Before I got my pet iguana, I always thought iguanas were lazy animals. Every time I spot an iguana, it’s always staying in one position.
They are either basking under the sun or laying on top of tree branches resting. I went online and did some research on this whether iguanas are lazy and it’s quite interesting what I found.
Iguanas are generally very lazy animals. They spend most of their time resting on tree branches or basking. However, they are not always like this. Juvenile iguanas are much more active compared to older iguanas.
Being lazy is not the most beneficial thing for iguanas. It is important to help your iguana become more active. After reading this article, you will know exactly how you can make a lazy iguana more active.
Don’t Let Your Iguana Get Lazy
It is not recommended for you to let your iguana just lay there and be lazy the whole time. Obesity is generally not an issue with iguana if they are fed quality meals with a lot of fiber.
That being said, it does not mean exercise is unnecessary. Having your iguana get the required amount of exercise is important if you want it to stay as healthy as possible.
There are at least 35 species of iguanas. Each of these species needs 1 to 4 hours of exercise every day to be in peak conditions. Depending on your species and the size, the duration of exercise will vary.
Exercise is even more important for female iguanas. They need to keep good condition physically to lay eggs smoothly. Iguanas in the wild will be way more active compared to those being kept in captivity.
In the wild, iguanas have a large space to roam with lots of trees around. They can swim, climb and run everywhere they want. Not to mention, the predators that they need to escape from.
Iguanas kept in captivity should be allowed free roaming around the house, out of their cage, for 1 to 2 hours daily. Most enclosures I see people get for iguanas are just not big enough for them to get enough exercise.
Exercises Iguanas Like (So They Don’t Get Lazy)
Iguanas are naturally lazy animals so, incorporating exercises that iguanas enjoy is very important. In the wild, iguanas do not need much motivation to exercise.
They have to hunt for their own food and explore the area to stay safe. In captivity, it’s very different. Iguanas do not need to do much like hunting for their own food or explore the area for safety.
When in captivity, it is up to you, the owner, to make sure your iguana gets enough exercise daily. Here are 3 exercises iguanas enjoy it very much.
1. Walking
Iguanas love walking, it is quite common to see people walking their iguanas outdoor with a leash. However, this is not such a simple process.
Iguanas are not like dogs where you can just leash it up and go out. You actually need to train your iguana to be leashed up. Have a few practice rounds with your iguana until it is comfortable walking with a leash on.
When you first put the leash on your iguana, it may roll over, this is quite common. This is one of iguanas’ defensive mechanism in the wild. If your iguana does roll over, gentle help it back up on its feet. Make sure the leash does not tangle around the iguana.
Once your iguana gets used to having a leash on and it becomes easy to handle, it is time to go outside for a walk! It is very beneficial for iguanas to get natural sunlight from time to time, they love it.
Walking your iguana on a hot sunny day can be quite a treat for your iggy. When walking outdoors, let your iguana take control and just follow it, let it explore itself. However, you must control it from eating the plants in the surrounding, you might get fined if you don’t.
2. Swimming
Swimming is another great choice for iguanas. In the wild, iguanas love to go for a swim. In fact, they are incredible swimmers. If you have a backyard pool, it is perfect to let your iguana swim there.
Do not be worried even with chlorinated water because they are deemed safe for iguanas. If that is not a choice you have, you can let it swim in the bathtub or buy a kids pool outside if the tub is not big enough. Iguanas love diving and doing flip underwater.
It can also be very beneficial for iguanas to get in the water to cool down during a hot day.
Things to keep In mind when bringing iguana for a swim:
- Make sure to only allow 1 iguana in a pool at a time.
- Supervise your iguana at all times to prevent it from escaping.
- Discard the water and sanitize the pool after each iguana.
- Keep the water warm.
- If you let your iguana swim in your bathtub, make sure to thoroughly sanitize it before any human use.
Tip for effective sanitization: 1 cup of bleach for every gallon of water works great
3. Climbing
Climbing is probably the iguana’s favorite activity. That is what iguanas do most in the wild. However, it can be quite dangerous for your iguana to start climbing outdoors on trees even with a leash.
So, the only way to do it safely is to add some high branches in your iguana’s enclosure. These branches should be at least a few feet high.
Most iguana enclosures should be high enough to fit these tree branches. If the enclosure is not high enough to put branches for then to climb, then the enclosure is way too small.
Encouraging Iguanas Not to Be Lazy
The first tip to encouraging an iguana not to be lazy is to give it more space. Once it is roaming freely around the house, you can introduce some stuffed toys to your iguana.
Make sure the toy is not bigger than your iguana because this will scare your iggy. Also, if you decide to let your iguana roam around the house, make sure the curtains and blinds are up. This will let the sunlight shine in and provide some much-needed heat.
Iguanas get tired easily when it’s cold which stops them from being active. Other than that, it can also encourage the iguana to move more if it sees birds or trees outside.
If your iguana refuses to exercise, try to socialize with it more. Talking at a higher pitch will get the iguana excited. Moreover, you can also try doing some dance moves or encourage it to chase you by holding a piece of flower in your hand.
Are Juvenile Iguanas Lazy Too?
Juvenile iguanas are usually a lot more active when compared to older iguanas. When they are first hatched from the eggs, they are ready to climb trees.
Juvenile iguanas should have at least 3 to 4 hours of exercise every day compared to the 1 to 4 hours of daily exercise for adult iguanas. It is much easier to get a juvenile iguana to move around since it is much smaller.
Most of the time, the enclosures I see people use is big enough for a baby iguana to walk and climb in. For swimming, you can prepare a bucket of water and put the juvenile iguana in. That will be more than enough water for it to swim in.
Conclusion
Iguanas are naturally lazy animals but they should be exercising to stay healthy and strong. You should do your absolute best to make sure your iguana is not lazy by encouraging it to exercise.
If at any point your iguana loses interest in exercising no matter what you do, plan a trip to your local vet. There could be some serious underlying issues that you may not notice.
