Iguana is a large sized lizard that is basically found in Central America, South America and Mexico. Iguanas are kept as pets in these areas and are friendly in nature if they are managed properly otherwise they will be very aggressive if not kept nicely.
The pet owners are often very curious to know the age of their pet so we discuss about how to identify the age of an iguana in this article.
Well there is not definite method to tell the exact age of the iguana unless the owner do not have the birth date as without the knowledge of the birth date, only by the approximation methods the age of the iguana is decided and that clearly means it will not give an exact age of the iguana.
How to determine the age of an iguana?
As we know determining the age of an iguana is not so easy if you do not have their birth details as not all iguanas are same. They vary in shape, size and colour so to get the exact information is not possible.
By understanding the growth rate of an iguana can help you identify the age of the iguana approximately not exactly.
There are 2 methods to understand the growth rate:-
- SVL: Snout to vent length
- STL: Snout to tail length
Depending on these 2 lengths we can approximate the age of the iguana.
- If the iguana is a hatchling the SVL is 2.5 to 3.5 inches and STL is 6 to 9 inches.
- If the iguana is 3 months old the SVL is 4 to 5 inches and STL is 12 to 14 inches.
- If the iguana is 6 months old the SVL is 6 to 7 inches and STL is 18 to 20 inches.
- If the iguana is 1 year old the SVL is 8 to 9 inches and STL is 20 to 27 inches.
- If the iguana is 2 years old the SVL is 11 to 12 inches and STL is 28 to 36 inches.
- If the iguana is 3 years old the SVL is 12 to 14 inches and STL is 30 to 42 inches.
- If the iguana is 4 years old the SVL is 14 to 16 inches and STL is 35 to 48 inches.
- If the iguana is 5 years old the SVL is 18 to 20 inches and STL is 45 to 60 inches.
- If the iguana is 6 years old the SVL is 20 to 22 inches and STL is 50 to 66 inches.
- If the iguana is 7 years old the SVL is 20 to 24 inches and STL is 50 to 72 inches.
Why is this method not much reliable?
This method is completely on the basis of approximation method as the iguana stops growing after a particular age and at some ages it grows at a faster pace and at the later stages of life it grows at a much lower pace and also the male iguana are slightly bigger in size as compared to the female iguanas at the same age which also makes it difficult to determine the exact age
The most reliable method to determine the age of an iguana
The most reliable method is to have the birth details of the iguana as from that you can know the exact age of the iguana. You can get those details from the owners from where you have bought your iguanas. As they will give you every detail regarding the iguana and it will make easy for you to know the exact age of your iguana without any hassle.
They will also provide you with medical history if there is any about your iguana. This is the most reliable method to know the exact age of your iguana.
Knowing the age of the iguana can also be challenging if you do not have the birth details and you can only get the approximate age but not the exact age of your iguana.
As determining of age makes you more aware about your iguana and you can feed them and manage them accordingly and also any owner would love to know the age of the pet they are having.
