






































Iguana 10.4 b&w text


A
ccording to the Humane Society of the
United States (2001), more than 3.9 mil-
lion households in the U.S. keep one or
more reptiles or amphibians as pets.

Approximately 18% of these are Green Iguanas
(720,000). Data collected between 1989 and
1997 indicate that an average of 381,000 Green
Iguanas are imported each year, 566,000 in 1997
alone. Based solely on anecdotal evidence, many
rescuers have long believed that as many as 90% of
pet Green Iguanas die within a year. If more than
half of the total pet iguana population is replaced
each year, this tragic assumption is probably well-
grounded in truth.

Properly tended, a Green Iguana can live for
20–30 years, but, undoubtedly, few reach such a

venerable age. Again, based on anecdotal evidence,
I believe that only a tiny fraction of those Green
Iguanas that manage to survive their first year in
captivity actually live out their potential life spans
in the hands of a single caretaker. What becomes
of the rest of them? On a bad day, when I am
inundated with phone calls and e-mail messages, I
feel as if every last one of those survivors comes
past my door.

Why do people give up iguanas?
Aside from the “my iguana has gotten too

big” and the “I can’t provide my iguana with
enough attention,” calls, most of the other
inquiries I receive asking for help with Green
Iguana rescues begin with, “I have an awkward

The Iguana Rescue Dilemma
AJ Gutman

West Hartford, CT
All photographs by Carole Saucier except where indicated.

121IGUANADecember 2003

Bronte (formerly Emily) has been at the Iguana Sanctuary for the last five of his approximately 16 years. 



and very unusual situation ...” While the situation
may indeed be awkward for the person on the
other end of the line, after many years of rescuing
all manner of reptiles, the stories are all too pre-
dictable for me. In fact, if you list the principal
characters involved, I can generally fill in the sce-
nario with great accuracy.

We’re getting divorced and we need a home for the
iguana.

I’m newly married and my spouse feels we need —
(and the classic variation) I’ve been married for a
year and my spouse feels we need …

My son/daughter is leaving for college and we need …

I’m moving and my new landlord insists that we
find …

Those that are my least favorites require imme-
diate attention:

My tenant just moved out and left behind his iguana.

There’s an animal in the plum tree in my front
yard. Can you come and get it?

Occasionally, I encounter a novel variation
(I’ve just been evicted, my spouse has been incar-
cerated, I found this on the railroad tracks), but,
ultimately, everyone wants help and they want it
immediately. If I can’t take their animal right away,
the iguana is likely to be released. A fortunate few
are brought to me by Animal Control.

Boy or a Girl?
“The iguana is in good health — but I don’t

know if it’s a boy or a girl.” Not surprisingly, those
who cannot tell the difference between a male and

a female iguana lack the wherewithal to judge the
animal’s state of health. No, a hot rock and bowl of
lettuce don’t cut it. Anyone with a truly healthy
iguana knows that proper iguana nutrition is a four-
letter word: W-O-R-K. Proper care requires a com-
plex orchestration of planning, shopping, and
preparation — and there aren’t any shortcuts.

Most of the iguanas that come to me (includ-
ing those in “good health”) are in fact quite ill. I
see all degrees of stunting, emaciation, deformity,
and disease, most of them resulting from improper
lighting or nutrition and the attendant stress.
Those that are unadoptable and stay with me per-
manently are generally the most physically handi-
capped and ill-tempered, the “FLKs” and the
“grumps.” “FLK” or “Funny-Looking-Kid” is a
technical term that my husband learned in medical
school to denote individuals with genetic aberra-
tions leading to physical abnormalities. I also apply
it to my animals with nutrition-related and con-
genital deformities.

122 IGUANA Volume 10, Number 4

“It’s in pretty good shape.” Mina was actually all right —
for an abandoned, stunted animal with only one dorsal
spine that hadn’t rotted off, four digits that hadn’t been
amputated by persistent constriction bands, an oozing
infection in her upper chest and dewlap, and a couple of
vertebral fractures.

Tatiana is the quintessential “Funny-Looking Kid.”
Abandoned at a pet shop, she was purchased by another
rescuer and eventually brought to me for further rehabilita-
tion. Despite all the twists in her back and tail, she has no
problem walking or climbing.



The “grumps” are another fairly uniform
group — they tend to be larger, older females that
are a bit snappish and just won’t tolerate handling.
These animals often are returned to me after an
initial placement because they have been aggressive
toward another iguana or people find themselves
unable to relate to such an animal. From experi-
ence, I know that these “girls” will acclimate with
time, but it’s a process that requires patience —
sometimes years rather than months, and few peo-
ple have the stamina to outlast their grumpiness.

The aggressive male iguana
Any reasonable program of behavior modifica-

tion should begin with an assessment of how the
world must appear from the subject’s perspective.
My work rehabilitating iguanas began with this
principle and the assumption that the problems of
every aggressive iguana could be addressed.

