Iguanas are popular pets, and it’s natural to ask how big does an iguana gets if you’re thinking about getting one. You’ll need to know the overall size to determine whether it’s appropriate for your house and how large a cage to purchase.
I will assist you in answering this question by providing you with a wealth of data and information to help you answer your questions and make an informed decision.
Table of Contents
How big does an iguana get?
Iguanas can grow to be anything from 5 inches to 7 feet long when completely mature. This varies per species since color, shape, and size are all different.
Iguanas often reach full adult size at three years of age. There are now 35 species that can be maintained as pets, with many more on the way, so knowing what you have or wish to acquire is critical.
Green iguanas are big lizards that are normally green in appearance. However, they can also be brown or nearly black in color.
During specific seasons of the year, some adults can turn an orange or pink tint. Green iguana hatchlings and juveniles are generally vivid green in color.
If you’re thinking about getting iguanas, the first thing you should think about is how much room you have and how you’ll care for them.
For the first couple of years, many owners choose to keep their iguana in a 55 to 70-gallon tank. They then proceed to construct a specialized cage as their lizard grows larger.
If you have enough space in your house, you may set up an area where they can wander freely. Of course, you must guarantee that this is a safe setting free of possible dangers and escape routes.
The growth rate of Iguanas
Iguanas develop at a breakneck pace, with most of their growth occurring in the first few years of their existence.
They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that male iguanas are much bigger than female iguanas by reaching adulthood. When discussing the size of these species, it’s important to understand the following terms:
- SVL stands for snout to vent length.
- STL stands for snout to tail length (this includes the vent).
These are the two metrics that all reptiles, including iguanas, employ to comprehend and interpret their size. One of the most popular pet iguanas is the green iguana.
From the time they hatch until they’re a couple of years old, you’ll observe how swiftly they develop. Green iguanas are one of the biggest species of iguanas, with a total length of up to 2 meters.
What is the size of an iguana?
It might take many years for an iguana to attain full size. The babies reach full size around the age of four, although others may continue to grow for up to seven or eight years.
It will also develop at varied rates and start quickly, but it will slow down significantly after 3–5 years of age. It may also be dormant for a few months before restarting growth.
To keep track of your pet’s development, we recommend using a chart like the one shown here. The figures given here are for a typical green iguana.
| Age | Weight | Body Length |
| Hatchling | < 1 pound | 6–9 inches |
| 6 Months | 1–1.5 pounds | 20–27 inches |
| One year | 2–4 pounds | 28–36 pounds |
| Two years | 4–6 pounds | 30–42 inches |
| Three years | 5–8 pounds | 35–48 inches |
| Four years | 10–15 pounds | 45–60 inches |
| Five years | 14–18 pounds | 50–66 inches |
| Six years | 15–20 pounds | 60–72 inches |
When does an Iguana attain full growth?
Most iguana species may reach full size at the age of roughly seven years. Some species achieve maturity around the age of two to three years. However, this is entirely dependent on the species and the environment in which they are developing.
In addition, iguanas develop at varying rates and different speeds. They may stop growing for a few months before restarting their growth cycle until they achieve maturity at 7 or 8 years old.
What is the average size of baby iguanas?
When newly hatched, baby iguanas may grow up to 2 inches in length from head to vent and weigh around 0.2 pounds. At three months old, newborn iguanas may reach a height of four inches from head to vent and a total length of twelve inches from snout to tail.
The size of fully grown iguanas varies according to the species. They are, nonetheless, huge pet lizards with a strong physique that resemble dragons.
Iguanas may reach a length of 5 to 7 feet and weigh 13.2 to 17.6 pounds when fully grown. Most reptile owners prefer larger pets because they feel larger critters are healthier.
How Much Space Do Iguanas Require?
Because iguanas are huge pets, they demand larger enclosures that allow them to grow unrestricted. As a result, the best strategy to avoid your iguanas’ growth from being stunted is to choose a terrarium that is at least 1.5 times the average length of your biggest iguana.
The height should be 1.5 times the width and at least one times the height of your iguana. Most significantly, you’ll need a cage that measures 36x48x18 inches to accommodate your iguana’s growing size.
Do Male and Female Iguanas differ in size?
Green iguanas differ in size between males and females, with females developing to be substantially smaller than males of the species.
This is a trait that one can find in all iguana species. Females of these species seldom grow to be more than 5 feet long. However, males can grow to be as long as 10 feet.
They also won’t attain the same weight as a male, resulting in lower measurements. Female green iguanas have a thinner body and a smaller head than males.
Furthermore, because female iguanas lack bumps on their skulls, you will be able to distinguish between males and females. Females’ dorsal spines will be shorter and thinner than males’ if they have any.
Does a cage affect the growth of an Iguana?
The size of the cage has no bearing on the rate of development. Poor living circumstances, on the other hand, will. If your iguana is uncomfortable in its cage, the added stress will slow down its development.
