Expert: Sara J Gwerder - 11/2/2009

Question
I have an ig that I had recently (within the past 10 months) purchased from a family that was going into basic training for the army. She is a bit small for her age because of her previous owners lack of knowledge.

Any way, I have moved into a place that the landlord is being foreclosed on and have toyed around with the idea of traveling...

I know for instance that there is a member of the group Avenged Sevenfold that has and Ig that travels with him. So my question is this. What type of stress would it put on the ig, and would it be detrimental for it to travel with me or more detrimental for possibly prolonged  times of separation(where a knowledgable person would be babysitting)?

I just want to find out all ins and outs of traveling with an ig in tow... Thanks for your time in answering my question...

jay

Answer
Jay,

I have given some thought to your question and I think there are some things you need to realize about both of your propositions here:

First - Traveling with an iguana in tow-

My initial reaction to this is that it is a poor lifestyle for an iguana for several reasons: your iguana needs UVB rays for 10-12 hours a day in order to produce vitamin D3, which allows their bodies to digest calcium. Also, your iguana needs an external heat source and if you were in a vehicle, you could not provide that UV or heat source without a power outlet. Even if your iguana was to warm by a window, the glass filters out the essential UVB rays and it is virtually useless to the iguana's body. Furthermore, temperatures at night are known to dip too low for an iguana's body to withstand, especially with winter setting in.
Even if you were able to convince yourself that the iguana would be physically ok during travel (which I could not be convinced of), you still have to consider the issue of the emotional instability. Iguanas are VERY regimented creatures, they endure unusually high levels of stress from inconsistent living conditions. Iguanas will be at their happiest and healthiest when they wake up at the same time every day, go to sleep at the same time every day and have their food presented to them at the same time everyday in the same environment. The erratic lifestyle of an iguana in travel would be extremely stressful on the animal. Perhaps Avenged Sevenfold has accomodations for their iguana that only a lot of money could buy, like perhaps the iguana has an elaborate set-up in their tour bus which is entirely different, since they can provide an electrical hook-up for the proper lighting and heating and also there is plenty of room in a bus for the iguana to have a comfortable living space.

Second - Leaving the Iguana with Babysitters-

This is almost as bad of an idea as taking the iguana for several reasons. The first is that you cannot guarantee that anybody would be responsible with your animal. Leaving a living creature dependent on another person is always a bad idea for extended periods of time. Your iguana needs to have some consistency in her life. She sounds like she has not had the best life so far, as you said she was victim to her previous owners. It sounds like she was deprived of UVB and probably had a bad diet, resulting in Metabolic Bone Disease, which is why she is so small. What she needs desparately is just to have some consistency and to have the right lighting, heating, a nice terrarium ad a good diet with a strict regimented schedule and predictable daily routine.

Bottom Line- If you do not feel that you can provide a stable, consistent lifestyle for your iguana, you need to do what's better for her and find someone else who will do that for her. She would be much better off that way than in either of the two positions you suggested. Place her up for adoption on Craigslist and you will surely get a hit, just be sure that whoever you turn her over to knows about the need for UVB, the proper diet (collard greens, squash, green beans, sweet peas, fruits, etc) and that she will have a stable environment with someone who has the time and money to raise her properly. If you wish to send her to my rescue, I can have her shipped here, but you need to make a decision for the sake of that iguana, either find her a stable place and proceed with your travels or stay put and settle down.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or if I can be of assistance in possibly re-homing her or bringing her here.

I appreciate your concern for her and know you care, but don't be afraid to hand her over if you feel you cannot do for her what she needs.

Sara J. Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptorRescue.org