I have been privileged to gain a wealth of
insight into iguana behavior from animals with
which I have worked over the years, but none
challenged my initial beliefs until I met Kurosawa.
Kurosawa was a 13-year-old male that had been
raised by an adoring and attentive owner. He had
been neutered at the age of seven when he began
to be quite aggressive, and this seemed to calm
him for a time. But, after he left 42 stitches in his
owner’s arm, she was considerably relieved that I
was willing to take on her beloved “bad boy.”
Large but comparatively thin upon arrival,
Kurosawa immediately challenged one of my other

male Green Iguanas, lost the scrap and then settled
in peacefully and began to eat — and eat and eat.
Several months and several pounds later, Kurosawa
was no longer peaceful. He was terrorizing every
other iguana that crossed his path. Then he started
to challenge me. Initially, his challenges were
merely aggressive posturing and gaping, but this
quickly progressed to a stage in which he began
leaping across the room to try and attack me. My
great experiment had failed and, in consultation
with Kurosawa’s previous owner, we decided that
the only reasonable choice was euthanasia. In ret-
rospect, I am tempted to believe that he had sim-
ply been biding his time until he had become big
enough to once again assert himself.

“My iguana needs a better home than I can
provide.”

What are the options for placement? Very few.
Zoos, nature centers, and animal welfare groups
(HSUS, SPCA) constantly receive calls regarding
unwanted pet iguanas, and they inevitably refer
these callers to me or others among a handful of

123IGUANADecember 2003

Odessa fits the profile of the large, aggressive female. Kept
with other iguanas that match her in size, she has adapted
well socially. Odessa was left behind when her owners
moved out of their apartment; she was mistaken as a male
by several other rescuers before she came to the Sanctuary.

Kurosawa during a visit from his previous owner, he had
plumped up but had not yet become unmanageably
aggressive. Photograph by Ron Miyashiro.



individuals willing to deal with reptiles. All of us
tend to be constantly overwhelmed and under-
funded. Quite simply, no formal organization in
this country is willing and able to cope with the
ever-increasing number of unwanted pet reptiles.

“I’m going on vacation to Puerto Rico;
couldn’t I just release my iguana there?” No!!!

Over the years, hundreds, likely thousands, of
Green Iguanas have been released into the wild in
the state of Florida and, in most instances, they are
considered pests. An article in the Miami Herald
once addressed the feral iguana problem in
Florida, and my telephone number was listed as a
contact for the International Iguana Society.
Although I live in Connecticut, I was deluged with
calls from irate Miami residents demanding that I
come immediately to fetch Green Iguanas from
their ornamental shrubbery (see also the article on
p. 111).

Green Iguanas are not native to Florida and,
in places like the Keys, they compete directly with
native animals for a limited supply of vegetation.
In the Lesser Antilles, Green Iguanas not only out-
reproduce, but are known to have hybridized with
native Iguana delicatissima. Puerto Rico is a dif-
ferent case still; native Cyclura pinguis was extir-
pated from the island long ago, and an introduced
Green Iguana population has become firmly estab-
lished. Could a captive-raised Green Iguana sur-

vive in the wild? Yes, obviously better than we
might have imagined. Nevertheless, the argument
remains that captive-held animals are likely to have
an intestinal flora, other bacteria, and external or
internal parasites that do not occur in the wild —
and which may adversely affect wild populations of
native animals with which they come into contact.

A frightening alternative
For a brief time, I was almost able to delude

myself that the iguana rescue traffic was slowing a
little. An occasional caller who, when told that I
was unable to take an iguana immediately, would
ask me if had heard anything about a place that I’ll
call the “Alternative Reptile Institution” (ARI),
which would supposedly accept any healthy,
unwanted reptile for a fee. I really hadn’t heard
anything at all about the ARI, until another res-
cuer asked me for assistance with an extensive res-
cue effort.

I discovered that this was where the remainder
of the rescue traffic from my area had been
diverted. Countless Green Iguanas had been taken
in by the ARI. Some of the healthy ones were
immediately resold, but countless others had died.
Those that I was able to rescue had been housed
together in a fairly large enclosure heated with a
single inaccessible bulb, no functional ultraviolet
light, dirty water, and no food. The largest iguana
was perched in the only available basking spot and

would not allow any of
the others to approach
the food on those rare
occasions when any
was available. All of the
animals were emaci-
ated, dehydrated, cov-
ered with mites, and in
various states of further
disrepair. Some had
open wounds and bro-
ken bones from recent
injuries, others had
burns and secondary
infections.

