Community Chat

[NYCLatinaMe]

@Zaimee  I know what you mean.  I saw those big ones near the beach in one of the smaller Caribbean islands, and no one seemed fazed, so act like the locals, you know.  We did have iguanas in my backyard in PR, but they were smaller.  Sometimes they would come inside if the door to the backyard was open and we would shoo them away.  My dog would hunt them if inside (indoor dog), and we prayed for the iguana!  They looked nasty.  We would get the smaller lizards on the windows, and I never worried much about them.  They were common and I was told they were harmless.  The boys liked to grab them and play with them.  Sadly, I recall many were passengers in those small rockets for hobbyists that were very popular with my fellow male middle schoolers and teenagers.  I don't think we would tolerate that behavior these days.  It was the 1970s.

iguana (This one looks much fatter than the ones I remember.  Couldn't find any that looked like ours.  Ours had more textured bodies, big ovals.  They moved fast on the terrazo floors and the grass.  About 12"-16" with tails.)

lizard

[NYCLatinaMe]

@Citrine1 While looking for pictures, I saw some for sale for like $600.  I was shocked.  It looks like people bring them in as pets and let them loose, and they harm their new non-native environments.  Crazy.

[monicakm]

@Kachina624 

Note to self...stay OUT of FL!

No chance of me walking out the door to see this monster.  My dogs would be going bananas!

[Desertdi]

AND....90%+ humidity....

[vermint]

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@monicakm wrote:

@Kachina624 

Note to self...stay OUT of FL!

No chance of me walking out the door to see this monster.  My dogs would be going bananas!

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@monicakm Better stay away from coastal SC, too! Also, I live in the midlands of SC, near the Savannah river (our border between GA & SC) and there are alligators there as well as in nearby ponds.

[LindaSal]

OMG!  That would do me in........Years ago we visited Everglades National Park and I was amazed and freaked out at the same time.  We did one of those fan boat rides, crazy, but then after just walking around close to the visitor center there were gators just hanging out with no barriers.  I told DH at that moment, let's get out of here!  Yikes.

[Estellee]

I live in South Florida and there are plenty of alligators around but fortunately not in my immediate area. However we have some pretty good size iguanas that have made themselves at home in the neighborhoods

[River Song]

The green iguanas are non-native, considered invasive and can transmit salmonella in their feces.  So, not exactly harmless.  Plus they eat fruit, vegetables and native wildlife.   I saw a couple of iguanas in the grocery store parking lot that didn't look like small green iguanas, I think they were black spiny-tailed iguanas.   The best time to capture and get rid of iguanas is during a severe cold snap when they fall out of trees, immobile from the cold.

[katie1859]

Nope.....can't do reptiles. I'd be in the ER with panic attacks!!!

I'm safer in Illinois. I have deer and critters but they have boundaries lol.

I sleep at night when they roam. Daylight, it's time for the them to leave.

Couldn't do Florida if you paid me. No no no lol.

[Estellee]

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@River Song wrote:

The green iguanas are non-native, considered invasive and can transmit salmonella in their feces.  So, not exactly harmless.  Plus they eat fruit, vegetables and native wildlife.   I saw a couple of iguanas in the grocery store parking lot that didn't look like small green iguanas, I think they were black spiny-tailed iguanas.   The best time to capture and get rid of iguanas is during a severe cold snap when they fall out of trees, immobile from the cold.

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@River Song Yes, the community usually hires a trapper around Thanksgiving to capture them. Unreal how many they capture but they seem to multiple after the winter months are over, lol.