A spectacular arboreal lizard that grows enormous and lives for decades — beautiful, but one of the most commonly surrendered pets because people underestimate the adult.
🔴 Advanced🌿 Strict herbivore📏 Grows very large⏳ 15–20 years
Care difficulty
Advanced
Animal cost
£20–£500+
Full setup
£300–£600
Adult size
1.5–2 m
Lifespan
15–20 years
Min. enclosure
Room-sized / custom
🎬See one of ours
A juvenile orange ‘zero’ iguana 🐾
📋At a Glance
Green iguanas are large, arboreal, strictly herbivorous lizards. A hatchling is tiny and cheap, but an adult reaches 1.5–2 m, needs custom room-sized housing, strong UVB and careful diet, and can be strong and territorial. They're rewarding for the dedicated, experienced keeper — but are hugely over-bought and under-housed.
Best for: experienced keepers with the space, budget and long-term commitment for a very large arboreal herbivore.
💷Costs & Getting Hold of One
The animal
£20–£50 for a normal green hatchling — cheap, which is part of the welfare problem; but morphs cost far more: red, blue, albino and 'zero'/orange run £150–£500+ (e.g. an orange zero around £250).
Full setup
£300–£600 for suitable adult housing (effectively a custom enclosure or dedicated room) plus strong UVB and heat.
Ongoing costs
Moderate — fresh greens/veg daily plus significant heating/UVB electricity.
Availability
Easy to buy as babies; think hard about the 2 m adult first.
These are minimums, not budgets. The low end still has to meet the animal's needs — proper UVB, a heat gradient, space and filtration are not optional extras. A vivarium alone can cost £250–£300+, and a tortoise's UVB lamp alone is often ~£100. Price the whole setup before you commit to the animal.
Buying tip: Do not buy on impulse. Confirm you can house and care for a 2 m adult for ~20 years before acquiring one.
🏠Enclosure & Where to Keep It
A large arboreal lizard needing serious height and space — an adult needs a custom enclosure or dedicated room.
Adult
Room-sized / custom — metres in each dimension with tall, strong climbing structures.
Furnishing
Robust branches and basking shelves, a large water area and secure fixtures.
Housing
House singly; males especially are territorial and can be aggressive in breeding season.
Where to keep it
A warm, secure, dedicated space.
A large iguana is strong, with a whip-like tail, claws and a bite. Adult males can be seasonally aggressive.
🌡️Temperature, Lighting & Humidity
Temperature
Basking spot 35–40 °C, cool end ~26–28 °C, night drop. Powerful heat on a thermostat.
Lighting / UVB
Strong UVB essential across the basking area (high-output T5). 12–14 hour cycle.
Humidity
Moderate–high (60–70%).
Bedding / substrate
Easy-clean surface or bioactive; hygiene at this size is a real job.
🍽️Diet, Supplements & Feeding
A strict herbivore — no animal protein at all, which harms their kidneys.
Staple
A wide variety of leafy greens (collard, dandelion, mustard, turnip greens) and vegetables.
Avoid
No insects, meat or cat/dog food — animal protein damages their kidneys.
Frequency
Fresh greens daily.
Supplements
Calcium dusting; strong UVB provides D3.
Getting the herbivorous diet and UVB right is central to avoiding metabolic bone disease and kidney damage.
✨Grooming, Shedding & Additional Needs
No grooming; they shed in patches. A large water area and misting help skin and hydration.
MBD and kidney disease are the big killers — driven by poor UVB, low calcium or (wrongly) feeding animal protein.
🖐️Handling & Interaction
Can be tamed with consistent, patient handling from young, but adults are strong and some males become territorial. Respect the tail, claws and bite.
How to handle
Handle regularly and gently from a young age to build trust. Support the body, be mindful of the tail whip and claws, and be especially cautious with seasonally aggressive adult males.
✅ Do
Handle regularly from young to tame.
Support the body; mind the tail and claws.
Trim/manage claws and keep sessions calm.
Be cautious with breeding-season males.
Supervise children (not a young child's pet).
⛔ Don't
Don't feed any animal protein.
Don't underestimate the adult size and strength.
Don't skimp on UVB, heat or space.
Don't buy the cute baby without planning for 2 m.
Don't let a stressed male be cornered.
🦎Fun Facts
A tiny hatchling grows into a 1.5–2 m adult.
A 'third eye' on the head detects overhead movement.
The tail can be whipped as a defensive weapon.
Strictly herbivorous — a rarity among big lizards.
One of the most frequently surrendered reptiles, precisely because of the adult size.
⭐Overall Verdict
A magnificent lizard and a major responsibility that far too many people take on unprepared. Only for experienced keepers with the space, budget and 20-year commitment. If you can't house a 2 m herbivore, this isn't your lizard.