Among the ani-
mals I was able to res-
cue from the ARI was
a small Rhinoceros
Iguana that had been
there for about a year.
She had been housed

124 IGUANA Volume 10, Number 4

This rescued Green Iguana had extensive burns across her pelvis and rear limbs. She was
able to heal once her mite infestation had been cleared.



with two large males and another small female of
her species. I was immediately drawn to her
because she came over to the glass and looked me
straight in the eye — a prototypical FLK. She had
a spinal scoliosis that left her looking like a reptil-
ian version of a water buffalo. Her emaciated pelvis
was jutting out prominently and, even through the
glass, I could see the top off her head crawling
with red mites. She also had the most awkward
method of locomotion, with her legs sprawling
uncontrollably in every direction. I was later
informed that this type of movement is called
“hypertonus,” and is comparable to the human
condition called cerebral palsy.

The Rhino enclosure was large and had clearly
been quite impressive when new, but it had not
been maintained. The pool was empty and the
substrate filthy. The temperature gradient was
appropriate and even a bit of UV light intruded —
but not in a location accessible to the animals. A

platter of dandelions, which a volunteer had just
picked outside, was available, but the two small
females were consistently kept from feeding by the
two larger males.

I was permitted to take both females. The
crooked one (Dolly) was considered too unattrac-
tive for display, while the other (Loretta) bore clear
signs of a developing infection. Both animals, at
eight years of age, were barely half the size of the
six-year old Rhino female that has been with me
since she was a hatchling. Dolly, who had appar-
ently been left at the ARI only a year earlier, blos-
somed quickly once she had her own exclusive
basking spot and a “bottomless” bowl of nutri-
tious food. Although her movements remain awk-
ward, she is able to climb “handicap ramps” and
has been accepted by my other Rhinos.

Loretta’s recovery proved to be much more
challenging. Blistering that had been present on
her legs and trunk when I took her had erupted

125IGUANADecember 2003

This animal had a broken rear limb with an open wound, likely caused by a bite from a cagemate. In the absence of any
medical treatment, the wound developed a huge abscess.



into extensive lesions, which took a very long time
to heal and left extensive scarring. Her growth and
socialization have been much slower, but I suspect
she also will integrate comfortably into the Rhino
“family” in time.

The dilemma
So what’s the dilemma? I truly love the work

that I do and I find it enormously fulfilling, but it’s
also exhausting and unceasing. I’ve finally dragged
myself through the endless process of becoming a
not-for-profit organization and have been offered
web space by a number of people. Yet, my great-
est fear in creating a greater visibility for reptile res-
cue is that I will be completely inundated with
even more unwanted animals without being able
to obtain any help or funding.

In September, I was invited to attend an expo-
sition for various animal rescue groups. I was eager
to see how people working with other types of ani-
mals functioned. Unfortunately, I was obliged to
back out of the engagement at the last minute
when I discovered that I was required to pay a fee
for a table as well as provide volunteers to assist in
setting up. A fee? Most people giving up iguanas
have little interest in providing for their care.
Those who adopt animals will sometimes make a
donation, but just as often need their resources to
purchase equipment and food for their new
charges. Volunteers? The occasional person has
threatened to volunteer, but a closer look at the
work reveals its generally unglamorous nature and

I’ve never had anyone show up and actually do any
work. I thought it absurd to be asked to pay for
the privilege of facing my usual dilemma.

So, how can the problem of unwanted Green
Iguanas be properly addressed? Do we really need
to ban the sale of these animals in pet shops?
Require licensing? Ban ownership? Or perhaps
insist that publicly supported animal welfare orga-
nizations take on the problem? Among the
HSUS’s stated charter purposes is to “protect all
living things, especially animals.” I was appalled to
read their extensive documentation on the reptile
pet trade and related “humane concerns,” know-
ing that so little is being done by that organiza-
tion. Even less impressive is the total lack of inter-
est from a very large portion of the reptile pet
industry, which directly benefits from the sale of
these animals.

A glimmer of light
Another recent rescue involved two Green

Iguanas abandoned on the doorstep of a cat shel-
ter. The stunted and battered little animals were in
no way unusual, but the response of the shelter
manager was encouraging. She knew that she
lacked the knowledge to care for the iguanas, yet
she recognized that they deserved her attention,
and she undertook the process of tracking down
someone who did. Between the time that she
called me in the morning and when we met at a
parking lot that same afternoon, she had clearly
done some research. As I was transferring the ani-
mals from her car to mine, she was answering
questions for a curious passerby: “No, they don’t
make good pets. They’ll burn themselves on a hot
rock and they need a wide variety of vegetables
and fruits.” 

I don’t know what the long-term solution will
be — but I invest a considerable portion of the
time and effort left after taking care of animals to
promote education on proper iguana husbandry.
And at least some of the most critical information
seems to be filtering through.

Reference
Franke, J. and T.M. Telecky. 2001. Reptiles as Pets: An Examination

of the Trade in Live Reptiles in the United States. The Humane
Society of the United States, Washington, DC.

126 IGUANA Volume 10, Number 4

Despite a crooked spine and extremely awkward locomo-
tion, Dolly has been well-received by the other members of
the Rhino “family.”




