Iguana For Sale - Iguana: Cost and Supplies
83All About Iguanas
This web page is for anyone who wants to own or care for a pet iguana. You are now following a guide on the whole process of iguana ownership. My pages will teach you how to purchase an iguana, how to care for it, and how to have fun with it!
On this hub, we are going to talk all about some types of iguanas you might consider buying. There is a lot of information coming up, so get ready!
This article is split into two parts.
1. Part 1 (this article) - Cost and Supplies
2. Part 2 - Iguanas for sale: Where to find them, how to buy them
The buying process
How much do they cost at the store? Not much: $10 - $25
Getting an iguana is a many step process. As Associated Content wrote in a recent article entitled "Iguanas - Buying and Caring for This Exotic Reptile", Iguana owners are known for rushing headfirst into purchasing Iguanas without doing the research. Why?
The price is low, and they are considered cool. But how low really? The price may seem cheap, but a lot more goes into it than just the sticker price.
The Associated Content article writes this:
"First, you need to buy lights. You need a UVB ray strip light and a fixture to put it in... It also needs a heat light to increase the temperature in the cage and give the iguana a spot to stay warm... Also, the iguana’s cage needs to have a designated basking area. An iguana will not digest food unless its body is a certain temperature, so the heat light should be positioned so that there is both a basking spot and place for them to cool off.
Iguanas are NOT cheap."
Iguanas also can weigh up to 15 pounds--not light! If you are getting one, don't forget to grab a digital scale!
What supplies will I need to buy?
There are a lot. The Iguana Spot wrote an excellent article about items you need to buy for your iguana. Here is the list:
55 gallon aquarium $180.00
table or stand for enclosure $100.00
solid top for enclosure $40.00 (cost of materials to construct one)
UVB
light source $35.00 - $79.99
depending on which type you choose & where you purchase it
fixture for UVB source $12.00 - $30.00 depening on which type you choose & Where you purchase it
basking light $9.00
fixture for basking light $12.00
radiant heat panel $54.00 - $109.00 depending on size required
thermostat for panel $30.00
food and water dish $17.00 (for both)
thermometer & humidity guage $12.00 (for analogue combo)
substrate $20.00 (you can use newspaper instead, which is the better)
cage furniture and decorations $20.00 (we bought some fake plants and a small piece of drift wood)
humidifier or other humidity source $40.00 (for a room humdifier)
$25.00 (for an air pump and stone to place in the enclosure)
_______
TOTAL COST $599.00 plus depending on the choices you make
Notice: That's $600 just to bring the iguana home with you,
So what's the total cost of ownership?
After you add on some recurring payments, the cost of ownership becomes more. The site above estimates
$1040 per year for food
$240 per year for replacing the cage floor
$250 per year for medical care
---------
$1530 / year
That means that, the total price of ownership of an iguana is $600 + $1,530 per year. So, if you own your iguana lives an average lifespan (25 years) you can expect to pay $38,850 over the total lifespan! That's more than the total cost for a dog! (about $15,000 over 12 years).
Continue to part 2 of this article on and find out about Iguanas for sale: Where to find them, how to buy them.
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Great! Check out a few of my other pets articles if you are interested in snakes or other types of exotic animals
bullshit. I've had an iguana for 3 years. I spent around $50 to get it + suplies. this guy doesn't know what he's saying. a lamp + light is like $15, and any serious iguana owner would build a cage($30-50), because 55gal is WAAAAY too small for an active 6 footer. their is no way in hell I've spent $6,100 dollars on my iguana (what would be 3 years if this guy was right) it's not possible. I'm 14, so I don't have a job to have paid $6000 . average iggy's last 15 - 20 years, not 25. trust me, this guy is wrong. 80% of that stuff is un necessary
will you give me a iguana for free
I applaud the sensible advice you give regarding housing and lighting. People do need to realise it is not simply a 'thing', it is a living creature. The saying "a dog is for life and not just for xmas" springs to mind. It applies to the Iguana too. True enough as madpierrot92 says it could be done cheaper but it would not be done right. Thank You for the hub.
Hi, my mom and dad are going to mexico for 2 weeks ,is there igunas in mexico?????
