National Iguana Awareness Day (NIAD)

"Hard to care for...easy to love" was the slogan for the group of dedicated iguana owners who volunteered their time and efforts to organize "National Iguana Awareness Day" (NIAD). Although NIAD was officially disbanded in 2001, the NIAD site remains, promoting the goal of education owners about the commitment required to properly care for iguanas.

The cornerstone of the NIAD campaign was education, through the dissemination of appropriate care advice to owners and pet shops selling iguanas. Volunteers were encouraged to hand out pamphlets and flyers, make presentations to interested groups, and make media contacts. Despite dropping the official guana awareness day, increasing awareness of the proper care of iguanas is certainly an ongoing campaign.

Why was such a group and campaign necessary in the first place?

Iguanas can make lovely pets, but unfortunately many are sold to ill prepared owners who do not know what they are getting into and how to properly care for iguanas.

Because baby iguanas are so readily available, they are cheap and sold in large quantities by pet stores who do little to prepare prospective owners for the commitment required to properly care for these beautiful creatures.

A few things prospective iguana owners should realize:

• iguanas grow to a mature size of 5-6 feet long. Accordingly, they need a large enclosure - as large as possible. (Some lucky iguanas even get their own room.)
• iguanas are vegetarians and need a variety of freshly prepared foods daily. Like many other animals including humans iguanas can develop preferences for foods that are not necessarily the best for them, so ensuring they eat a variety of healthy foods can take patience and persistence.
• iguanas are susceptible to metabolic bone disease, which results from an imbalance of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 metabolism. This is one of the leading causes of death in captive iguanas, yet is almost entirely preventable with proper husbandry.
• iguanas are very strong and have personalities to match. Regular handling and attention will be necessary to keep an iguana tame. Unhappy or irritated iguanas can inflict painful bites or lashes with their powerful tail.

Iguanas are difficult to care for. Their large size and strict husbandry requirements mean they need a lot of space and a lot of care, and it can be expensive and time-consuming to meet their needs However, they are magnificent animals when they are well cared for, and can make good pets for those who are prepared to make the commitment to care for them properly.

NIAD - information on the history and mission of NIAD along with lots of good informtion on pet iguanas and their care.

General Iguana Care Links

• Green Iguana Care - an excellent, very detailed and large guide to all aspects of iguana care, by Melissa Kaplan.
• The Iguana Pages - by Jennifer Swofford, an excellent resource for iguana owners.
• Iguana Care - by Carole Saucier, a 3 page quick guide to iguana care, with cost estimates for equipment and supplies needed before getting an iguana.

Iguana Resources from About

• Iguanas Online - a look at some of the great iguana owner resources available on the Net.
• Handling and Taming Iguanas - the importance of regular handling and dealing with aggression.
• Bood Review - "Iguanas for Dummies" - Melissa Kaplan's book on iguana care.
• How to Trim Iguana Claws - quick guide to keeping iguana claws trim, which makes handling easier.
• Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles - a serious but largely preventable disease that is very common in iguanas.
• Reptiles - Light and Heat - providing the right temperatures and UV light is extremely important.
• Reptile Associated Salmonellosis - iguanas, like all reptiles, can carry Salmonella bacteria. Proper hygiene around reptiles is essential; find out more in this article.