One of my fondest childhood memories was going to the San Diego desert with my uncle and looking for reptiles. One year we caught 3 desert iguanas and brought them home. My dad made a custom cage to keep them in. So, do desert iguanas make good pets?
Desert Iguanas make great pets. They are easy to care for, very hardy, and don’t get too big. They adapt to handling very well, and their docile, friendly natures make them an excellent choice even for children.
After all, that’s what my brothers and I were back in those days, children. It was amazing to me that we were able to catch and keep such interesting lizards that were so tame! And, not just tame, but very easy to care for. It’s hard for me to believe that these incredible reptiles aren’t much more popular.
I would go so far as to say that desert iguanas are America’s bearded dragon.
Before we talk about all the reasons why desert iguanas make good pets lets learn more about them. They are a beautiful light grayish tan and white lizard with spots and stripes running along their backs.
They have muscular legs and long, round, meaty tails that are banded with rings of spots. They even have small dorsal scales the look like tiny shark fins running down their backs.
Interesting Facts About Desert Iguanas
- Where do they live? – Desert Iguanas are found in the arid desert regions of the southwestern United States. This includes Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. They are also found in northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California.
- How big do they get? – Baby desert Iguanas are about 5 inches long and adults average about 16 inches in length. And some very rarely reach 18 inches.
- What do they eat? – Desert Iguanas are mostly herbivores. In the wild, they eat various buds, leaves, fruits, and flowers. They especially enjoy creosote flowers. Desert Iguanas will also occasionally eat various insects and bugs.
- How long do they live? – Desert Iguanas are known to live about 15 years or more in captivity.
- Are they really Iguanas? – Yes. Desert Iguanas are classified in the family Iguanidae just like their much larger greener cousins
Next, we will discuss why desert iguanas make great pets as well as some things to consider before making one or two the next addition to your family.
More About Desert Iguanas
Desert Iguanas
- Are very hardy
- Are easy to take care of
- Are a very manageable size
- Are docile and easy to handle
- Are interesting to watch
- Can be housed together
- Can be housed with other lizards
- Are very affordable
Considerations
- Very difficult to find
- Require special lighting
- Require a medium to large enclosure
Why Desert Iguanas Make Good Pets
Very Hardy
Desert Iguanas are very hardy lizards. They come from harsh environments and can withstand the extremes of such climates. They can also tolerate their owners’ mistakes better than other reptiles.
My younger brother once took his pet desert iguana to his friend Craig’s house. He accidentally left it over there and forgot all about it. Three days later Craig’s mom called saying our lizard was still at their house.
It had been hiding under their curtains, in the cold, the entire time. My brother brought him back home and put him back in the cage. The lizard was just fine.
It’s still important to learn as much about caring for them as possible, but it’s nice to know they aren’t going to suddenly die if you don’t get everything just perfect. Or if you leave them at your friend’s house.
Easy to Take Care Of
Desert Iguanas are very easy to take care of and their care requirements are actually very similar to bearded dragons. There are a few things to keep in mind.
You will need:
- An Enclosure
- Heat lamp
- Full Spectrum UVB lighting
- A deep substrate
- Access to various greens, fruits, and vegetables
Adults need a moderately large enclosure. About 3 feet by 2 feet wide and 2 feet high will do. More floor space is better. Desert Iguanas are active and it’s a good idea to have at least a little more space.
The word “desert” is in their name because, well they come from the desert. This means they need a lot of sunshine and heat to be healthy and happy. And that means a heat lamp and full spectrum UVB lighting. This helps them digest their food, grow and develop properly.
Remember when I said they can handle owners’ mistakes? We used a heat rock in the enclosure and an incandescent lamp over the cage. This was back in the ’80s and that’s what everyone did. We just didn’t know. Our iguanas were just fine but they would have been much healthier if we had the proper lighting.
Don’t do what we did. Us the right lighting so your pet desert iguana will be as healthy as possible. And don’t use a heat rock. They have been known to malfunction and burn your reptiles. Fortunately, ours didn’t do that. It did malfunction but instead of overheating it just stopped working.
The hot-spot on one side of the cage should be at least 95 to 105 degrees. 110 is not too hot. They should also have a cooler side of the cage to retreat to. Studies show that they do best with at least 12 hours of light each day. A great way to do this is to put your light setup on a timer.
Most of the time it is not a good idea to keep reptiles on sand. In a desert Iguana’s case, it is just fine. In fact, it’s best to provide several inches of sand (up to 10 or 12 inches) so they have opportunities to burrow. Children’s play sand is a good affordable option.
You will need to keep the sand a little bit moist. Not wet. Just enough so it will hold together when they dig. Just mist the sand a little bit each morning or every other day or so.
We got that wrong too. We never kept the sand moist enough for them to dig burrows, instead, they dug out a space underneath the heat rock which made for a nice burrow. This is a great option.
You can put a large flat rock or two in the cage. This will allow for a solid structure to dig under. I would still recommend misting the sand. If I decide to keep desert iguanas again someday, I will do both.
In captivity, you can feed your desert iguana a wide range of foods and it’s a good idea to do so. They are primarily herbivores and this is great because you can get their food right from the grocery store!
This includes various greens, fruits and vegetables like berries, apples, oranges, mangos, tomatoes, yellow squash, butternut squash, zucchini, pumpkin, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, beet greens, romaine, and endive.
Be sure to dice these items into small pieces so they can eat them. They will also eat small nuts and seeds like birdseed, sunflower seeds, cashews. and peanuts. Make sure they are not salted.
