

Zach wrote:

NomadOfTheHills wrote:I would love a huge 6' male iguana.

What about a pathetic skinny little misunderstood iguana.

misunderstood iggy's face:

Nomad's face:

Awwww, poor lil' iguana!

Leigh wrote:My female iguana lasted nine years from a 4inch petstore purchase to a 4and 1/2 foot adult(she was short of about 1foot of tail)she was very well behaved and only bit me once(my fault)I left my finger in a bowl of peas too long when feeding. The vet got whipped when she went for examinations (never tried it with me)and the only times she tried to escape was when not being watched properly in the garden, she always wanted to vault the fence for next doors tree.

Wow, Leigh. I wouldn't have thought they were okay taking outdoors. They are too quick and feisty for me. Bluey's, on the other hand, are slow enough for me to catch. Atleast Sammy is.

Reptileking, I feel for ya about your lost rescues. Who would've thought about Zinc Toxicity from the 1 penny...


Nomad, at 6'2 and about 210 I'm sure you can handle a variety of large animals no problem. But you can always get bit like the rest of us!

Fatal, I agree with you about rescuing one rather than supporting a breeder. Iguana's are a dime a dozen around here. Anyone and everyone can breed them and sell them for $15 a pop. If they were more expensive and harder to come by, I think more serious (and older) pet owners would invest in one. Like bluey's. You tend to think longer and harder when you purchase an animal over $100. Atleast I did.

Tatoo, I agree about the kissing. I would trust my Sammy for cuddling and kissing before I'd trust an iguana.

Check out this link about Iggy Aggression, it will make you think twice about repecting the power of an Iguana!


http://tesa.proboards24.com/index.cg...d=116 1469701

http://tesa.proboards24.com/index.cgi?b ... 1161469701

mom22wins wrote: Anyone and everyone can breed them and sell them for $15 a pop.

Actually, I pretty sure almost no one captive breeds them in the US, maybe a few dedicated breeders. All the cheap babies you see are from farms, directly imported from the Caribbean or El Salvador. Go figure lol!

I'm not a "herper," I never will be. I like reptiles, but if the bluey were as tough to keep as an iguana regarding needs/space etc, I'd never own one.

Blues DO rule.

KW

You should be a herper. Its fun.