






































Iguana 12.4 b&w text


IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 269COMMENTARY

Keeping animals as pets is an accepted facet of American
society. Domestic cats hold the number one spot followed

by dogs, rodents and rabbits, birds, and finally, reptiles.
Approximately 10% of the US population keeps reptiles and
amphibians as pets: 3 million ‘herps’ are in private ownership.
What is the state of affairs for captive reptiles and amphibians?
How are reptiles and amphibians like other pet animals and how
are they different? Are necessary resources available? These
include veterinary attention, knowledgeable husbandry practi-
tioners, nutritious foods, and useful supplies for owners to care
for their pets properly. Simply stated, can we do a good job for
a captive herp? If not, why? What are the consequences of our
failures?

Ray Ashton’s “Commentary from an Old Naturalist About
Exotic Species and a New Herpetocultural Ethic,” (Iguana
12(1), March 2005) inspired me to think anew about reptile-
and amphibian-related animal welfare and conservation issues.
While we warrant a new ethic toward this group of animals, my

conclusions start and end at a very different spot: I am a “new
herper” who hopes to end the practice of keeping reptiles and
amphibians in captivity.

Ashton referred to himself as an ‘old naturalist’ interested
in reptiles and amphibians since childhood, and one of a small
minority whose curiosity had been piqued by these animals.
Conversely, ‘new herpers’ may come later to such interests and
are more easily able to join study societies, interest groups, and
have other resources available that simply didn’t exist a genera-
tion ago.

In his commentary, Ashton ostensibly offers seven useful
and logical steps toward responsible reptile and amphibian own-
ership. These ideas are often repeated in hobby journals, inter-
net groups, and countless herpetological societies. Using the
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana), a very common and most neg-
lected, discarded, unwanted, and abused reptilian pet for the
basis of my discussion, we can see that Ashton’s set of rules is dif-
ficult to follow or achieve.

1. Learn about your pet. Purchasing and reading a book
about the common Green Iguana won’t necessarily provide
an owner with correct, up-to-date husbandry information.
Some publishers are unscrupulous about their editions,
updating a photo here and there so a new copyright date
hides gross inaccuracies. New books can also be poorly
written and edited, directing a motivated owner toward a
potentially fatal husbandry mistake. Few single sources pro-
vide all the knowledge we need about any one species.

2. Only purchase captive bred animals. Discussions regard-
ing Captive Bred (CB) versus Wild Caught (WC) are
largely rhetorical. Removing wild animals for introduction
into the pet trade will negatively effect a wild population.
Yet, we rarely consider the fate of CB reptiles and amphib-
ians. Questions remain — how well can we care for a CB
reptile or amphibian? Is our care humane? Potential suffer-
ing of a CB animal must be considered of equal importance
to that of a wild-caught animal.

3. Provide secure caging and lighting. We can build escape-
proof cages and provide UVB lighting — but we do not yet

C O M M E N T A R Y

The Case Against 
Captive Reptiles and Amphibians

Ann-Elizabeth (Ae) Nash, Director

Colorado Reptile Humane Society (CoRHS)
(www.corhs.org)

Photographs by the author.

Opinions expressed are those of the author and may or
may not reflect those of the IRCF.

Pablo is a recent arrival at Colorado Reptile Humane Society
(CoRHS). Even among the few Green Iguanas that survive captivity,
few live out their entire natural lifespan of 20–30 years in the care of a
single owner.



270 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 COMMENTARY

know how much UVB lighting is enough or too much.
Many other habitat elements also need consideration: cli-
mate, seasonal weather, visual breaks, height versus area, etc.

4. Provide appropriate food. Nutritional research focused on
longevity versus breeding is scarce, as are commercially
available diets based on such research. Most owners cannot
offer natural foods for I. iguana in captivity. It is time-con-
suming and tiresome to prepare fresh foods daily.

5. Consider habitat size. What percentage reduction in space
is tolerable when housing a lizard that typically roams an
acre of area in its natural habitat? If we house a single adult
I. iguana in a bedroom (10 x12’ = 120 sq. ft.), we’ve
removed more than 99.7% of its normal home range. Is
this acceptable? Even a 2000 sq. ft. house represents only
5% of a normal habitat.

6. When you need to ‘get rid of’ your pet. No animal should
be sent to an uncertain fate, released in a park, a stream,
from a moving car, or any other cruel method that causes
unnecessary stress, injury, or death. Animal welfare think-
ing encourages pet ownership for the life of the pet, not the
fluctuating interest of the owner. Is a profit-motivated pet
store a good avenue for an unwanted animal? Shelters and
rescuers are unable to re-home all Green Iguanas that come
through their doors. No one wants another iguana.
Euthanasia is often the outcome when an owner “exit strat-
egy” is implemented.

7. Avoid confrontations with non-herpers. Respecting your
neighbors always makes sense when you house any animal.
No one likes a barking dog, bird killing ‘barn cat,’ or other
at-large pet. Fear of snakes is especially deeply felt, regard-
less of legitimate danger. However, negative reactions from
individuals or politicians should not be seen as unthinking.
Many concerns about keeping wild animals as pets are rea-
sonable.