If the terrible conditions continue for more than a year, your reptile’s growth will be permanently stunted, and it will never attain its full potential.
Cage Dimensions
The easiest approach to avoid stunted development is to acquire a terrarium that is at least 1.5 times the length, 1.5 times the height, and one time the breadth of your iguana.
A cage 40 inches long, 50 inches high, and 20 inches deep should be enough to keep your iguana happy until it is completely grown.
UVB (Ultraviolet B) Light
UV-B light has a wavelength range of 290–320 nanometers, which is critical for your iguana’s health.
Without this light, your iguana will develop a vitamin D3 deficit, making them vulnerable to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). This condition can cause your iguana’s bones to become soft, resulting in fractures.
Ideal Iguana Diet for Optimal Growth
To guarantee that your iguana develops to a healthy weight and potential, you must provide enough wholesome, healthful, and nutritious food. To grow a healthy iguana, you’ll need to provide it with fresh food.
It’s crucial to examine the food of wild iguanas, which are herbivores. They eat no animal products, including insects. Iguanas that eat a high-protein diet are more likely to develop various health problems, including renal failure.
When it comes to feeding your iguana, you should look for a high-quality, premium pellet. This will make up the bulk of their diet.
You should also include dark leafy green vegetables (such as spinach), a reasonable amount of fruit, and a calcium supplement in your diet.
It’s worth noting that iguanas don’t chew their food; instead, they swallow it whole. As a result, all food must be shredded or cut into little chunks.
Make sure there is clean enough freshwater available and that it is changed often.
All About Green Iguanas
Green Iguanas are the first preference of anyone who considers adopting an iguana. In fact, green iguanas are quite popular when it comes to keeping a pet. Here are more details about this beautiful animal.
Green Iguana Description
Green iguanas feature heavy black rings on the tail and a row of spikes down the middle of the neck, back, and top section of the tail. When they reach maturity, male iguanas have substantially bigger jowls and a neck fan (or dewlap) than female iguanas.
Male iguanas with larger throat fans seem larger, discourage rivals, and alert predators. Female iguanas with larger dewlaps may opt to mate with male iguanas with smaller dewlaps. Iguanas may use the throat fan to adjust their body temperature.
Green iguana males may grow to be over five feet long and weigh up to seventeen pounds. Females can grow to be five feet long, although they seldom weigh more than seven pounds. Females achieve reproductive maturity between the ages of two and four.
In their native region, green iguanas breed from October to November and nest on riverbanks, beaches, and other sandy locations.
Females deposit clutches of 14-76 eggs in egg chambers that can contain approximately 80 feet of interconnecting tunnels and various openings. In the wild, green iguanas may live for up to ten years, while in captivity, they can survive for up to 19 years.
Green iguanas may be found in various environments, including suburban developments, metropolitan areas, small towns, and agricultural regions, where they can reside on the ground, in bushes, or trees.
They are exceptional swimmers who can swim in both salt and fresh water and stay submerged for up to four hours.
Suitable Diet
Green iguanas eat shoots, leaves, blooms, and fruits from plants including nicker bean, firebush, jasmine, orchids, roses, Washington fan palms, hibiscuses, garden greens, squashes, and melons, among others.
Because of their proclivity for eating attractive plants, they may be a nuisance to homeowners. Green iguanas may also eat bird eggs and dead animals as adults. Green iguanas in their juvenile stages eat foliage, insects, and tree snails.
Advantages of keeping a green iguana as a pet
This giant lizard may survive up to 20 years in captivity, which is a huge plus for caring owners! Like any other pet, Iguanas require proper care to live for such a long time. Of course, such a long-lived pet will need a significant amount of time and effort on your side.
If you don’t care for your salad, offer it to your pet iguana, who will be grateful. In the wild, iguanas consume leaves, fruits, flowers, and vegetables, and in captivity, this herbivorous diet must be recreated. Their age will determine their diet.
Young iguanas feed more often than adults. Young iguanas should eat animal protein, such as crickets and other tiny insects, according to many pet retailers.
Adult iguanas consume less often than baby iguanas; therefore, including animal protein in their diet can cause renal damage.
Iguanas in the wild don’t drink much water since they consume a lot of greens, and their environment is humid enough to keep them hydrated. Iguanas kept in captivity require clean, plentiful water to drink.
Iguanas aren’t exactly sensitive creatures! They resemble little dinosaurs if anything. They have powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth. Their Godzilla-like appearance includes large, sharp claws and a lengthy but powerful tail.
You can let your iguana alone if you keep it in an outside cage (if your house size and weather allow it) because they don’t get wounded easily. Iguanas enjoy climbing trees and may even fall from heights of 40 to 50 feet and land safely.
If the powerful and nimble abilities of iguanas appeal to you, this is the pet for you.
