Iguanas For Dummies [Paperback]

Melissa Kaplan (Author), William K. Hayes (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2000

Big, green, scaly, and surprisingly cuddly, a well-adjusted iguana is like a cross between large, friendly dog and an independent cat. On the other hand, a poorly trained iguana can be a living nightmare. With his muscular, three-to-four-foot-long tail and 116-120 razor-sharp teeth, a nasty iguana can be a genuine danger to life, limb and property.  Iguanas require a constant 90-degree Fahrenheit environment and lots of room to range around in.

Iguanas For Dummies lets you take a long, well-informed look before leaping into the exotic world of iguanas. Written by one of the most respected experts on the care and feeding of iguanas, this fun, entertaining book fills you in on everything you need to know to successfully adopt, nurture, live with and love an iguana. You’ll discover how to:

• Decide if an iguana is right for you
• Feed and house your iguana properly
• Keep your iguana healthy
• Bond with your scaly friend
• Integrate your green amigo into your life
• Socialize and train your mini-dinosaur

Ideal for first-time and veteran iguana owners alike, Iguanas For Dummies is a gold mine of advice, guidance and tested-in-the-trenches tips on:

• Iguanas 101: history, anatomy, physiology and different species
• What you should know and what to look for when shopping for an iguana
• Housing your iguana—includes tips on buying or building an enclosure and how to create a safe environment for a free-roaming iguana
• How to feed your iguana and how often
• Health issues, concerns and treatments
• Breeding iguanas for fun and profit

Whether you’re thinking about getting an iguana, or you already have a whole herd of big green herbivores, this fun, friendly guide will answer all your questions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"If you get only one book on iguanas, this is the one to choose." Stephen L. Barten, DVM, noted reptile veterinarian Praise for Iguanas For Dummies^® "So much more than a simple ‘care’ book, Iguanas For Dummies is a blueprint for compassionate and responsible ownership." — Tracy Basile, Features Editor, ASPCA Animal Watch "Melissa's trademarks — long experience, extensive research, and humor — make this book an essential for every iguana owner, present and future." — Sue Solomon, Sacramento Wildlife Care Association

The essential guide for you and your iguana!

Get the lowdown on keeping your pet iguana happy and healthy So, you wanna iguana. Or you already have one. Now what? This fun and friendly guide gives you expert advice on selecting an iguana and taking care of your fascinating pet throughout its life. It provides valuable tips on diet, habitat, health, and other important iguana issues.

Discover how to: Decide if an iguana is right for you Feed and house your iguana properly Keep your iguana healthy Bond with your iguana Integrate your iguana into your life

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About the Author

Melissa Kaplan is an educator and wildlife rehabilitator. She has worked with reptiles for nearly a decade and has written extensively on reptile care and health.

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552600
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552601
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Animal Care & Pets > Reptiles & Amphibians

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Iguana Owner Resource, November 21, 2000

By 

Michael Kaiser (Gilroy, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iguanas For Dummies (Paperback)

Like most "Dummies" books, this resource guide offers pretty much everything you need to know about its subject. (Iguanas in this case.) It covers iguana history, habits (both in nature and captivity), common illnesses, requirements for housing and feeding, and even a section on tameing and training. Melissa Kaplan has definitely done her homework, and continues to do so with her online research web site, anapsid.org.

The only complaint I have in this book, is that aside from the "About the Author" section at the beginning, there really isn't any indication Kaplan actually raises iguanas. The book lists many options when it comes to enclosures and feeding, but it would be nice if the author specified what exactly she does for her own pets, or provide specific examples of what has happened (good or bad) in the raising of her reptiles.

Other than that minor complaint, I enjoyed reading this book and have already used it numerous times as a resource for determining the best course of action for raising my own lizard.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book Before You Buy An Iguana!, January 16, 2003

By 

James R. Mckinley (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iguanas For Dummies (Paperback)

This book is an excellent resource for both novice and so-called expert Iguana owners. It would be especially useful for any prospective Iguana owner. Iguanas grow to be very big lizards in a relatively short period of time. They can be agressive, and territorial. There are many husbandry requirements thatthe local pet store will never tell you. In fact, if you follow most pet stores advice, you will end up with a dead Iguana. This book should help prevent this from happening.

The first chapter is regarding whether the Iguana is the right pet for you. It should be read before deciding on an Iguana as a pet. remember, these are not domesticated animals. There are also excellent chapters on housing, feeding, and socialization of Iguanas. Finally the book disproves much misinformation provided by older books, and disseminated by pet stores. For instance, many pet stores sugest feeding cat food to juvenile Iguanas. What they don't tell you is that while this results in a quick growing Iguana, it also results in an Iguana dying at about four years of age from kidney failure.

There is an excellent resource section in the appendix, with useful websites and references to manufacturers of various reptile products including cages, food, and heating systems.

This book should be required reading before the purchase of any Iguana.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality & Value, June 5, 2003

By 

D. Schramm (Key Largo, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iguanas For Dummies (Paperback)

Living in the Florida Keys we have dealt extensively with discarded Iguanas - perhaps 15 or more. People buy them, and get rid of them constantly - and down here, in the semi-tropics, they can survive (with difficulty)in the wild.
With all the iguana problems we have encountered good information is a necessity, & we have purchased many iguana books including Hatfield's "Green Iguana, the Ultimate Owners Guide" (a great book, but we still prefer Kaplan's "Iguanas for Dummies").
If you still want addtional technical data you can add "What's Wrong with My Iguana" by John Rossi M.A., D.V.M. and "Understanding Reptile Parasites" by Roger Klingenberg D.V.M.
Kaplan's book is based on research & a lot of personal experience. It is thorough, and her experience shows through - there are tidbits of information that have been useful to us that we have not found elsewhere. She has long maintained a caring website to help iguana owners and potential iguana buyers - not just to sell books. And the price of this book is reasonable.
By all means get a good book like Hatfield's or Kaplan's - preferably before you get an iguana. Even if the book talks you out of getting an ig for a pet it will be well worth the price. Proper care for an iguana involves a devoting a lot of time and spending a lot of money. The cost of the animal is nothing in comparison, and they are far more complex to care for than a dog, cat, or hamster. Judging from the number of abandoned iguanas in the Florida Keys a huge number of people do not bother to inform themselves and the animals suffer. It may not be entirely their fault. Many pet stores do not seem to offer the best books or accurate information - often they just want to sell a hapless reptile, and make a few bucks on inadequate (sometimes dangerous) supplies and food. They frequently give bad advice.
Whatever book you get you will still need to get a good experienced herp vet., and they are hard to find. Things go wrong with iguanas that are not covered with specificity in any of these books. We have been unfortunate enough to encounter some of them.