Reptiles and amphibians are readily available for sale or trade
from outlets that include retail stores, internet sellers, and
breeder’s shows. In my home state of Colorado and other states
in the US, certain species may be legally taken from their wild
habitats and held in captivity. The average owner follows few of
the points outlined in Mr. Ashton’s list, purchasing whichever
reptile or amphibian they desire with little or any research
regarding care, longevity, and nutrition. However, even the most
dedicated and educated owners, supporting the pet trade
through the purchase of a CB reptile or amphibian, subject a
wild animal to a life of imprisonment and often a reduced life
span, even in the absence of predators. Why is this acceptable?

We have not truly domesticated any reptile or amphibian;
I will therefore conclude that CB animals are as wild as their
WC counterparts. CB reptiles and amphibians may be more or
less acclimated to life near or with humans; they may or may not
display aggressive behaviors to territorial intruders or other
encounters and experiences. They may or may not make ‘good’
wild animals since, as often as not, breeders keep alive every
hatchling regardless of fitness. To declare an animal unable to
withstand the pressure of a life in its wild habitat does not make
it any less wild. The individual animal would have simply met
demise early in its natural life.

Moving from the difficulties of caring for reptiles and
amphibians in captivity, a far more important question needs
addressing: On what grounds do we humans have the right to
impose captive conditions on wild animals? Combined with the
problems of invasive exotic species, Mr. Ashton should not be
surprised that some ‘new herpers’ wish to curtail reptile and
amphibian ownership for both the wild animals themselves and
for good stewardship of native populations. While we may pos-
sess a legal right to keep reptiles and amphibians in captivity, I
suggest that we lack the moral right to keep a wild animal cap-
tive for our own personal benefit or other financial or emotional
needs, whether it is captive bred or wild caught.

Much of my ethos regarding reptiles and amphibians stems
from experiences as the founder and director of a small humane
society in Colorado that is dedicated to this group of animals.
Through my work, I have personally appreciated many reptiles
and amphibians. From this familiarity has grown a profound
sadness for these wild animals that are captive solely as a conse-
quence of human folly.

The new generation of reptile and amphibian owners does not
share any values beyond possession — any more than Ford auto-
mobile owners or ice cream purchasers constitute a distinct
socio-economic, other demographic, or moral class. Old herpers,
Mr. Ashton declares, were interested in learning about wild ani-
mals — “but were also excited about keeping them in captivity.”
I have no doubt that this is true. Keeping and breeding reptiles
and amphibians generated great enthusiasm among pet owners
— but at what cost to the animals? I am confident that a thor-
ough investigation will clearly answer Mr. Ashton’s shock toward
those of us who would see the end of the worldwide trade in
reptilian and amphibian pets:

� When the best and most resourceful owners cannot provide
even a small percentage of the real estate a wild animal has
in its natural habitat, we have failed that animal.

� When nutrition research focused on longevity (not breed-
ing) is scarce, when the foremost veterinary medical text is
a mere 512 pages for all species of reptiles and amphibians,

A malformed Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) suf-
fered from an insufficient diet and a lack of ultraviolet light.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 271COMMENTARY

when we have no antibiotics or other drugs designed for
even a single species, we have failed.

� When reptile and amphibian owners cause immense suf-
fering and death to at least 500,000 Green Iguanas each
year in the US alone — and who knows the numbers for
other species — we have failed.

� When we refuse to recognize that most captive-breeding
programs bring into existence wild animals doomed to a
life in captivity, we have failed.

After seven years of sheltering and euthanizing unwanted rep-
tiles and amphibians, I would suggest that the average individ-
ual with a typical amount of space, time, and funds is simply not
equal to the responsibilities of owning a pet reptile or amphib-
ian — even if it began as an appropriate endeavor. In fact, most
reptile and amphibian owners surrendering their animals to the
Colorado Reptile Humane Society can probably tell you more
about the attributes of their cell phone and calling plan contract
than the live animal of which they now wish to rid themselves.
Like all bell curves, a few humans do a great job for their pets, a
few would meet a legal definition as perpetrators of cruelty, and
the great majority provide mediocre care. Mediocre care to mil-
lions of reptiles and amphibians seems to me something old nat-
uralists and new herpers ought to oppose collectively. Does the
fact that an amphibian or reptile was captive-bred really matter?

Can we learn from our myriad failures and experiences?
Some will answer that better research will yield the knowledge
we presently lack, that educated owners will improve husbandry
issues, and that we can protect our native ecosystems from inva-
sive species. My experiences tell me otherwise. On a typical after-
noon at the Colorado Reptile Humane Society’s shelter, one
owner who ‘got rid of ’ his Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
because she was ‘too boring’ was already planning the purchase

of a chameleon. Another owner brought forth an iguana with
an advanced type of metabolic bone disease, misdiagnosed by a
veterinarian. The owner had provided UVB lighting, but it was
too far away from the lizard to be useful. Red-eared Sliders
(Trachemys scripta) are dumped by the dozens after outgrowing
aquaria that were never large enough. Who is going to house an
unwanted (and unsocialized) 4.5’ Black-throated Monitor
(Varanus albigularis spp.)? He was surrendered because his fecal
material “smelled bad.” Owners do not often advance their own
education beyond “Cool — a reptile!” These animals forfeit
their natural lives on human whim.