Iguanas are nocturnal animals. If you enjoy viewing iguanas, it’s ideal if they’re awake at the same time as you. Iguanas are diurnal animals, meaning they get up and be ready as the sun rises.
In fact, iguanas are so fond of the sun that they will stay wherever they can obtain the most UV radiation. It’s common to see them basking in the sun high on a tree branch in the wild.
Iguanas are fascinating creatures to observe because they have their own unique style of interacting with humans and other animals.
Drawbacks of Keeping a Green Iguana as a pet
Green iguanas devastate residential and commercial landscape plants and are frequently seen as a nuisance by property owners. Trees with leaves or blooms, most fruits (excluding citrus), and practically any vegetable attract iguanas.
Burrows dug by some green iguanas corrode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms, and canal banks, causing infrastructural damage.
Green iguanas have been known to deposit droppings on docks, moored boats, seawalls, porches, decks, pool platforms, and even within swimming pools.’
Although green iguanas are generally herbivores, researchers discovered tree snail remnants in the stomachs of a green iguana at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, suggesting that iguanas may pose a threat to local and endangered tree snail species.
Green iguanas have eaten nicker bean, which is a host plant for the endangered Miami Blue butterfly, at Bahia Honda State Park.
Green iguanas, like other reptiles, can transfer the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella to people by coming into touch with polluted water or surfaces.
How Fast do Iguanas Grow?
It might take around seven years for an iguana to reach full size. Various factors will influence it, including heredity, the habitat of the iguana, and the food consumed. Iguanas develop swiftly over the first 3-5 years, and then their growth slows dramatically after that.
You can estimate the age of an iguana if it is in good health. You shouldn’t guess an iguana’s age if you don’t know anything about its background. Also, be wary of anyone who claims to be able to estimate an iguana’s age just based on its size.
An iguana can be substantially smaller than most other iguanas if it has lived in poor conditions. Bad dealers may say that the iguana is young when it is actually much older and in poor health.
In general, if you keep your iguana in excellent health, it will not grow any larger than it is designed to (genetics).
However, if you keep it in poor circumstances, it will not grow to its full potential. Because of their genetics, some iguanas grow to be larger (especially iguanas from South America).
In addition, certain iguanas may become dormant for a few months at a period. This is typical. However, it can also be a result of a variety of factors. After this time, your iguana will begin to develop at a quicker rate again.
Click here to read about knob tailed gecko.
How big can an eel get?
Regardless of their eventual environment, all eels are thought to go through the leptocephalus stage, which is a protracted larval phase, in the open ocean before metamorphosing into a juvenile stage, which is a smaller version of the adult.
Eels grow to be 10 cm (4 inches) long in the deepwater Cyema atrium and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) in the moray Thyrsoidea macroura. In most oceans, eels may be found in large depths, and tropical waters include a wide variety of eels.
They come in various colors and patterns, ranging from dull grey or black in deep-sea species to vibrant and colorful tropical coral species. Only freshwater eels, which are numerous and highly prized as food in some areas, are economically significant.
How big does an anaconda get?
Anacondas may reach lengths of more than 29 feet, weigh more than 550 pounds, and have a diameter of more than thirteen inches. Female anacondas have a much bigger body size than males.
The yellow, dark-spotted, and Bolivian anacondas are all South American species that are smaller than the green anaconda.
Conclusion
Some iguanas are more docile than others, and they have diverse personalities. When it comes to teaching an iguana, patience is required. They’re magnificent lizards that seem like miniature dinosaurs, and because they’re diurnal, you may observe them at any time of day.
However, keeping an iguana is rather costly, so be sure you can commit to owning one before purchasing one. Iguanas are unusual pets, but they make excellent companions for the appropriate person.
FAQs
How large can iguanas get?
Adults can reach a length of 1.2 to 1.7 m (3.9 to 5.6 ft) from head to tail. The tail makes up a large part of this length, as it does in all iguanas, and most green iguanas have a snout-to-vent size of 30 to 42 cm (12 to 17 in).
Are iguanas good pets to have?
Beginners should avoid iguanas since they demand a great deal of knowledge, expertise, and patience. Owners must know how to keep their iguanas cool, give them adequate activity, and offer them a healthy diet. This isn’t to suggest that iguanas can’t be terrific pets, but they do require an owner who is prepared to commit from the start.
Will an iguana bite you?
Iguanas bite people, but only in self-defense. Their razor-sharp teeth are designed to rip plants apart, but they might be extremely harmful to people. You should also be aware of their strong tail, which can be quite sharp when thrashed against your flesh.
How big does an ocelot get?
Despite being bigger than house cats, ocelots barely reach the knees of an adult male human. Ocelots range in size from 29 to 39 inches (73 to 100 cm) in length, with females being somewhat smaller. Females weigh 14.5 to 25 lbs. while males weigh 15 to 34 lbs. (7 to 15.5 kg).
