iguana

Question
Hello Jennifer,

Yesterday my husband and I were at a pet store and I seen a small iguana that they had there. It was in a 10 gal tank all by itself with that "bark" stuff for bedding.  Upon a closer inspection, I seen that the poor thing had red mites crawling on its head.  Normally I would just walk away and that would be the end of it.  But for some reason I can't stop thinking about the poor thing!  I was wondering if I went and got him, and treated him for the mites-do you think I would have a higher success rate at getting rid of the mites since I wont have to worry about his inclosure being infested because it would be a brand new tank he would be going in?  I would have bare minimum in it to make sure he was "mite" free.  I planned on putting him right into the "mite" bath as soon as I walked in the door with him.  I just dont want the poor thing to die like that in the pet store.  Do you think I should go get him or simply walk away?  

Thanks,
Tricia

Answer
Tricia

Thank you so much for this question. I know the feeling about seeing animals in bad conditions in pet stores and having a hard time walking away. Reptiles should very rarely, if ever, be sold in pet stores because most pet stores have no idea what they are doing, or just don't care. It breaks my heart to think of all the mistreated creatures of all types in the pet trade. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend that you bring this fellow home. 1. Iguanas are time consuming and expensive. Best case scenario is that he gets healthy and grows quickly, and then you have a giant iguana that is difficult to house. 2. You buying this poor guy means the pet store profits, and they will buy at least one more iguana to take his place. 3. Mites are rarely fatal and usually indicative of other health problems.

The best thing you can do is report this pet store to the health department. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Put an ad on Craigslist asking people NOT to use pet stores, etc. Hopefully pet stores will "die out" slowly but surely. I appreciate hearing about someone who is so kind hearted. It is unfortunate that pet stores profit from people who simply want to 'do the right thing'.

Iguanas are generally rehomed several times during their lifespan because people don't expect the level of care they require and their space and dietary needs.
Should you decide you want an iguana, keep an eye out for one who needs to be adopted from a previous owner.


Thank you for your question and for being a kind person.

All the best
Jennifet