A realistic accounting of how captive reptiles and amphib-
ians endure our lack of largesse would convince most individu-
als that we only rarely meet the lowest bar of care standards —
and that wild animals should remain wild animals. I often coun-
sel would-be adopters of North American box turtles (Terrapene
spp.) that these turtles roam about two football fields worth of
habitat. Subjecting box turtles to life in a 55-gallon aquarium is
equivalent to a human living out the rest of her life in a small
bathroom — and without internet, cell phone, or other stimuli.
As North American box turtles experience a near 70% predation
rate on relocation, they cannot be released. However, for per-
manent captives, we can raise the standards we allow to pass for
captive husbandry.

Let me propose a less than radical notion toward reptiles
and amphibians: Acknowledge them as the wild animals they
are and operate as their conservation advocates and wardens,
keeping them and their needed ecosystems protected in our
world — and out of all living rooms. Reptiles and amphibians
are not appropriate personal pets, any more than we would rea-
sonably consider mountain lions, hippos, or ostriches. If they
were larger, vocal, and able to harm us more easily and more
often, I suspect they would no longer be such a popular part of

Rosie, a Green Iguana (Iguana iguana), now a permanent resident of the Butterfly Pavilion (www.butterflies.org), is seen here atop her tree bower.



272 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2005 COMMENTARY

the pet trade. We can shut down the introduction of new indi-
viduals and new species of reptile and amphibians into the pet
trade — and greatly reduce suffering and death. These ideals
should inform a true conservation ethic.

A conservation ethic might include captive breeding to
increase the chances for a species’ survival — but wild animals
that exist only as captive specimens are already lost to our natu-

ral world. We assure a species’ survival when we realize the ani-
mal can function as a wild animal only in its natural habitat.
Captive breeding for release must already encompass habitat
preservation and management — without which release is
impossible.

We need a conservation-focused ethic — for the reptiles and
amphibians we hope to protect and not for the reason of contin-
ued ownership of wild animals in our homes. Conservation needs
to occur because, as Mark Beckoff observed, the human race has
already won the race — and included in our winner’s ‘spoils’
could be a greater future for reptiles and amphibians than cap-
tive animals suffering and dying for short-term enjoyment. As
winners, we could instead be generous toward these often-mis-
understood animals, protecting them in the wild, while reducing
and eliminating their human-imposed captivity.

As a model for enjoying reptiles and amphibians in the
wild, we could duplicate many of the elements of bird watchers.
Life-long species lists (without taking herps from the wild!), rep-
tile-watching trips, photography contests, and reptile conserva-
tion societies could greatly contribute to the protection of these
wonderful species — all without subjecting them to captivity or
an early demise. Instead, land could be protected for habitat, and
participants could help collect useful data and assist researchers
and conservationists.

The natural world is a wonderful place and to rediscover,
as most of us do, that it contains reptiles and amphibians, should
be exciting. I can conceive of no better gift than to leave wild
animals wild, hippo and herp alike.

This Ornate Monitor (Varanus ornatus) is now deceased. An animal
that can attain a length of two meters, has a naturally aggressive dis-
position, and requires a largely aquatic habitat is a questionable choice
as a pet for most people.

What Others Say About This Book...
Bulletin of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
“I would recommend this book to anyone that is thinking of buying an iguana, anyone 
that owns an iguana and any veterinarian treating iguanas, no matter what level your
expertise.”

Reptiles magazine
“The amount of reliable information provided is staggering.... If you own a green 
iguana, you really should pick up a copy.”

Vivarium magazine
“In both content and presentation Green Iguana—The Ultimate Owner’s Manual sets its
own high standard.  Most readers will consider it the definitive work on management, care,
and personality traits of green iguanas in captivity.”

NEW
SECOND
EDITION
� Updated Text and Index
� New Color Photographs

� Medical Photos

GREEN IGUANA–The Ultimate Owner’s Manual
is available through all of the major on-line book stores, herpetological and pet web sites, plus leading book and pet stores.
If you need more information, please feel free to contact us at: Dunthorpe Press, P.O. 80385-R, Portland, OR 97280, USA

NEW: NOW AT ALL PETSMART ® STORES

CONTACT US:   DUNTHORPE PRESS (503) 635-8222       FAX (503) 635-8405       www.iguana.com

Best Iguana Source Book Ever!
If you own an iguana, YOU NEED THIS BOOK. Proper
care information can mean the difference between life 
and death for your iguana. Choose the care book that

everyone has confidence in and recommends...
GREEN IGUANA – The Ultimate Owner’s Manual.

Now ONLY
$22.95

(was $32.50)

GREEN IGUANA – The
Ultimate Owner’s Manual
by James W. Hatfield III

Over 10 years of research,
weighs in at over 21/2 lbs and
is the largest, most compre-
hensive, up-to-date, helpful,
fun, easy-to-read iguana pet
care book ever written.

People call our book the
‘bible’ of iguana pet care




