HELP on iguana age

[aya99]

hello;

I reside here in the philippines and here, rep vets are rare. I recently got myself a green iguana and am wonderin about her real age. The previous owner said she's 1 1/2 years old, then a few weeks back, he got an astralian iguana which he claims to be 1 1/2 years old though the australian iguana is around 3ft long (a male), while mine is only 28 inches (roughly 2 1/2 ft long). could i estimate her age through her snout to tail lenght? if so a female iguana with a snout to tail lenght of 28 inches would be at roughly what age? thanks in advance

[Mygala]

Hard to estimate the age of a herp just from size alone. Temperature and diet can make huge differences in how fast the animal grows. I wouldn't say that 1.5 yrs is unreasonable for an iguana that size, but sometimes you just can't tell

[aya99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mygala Hard to estimate the age of a herp just from size alone. Temperature and diet can make huge differences in how fast the animal grows. I wouldn't say that 1.5 yrs is unreasonable for an iguana that size, but sometimes you just can't tell

28 inches unreasonable for being too big/small for a 1.5 yrs. iguana? The original owner used to give the lizard supplements such as women's multivitamins and some baby drops that are available in our country.

[Mygala]

Sorry I was unclear in my earlier posting, 28 inches could work out to be correct. Because growth is a factor of metabolism, and metabolism speed it determined by ambient temperature, that can have a big effect on the size of a herp. Keep them warm and they grow fast, cold and they grow slow. They also need enough nourishment to supply that faster metabolism. Vitamins are important to make sure bones, organs and nerves develop correctly.

Your iguana could very well be 1 1/2 yrs old. But could be older or younger, you may never know exactly.

[aya99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mygala Sorry I was unclear in my earlier posting, 28 inches could work out to be correct. Because growth is a factor of metabolism, and metabolism speed it determined by ambient temperature, that can have a big effect on the size of a herp. Keep them warm and they grow fast, cold and they grow slow. They also need enough nourishment to supply that faster metabolism. Vitamins are important to make sure bones, organs and nerves develop correctly. Your iguana could very well be 1 1/2 yrs old. But could be older or younger, you may never know exactly.

so i see, green iguanas live from 10 to 15 years right? though this is not the first time i had a herp for a pet it IS my first time to actually have a green iguana for a pet, thanks so much for the information, another question though, could iguanas be given herbal food supplements for REAL people? im sorry for such a many questions as you see since childhood ive been dreaming of having one such creature for a pet and in this case ive started with an older one... im planning to get a younger one one of this days... do younger iguanas say 6 months old have a high mortality rate? thanks again for your greatly appreciated help. Here in the philippines we could also get these exotic pets though vet and care related materials are rare thats why we, the few herp lovers and owners tend to rely on "internet" facts and knowledge

[furryscaly]

Quote: Originally Posted by aya99 ...he got an astralian iguana which he claims to be 1 1/2 years old though the australian iguana is around 3ft long (a male)...

I just found that a little odd since there's no such thing as an Australian iguana. Iguanidae is a new world family only. There aren't any iguanas or relatives of iguanas in Australia.

Anyway, to be sure you get all the info you'll need, I highly recommend you check out http://www.herpcenter.com Its the best reptile forum on the internet if you ask me. PLENTY of knowledgeable ig owners there too. Iguanas are one of the most underestimated and complex lizartds you could possibly own, so you'll have your work cut out for you. They need a lot more than most would realize, and definately more than any pet store would have you believe.

[aya99]

Quote: Originally Posted by furryscaly I just found that a little odd since there's no such thing as an Australian iguana. Iguanidae is a new world family only. There aren't any iguanas or relatives of iguanas in Australia. Anyway, to be sure you get all the info you'll need, I highly recommend you check out http://www.herpcenter.com Its the best reptile forum on the internet if you ask me. PLENTY of knowledgeable ig owners there too. Iguanas are one of the most underestimated and complex lizartds you could possibly own, so you'll have your work cut out for you. They need a lot more than most would realize, and definately more than any pet store would have you believe.

thanks so much for the info