Best?

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Are boys or girls best to have? I'm thinking of maybe getting an ig and wondering if it's better to have one or the other? Which has better temperments, how much to fix, how much for DNA testing? questions, they never end

[Tesa]

There really is no "best".
Females can have problems with egging.
Males can have horrific breeding seasons.
And there may be no problems at all. There are no guarantees either way. It's simply a matter of personal preference.

DNA: I haven't checked into that extensively, but I do remember reading somewhere of a company that does the test for about 30 dollars. You would need to have your vet send in a blood sample.

[IguanaKing]

Well...I'm afraid there is no easy answer to that question. Boys and girls each have their own unique "problems". Generally speaking, girls have a better overall temperament, mainly due to the fact that male igs often turn into Mr. Hyde during their breeding season. But, this doesn't apply to every ig, they all have their own personalities. As far as "fixing" goes, my opinion is that this should be avoided at all costs, except of course if its to reverse a life-threatening situation for the iguana. The best thing to do is to adopt an iguana that has already reached sexual maturity. But, before adopting, you should spend as much time as you can interacting with different iguanas to find one that you're compatible with. Some igs that may be fine with other people, may not like you at all for some reason or another, and some will like you but not others. In that respect, its not all that different from looking for a human companion, each iguana is a unique creature.

Sean

[prism_wolf]

I cannot agree more with what both replies have already stated. I have had both male and females. My female was the more difficult of the "socialized" igs, partly because she was a neglect case and I had to tame a nearly 4' ig. But she did come around and gave me 54 eggs as a gift!

My male is very socialized, until breeding season approaches...and another male is in the house...and a female is near. The rest of the time he is pretty much a pussycat.

There are so many igs with so many personalities. There is no "better" sex. They both have equally good points and bad points. You just need to choose which points you are willing to deal with.

[JennaAndIguanaGwen]

Thanks for all the info but why avoid getting an ig fixed unless its to reverse something life thretening?

[Nanshe]

I think probably because the surgery itself can be dangerous and risky. Any surgery should be avoided if at all possible, human or animal - IMHO anyway

~Nan

[Merlin]

why avoid getting an ig fixed unless its to reverse something life thretening?

You have to remember that reptile surgery is technically still in its infancy. Domestic animals like dogs and cats have been studied for years and there is considerable information and research available on them. The procedures on them is pretty simple. With a reptile it has only started being done fairly recently and there are a lot of things that aren't nearly as clearly understood. Also there is no guarantee that neutering a male will prevent aggressive behavior and unless done properly a female can still regenerate and have eggs again. Unless there is a life threatening situation such as severe egg binding in females I would not even consider it.