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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/reptile-iguana-harder-as-grows

Why do so many pet green iguanas end up given away or released?

They get harder to keep and need bigger cages as they grow.

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  1. They lose their bright color
  2. They stop eating plants
  3. They get harder to keep as they grow ✔

Why: University of Florida experts say iguanas are fairly easy when small but become more difficult to keep, with tougher cage needs, as they grow. That makes owners more likely to give them up, which is why Florida has wild iguanas today.

Huh, didn't know that: UF/IFAS says an exotic pet dealer released more than 300 green iguanas near Miami in 1964.

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Why did the iguana need a bigger room? It was having growing pains.
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References

Answer: They get harder to keep as they grow. University of Florida experts say iguanas are fairly easy when small but become more difficult to keep, with tougher cage needs, as they grow. That makes owners more likely to give them up, which is why Florida has wild iguanas today.

  1. Florida's Introduced Reptiles: Green Iguana (UF/IFAS Extension, EDIS WEC440) edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW485
    they become more difficult to keep and their cage requirements become more challenging as they grow
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. Florida's Introduced Reptiles: Green Iguana (UF/IFAS Extension, EDIS WEC440) edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW485
    an exotic pet dealer is known to have purposely released more than 300 of them in that area in 1964
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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