Argumentative Essay On Iguana

Iguanas are reptiles that are typically found in rainforests in southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. These lizards grow into adults that look like miniature dinosaurs and often reach six feet in length (Hancock). Perhaps because of their frightening appearance, they have become one of the most popular reptiles purchased in pet shops today. Unfortunately, many pet owners find out too quickly that their impulsive, “cool pet syndrome” purchase results in a dangerous, time consuming, and expensive proposition (“Why Adopt?”). For these reasons, an iguana is not a suitable pet for families with young children.

Studies have shown that owning and caring for a pet can have positive impacts on the owner’s health and sense of worth.
It doesn’t make sense then to bring into the home a pet whose behavior is at best unpredictable. According to content presented on the Dr. Exotic website by author Christine Hancock, an adult iguana is “aggressive and territorial and will not hesitate to use their strong and powerful jaws, nails, or tail.” She goes on to say, “Always use extreme caution when handling any iguana. Iguanas are wild animals and you must always treat them in a manner that respects the fact that they may be dangerous.” Knowing they are dangerous, no parent would feel comfortable leaving a young child unattended with this
Iguanas grow up to six feet in length and can live for up to twenty years in captivity (Hancock). They grow rapidly and “within several months can outgrow a 30-50 gallon aquarium” (Hancock), requiring the owner to build increasingly larger enclosures for them that must be cleaned and kept hygienic (Hancock). Iguanas need a very temperature-controlled environment with heat lights and humidity and must be handled frequently in an effort to tame them (Hancock). These reptiles eat dark leafy green vegetables and some fruits (Hancock). So they require regular grocery shopping for fresh produce. Parents with young children are kept quite active just attending to their child’s needs. Finding the additional time needed to spend training, shopping, feeding, and or building new housing for the rapidly growing iguana can be quite burdensome on the family.

Not only do these pets require a large commitment of time and care, they are expensive to own. The building and regular cleaning of enclosures that will fit the growing iguana, setting up the proper environment for the animal, and feeding the animal can be quite costly. These animals can also have medical problems like metabolic bone disease, kidney disease, and parasites which can result in significant medical expenses (Hancock). Most families today work hard to meet the financial demands of having a family. Adding such an expensive