Anyone growing up in the fifties remembers the popularity of the tiny red-eared slider turtle. Pet stores sold them by the thousands. Inevitably, the small turtle died and was ceremoniously buried in the backyard or unceremoniously flushed down the toilet. The International Iguana Society reports that in 1997 over 750,000 iguanas were imported into the U.S., with the majority dying in their first year and only a small percentage projected to reach maturity. The proper environment, temperature, nutrition, humidity, light, and psychological comfort must be provided to insure its survival.
Iguanas grow incredibly fast.
A hatchling of six inches grows to ten times that size in three short years, doubling its size in the first year. A fully mature male iguana will grow to a very impressive five or six feet in length, can weigh ten to fifteen pounds, and may live fifteen to twenty years. A young iguana is all ready too large for a space that small. An iguana will outgrow a twenty-gallon terrarium in a few months. Remember, if you buy a large enough enclosure initially you won't have to replace it in a year.