I kept her in apartments in South Korea while I was teaching there.

These iguanas are sometimes all grey, and with black stripes for camouflage and patches of white. They can change colour a bit like a chameleon. They come originally from South, Central America and Caribbean and are a type of vegetarian lizard, like most tortoise and they lay eggs, not live young babies. They also eat bugs occasionally for the protein. They can grow quite long and heavy, much bigger than a very large cat and they have sharp claws for climbing.

Baby is a docile female and females are much better as pets as they are less aggressive than males. A male will sometimes try to whip you with the tail if you approach too close. They also hiss and can bite. A docile female will enjoy being stroked and hand-feeding makes them tame. Mine would sometimes come over and lay on my chest while I watched TV. Did she like me or the heat of my body?

Never pull on an iguana's tail as it may break off, then grow back in time. Pick them up gently with a towel or use soft gloves.

The animals need to be offered a wide selection of leaf types and they will choose what they like. Their digestion is geared to leaves and not just fruit. Too much meat will harm their kidneys and can shorten their life. Baby liked the rough leaves of Wild Hops (prob. Humulus japonicus) that grows along fences all over Korea. In the cold season she had to make due with leafy vegetables and fruit from the markets and she was not too keen on cabbage.

Iguanas must be kept warm and the easiest way to do this is with a heating pad and lamp in part of the cage. They can then move around and regulate their body temperature. Never fold a heating pad as it may overheat and smoke. Iguanas prefer to be out of the cage and feel safer up high on a shelf like in a tree, but they are not potty-trained and they can become cold away from the pad and heat lamp.

Iguanas can also escape through an open window so be careful. They love to sun bathe and need the UV light to make vitamins in their skin just like humans. They are better off in the jungle than in a home but in the jungle they are preyed on by hawks and 2 and 4-legged hunters.

Be very careful of putting two or more iguanas in one cage. I once had a large female bite and kill a small male who was very interested in her.

I came home one day and found baby crawling out of the toilet. I just had to take this photo.

If you leave food and water in a heated bathroom an iguana can be left for 2 weeks while you go on holiday. They are very hardy in this way and do not have to eat and drink every day. In fact they get most of their water from fresh plants. These are big advantages and not possible with many pets.

Koreans dislike most reptiles, a cultural prejudice, but I brought my caged Baby into a Language Center one afternoon and she charmed dozens of children. Then I asked my kids to draw her, following my blackboard guide, and label the body parts. This was a very successful day.