You can also occasionally offer mealworms, wax worms, super worms, or small crickets but this is not required. Insects represent a very small part of their diet in the wild so if you don’t want to provide them you don’t have to worry about it.
Desert Iguanas usually won’t drink from a water dish. Ours never did, but it’s still a good idea to make sure fresh water is available.
The above is not meant to be a detailed care guide but it should give you a good idea of what to expect and really how easy it is to care for a desert iguana.
It may sound complicated but once you get the hang of it, Desert Iguanas are really easy to care for. This goes a long way in making them a great pet.
Very Manageable Size
Desert iguanas are just large enough to be impressive and small enough to be very easy to handle. They are an excellent medium-sized lizard. This means that they don’t need a giant enclosure and you don’t have to strain your eyes to see them either! This certainly further qualifies them as a great pet lizard.
Docile and Easy to Handle
Did I mention we were kids when we got our desert iguanas? I think my brother was only 5 or 6. My dad certainly did a lot of the work, feeding our pet lizards, as he tried to teach us a little responsibility. One thing that I noticed and it still amazes me to this day, is how docile and tame desert iguanas really are.
One of the reasons certain reptile species have gotten a reputation for being aggressive is that when they first became available as pets, they were almost always wild caught. This is how most animals find their way into the pet trade at least initially. They are caught in the wild and sold in a pet store as someone’s new pet.
Wild caught animals are typically much more defensive and more difficult to handle. For example, a wild caught boa will have a much higher likely hood of hissing, striking and biting than one that is “captive bred” born in captivity.
Desert iguanas are docile even in the wild. Yes, there is a possibility they will bite but that possibility is very remote. I was used to catching alligator lizards and having them bite or blue belly fence swifts and having them bite.
When we caught the much larger desert iguanas, I was thinking they would try to bite. They never did. Desert iguanas are the most naturally docile lizards I’ve ever encountered. They adapt to handling extremely well and are great for children.
They are large enough not be easily injured by unintentional rough handling and small enough for a 5 or 6-year-old to manage easily.
This is one of the biggest reasons they make such excellent pet lizards.
Interesting to Watch
I’ve always thought desert iguanas were interesting to watch. They dig burrows, they are active during the day and will explore their cage. Sure, most of the time they will sit under the heat light basking for hours, but this is okay especially if you are a busy person with other things to do.
One of my favorite things that desert iguanas do is run on two legs. Yes, they are pretty fast. Once they get going, they lift their arms and run on their hind legs. Just like a dinosaur!
It’s very fun and exciting to watch! You won’t see this in their enclosure of course but take them out into your living room or hallway or even your back yard and see if you can get them to run. If they do you will be in for a fun surprise. We used to have races. I have to say mine was pretty fast and he usually won.
Can Be Housed Together
One really cool thing about desert iguanas is that they can be housed together. You really only want one male in the cage though. We kept three together for several years and they did very well.
Can Be Housed with Other Lizards
You can also keep desert iguanas with other heat-loving lizards like chuckwallas or uromastyx. That can be very interesting.
Very Affordable
You can buy desert iguanas for about $40-50 U.S. dollars. If you can find them. They are not very popular so they don’t command high prices. I personally think they are highly underrated and could really be much more expensive.
This is great for you though. If you are interested in owning an awesome lizard that is tame and easy to care for but you really don’t have a large budget, a desert iguana is an excellent choice!
What You Need to Know About Desert Iguanas
Very Difficult to Find
I think I may have seen a desert iguana in a pet store once or twice in the last 30 or 40 years. Sadly, they are not very available and can be very difficult to find. If you live in Arizona like I do this is not a problem. I can go out to the desert and just look around. Still, I would much rather buy animals from a breeder but I have yet to find someone who is breeding desert iguanas.
This said you can find them on large volume reptile websites. Short of going out to the desert and collecting your own (with the proper license of course) this is about the only way I’ve been able to find them.
If you order from such a website, you most likely aren’t seeing a picture of the specific animal you are buying. You won’t get to “pick one out” so to speak. So, ask to see pictures of the actual lizard you are buying if possible.
On a positive note, these websites often have a “live arrival guarantee” which means if your pet is not living when it shows up, they will send you a different one.
At least one other thing to point out would be that websites that deal with large volume reptile sales would have a hard time staying in business if all of their customers were disappointed. This means they must be doing something right.
So, look for one that has good reviews and go for it.
Require Special Lighting
Many lizards and tortoises need full-spectrum UVB lighting. This is pretty common. Desert Iguanas are no exception. They need heat and UVB lighting which can be expensive. Putting a light fixture on the top of the cage can also be bulky and take up space.
If you are going to own a reptile that likes to spend a lot of time in the sun you will need to provide the right lighting so they can be healthy and happy.
This is an important consideration when buying a desert iguana or any other sun-loving lizard.
Require a Medium to Large Enclosure
Desert iguanas need a relatively large enclosure. At least 3 feet long for adults. For some people, this can be bigger than they are comfortable with or have space for. So, keep this in mind if you are short on space. This should definitely be something you consider seriously before buying a medium-sized lizard.
As I look back on my days as an adventurous boy, hunting for lizards and snakes, I remember one of my greatest memories; catching desert iguanas with my uncle. They are and will always be one of my very favorite reptiles.
Desert iguanas are easy to care for, affordable, and hardy. They don’t get too big, and their docile, friendly, nature makes them a joy to handle and interact with, even for small children. They make a very good pet!
If you are considering one, you won’t be disappointed.