The prices seem odd or biased, my 50gallon tank and lid was $50 and $10 to fix it up.
So many of the prices change from the place purchased.
I did appreciate the information though.
i agree with katy. it is like you want to sway people away from owning an iquana. i have owned many lizards, all kinds, lots of iquanas, too. and it isn't necessary to spend all that money that is on your list, not even to feed them everyday and keep them warm and healthy and happy. instead of a heat rock for twenty five dollars and up, i bought a heating pad at the drug store, wet and dry type so if water spills on it, no big deal, heat adjustable for fifteen dollars. the radient heat you describe, which is expensive, can be instead a piece of aluminum foil. but it is unnecessary, the fixture for the bulb can be bought for five dollars at a home depot, or one dollar at the ninty nine cents store. then the clip to hold the aluminum fixture for the bulb is one dollar. you don't need to have the lights shaped like flourescent tubes. they make light bulbs . one is eight dollars and the other is around twelve. use old newspaper or paper bags, the brown uncolored type to line the tank for free. the water dish and food dish, don't have to cost a penny. use one of the old bowls in the house, or old ashtrays made of stone or very heavy glass. use your creative way to do it for little money. my animals always hated glass aquariums, i either let them live pretty much free, in the house, in certain areas they choose and they sleep in the tank at night. or you can make your own habitat, or buy one. its not hard, just screens and a frame. the directions are on the internet. the one who wrote the article is really trying to tell people that the iquanas are too costly to discourage people by greatly overstating the costs. you can do it for a great deal less money. actually, they are cheap to own as pets. they even eat fresh fruit and veggies, so we can share our food with them. don't let one sad review change what could be a great pet for you . and a good friend for the lizard. you, again.
Great hub, Iguanas are pretty great.
I find this article pretty obscured. The cost of an iguana is not as expensive as this article states. I do not know what you are feeding your iguana, but spending 1040 on food!?! I have a three foot iguana, he eats every single day, and I do not spend more than $4 a week for his food. So what exactly costs $1040 for a year?
Also, the supplies you have stated for the iguana are mostly a waste. Why would you purchase a $180 55 gallon aquarium when he will out grow that within a year? The cage I built for my iguana cost around $60 and it is a cage he can easily spend the rest of his life in.
I do not mean to be a sourpuss, but it is very annoying to keep coming across iguana articles that are compromising to the actually needs of the iguana.
My iguana has all things needed. Please reply.
you guys do understand that why these articles are out here is to scare away less responsible people into buying a living creature. its for the health of the animal to be brought into a good home.
kory thats stupid. why would they give false information?
i am thinking of getting an iguana, and i think that i could get one for much cheaper than you say. i mean, why should you buy a 55 gallon aquarium when an iguana will grow out of it within a year? it would be much cheaper to build an enclosure that would last for its entire life, or let it have a room or rooms of your house. besides, do YOU even own an iguana? and if you don't, i don't see why i should listen to someone who doesn't have any real experiance?
you do not have to buy it all new i just bult a 4 x 8 foot cage with a 6x5 foot wendow and it only cost me 350
here in the philippines, there are rumors that an iguana costs up to 4 million pesos or 100,000 dollars. it is said that it costs that much because it is to be used in medicines against aids and cancers. i have an iguana and some people have been negotiating to buy it but intriguingly, non of the offers prosper. does anyone know what is the real score about the alleged demand for iguana for medical purposes and if there are real buyers willing to pay that much?
I have a iguana, his only 6 months old and fits in my hand, he only eats veggies,fruit,leafs and herbs. Cheapest thing to do is grow your own veg garden. Iguana's are not expensive. Yes while they are small they need the heated pad and lights, but when they grow to be a reasonable size they can stay in a Cage out side 24/7. the cage cost about R1800 and you use your existing box with the heated light,place it in the cage so that when he does feel cold he will know where the heat is. My friend has a green iguana and his already 6 years old. that is exactly what he has done.
littlewing7 2 years ago
GREAT article! I was wanting an iguana but I had NO idea about the cost. Thanks- I'll get a cheaper pet!