Florida Iguana Removal - Orlando, Boca Raton

10.31.2005 - I received a call about an iguana on the roof of a home. I consider this type of call an "immediate response" situation, because if I do not address the matter immediately, I likely won't have a chance to do so in the future. For example, many snake removals require immediate attention, before the snake slithers off and is lost. However, a case of squirrels living in the attic can wait a day, since the situation will not change day to day. In the case of this iguana, I knew that I would have to arrive quickly, or the iguana would climb down and run off. I am often unable to address these emergency type situations, because I have a full schedule and jobs that require my undivided attention for hours on end. Luckily, I was in the area and with an open schedule, and arrived at this home within twenty minutes. Sure enough, the situation was as described: I saw an iguana on the roof of a home. I raised my ladder, got my snare pole, and climbed up. I had my camera ready, and as I approached the lizard and took a photograph, it started to scamper off. I quickly dropped the camera, and with some deft and nimble snare work, I captured it securely in the noose. It thrashed all about, and I lowered it off the roof and dropped it into a holding cage, as seen in the above photo.

How did this animal wind up on the roof? I do not know, but the best explanation is that this iguana was someone's pet, and it was intentionally released. I realize that it could have escaped, but it's more likely that the owner got tired of the animal and "set it free". The problem with doing this in Orlando Florida is that the animal can survive in this climate and potentially breed. Florida is full of non-indiginous, or exotic species. The state prohibits me from relocating exotics, so I brought the animal to a pet shop that agreed to take it. So remember, if you have a pet that you no longer want to take care of, please don't just let it loose. It might become a nuisance animal once it is established in an environment not ready to handle an ecological change. In addition, please keep your pets secure, so that they do not escape. If you happen to spot an iguana on the roof of your home, do not panic. It will probably only eat 33% of your children.

My friend Patrick runs a wildlife removal company based in Boca Raton FL. He removes the many iguanas that infest the canals and docks and yards in southern Florida, in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Give him a call at the below numbers if you need your iguana problem taken care of in Boca Raton or surrounding areas.

Do it yourself: Visit my How To Get Rid of Iguanas page for tips and advice.
Get professional help: Visit my Nationwide Pro Directory of wildlife removal experts.

For more wildlife stories, click my Wildlife Blog or click my below banner to hire a local trapper.

If you live in the region of Boca Raton, or even further out in the radius of Florida as a whole, you may well recognize the threat that iguanas, and the wider range of lizards, pose to the area. These nuisance pests can cause severe damage, so in this article, we'll be covering just what damage they can cause. We'll also inform you of how to prevent them from coming near your property.

With iguanas being able to dig up to 80 feet tunnels under and around your property, iguanas can cause unholy property damage, which can help accelerate erosion and could compromise your infrastructure. Iguanas are fond of barrel tile roofs too, and if they live on your roof (which is a commonality in cases), they can cause serious damage and potential leaks. These animals also burrow nesting areas, and can lay up to 70 eggs annually, creating a sure infestation in about a year! On top of this, iguana feces can hold Salmonella and other diseases, so having them in your yard can increase your chances, or your pets, of catching diseases.

The best strategy for getting rid of iguanas will be a comprehensive one. Firstly, you'll want to identify the problem, and remove the specific iguanas at hand, whether it be with live traps or removing them singularly. It's important to know, in the state of Florida and beyond, that trapping is completely legal as a method, but poisoning them is illegal, as they are protected by state anti-cruelty laws. The first hurdle is prevention, which goes a long way in ensuring that iguana problems won't begin in the first place. If an iguana is trapped and removed, without the further extent of preventing them from coming again, they will return, or another will quickly take its place.

Simple modifications can be made to the home, around the pool, on your lanai, and in other areas of potential invasion to the home. Another easy change to the home that can be made is in removing attractions from around the property. These can include cutting back on or proofing the food-rich resources in the yard, like a food garden. Iguanas tend to hang around rock landscaping, and tree formations, so limiting the amount of these in your yard can go a long way in reducing the numbers of places for them to hide. Sheet metal guards can be installed on trees to stop iguanas climbing them, and barriers and guard screens can be used to keep them away from gardens. The fewer attractors that are accessible, the fewer reasons they have to stick around!

Iguanas love attic spaces, so climbing up the walls and utilizing trees to get to them is easy work for them, so these should be proofed. You can also have the roof-space modified to ensure no entry throughout, making the space essentially airtight. There are professional services to help with all of this proofing in the area, so if you feel unsure of how to approach it yourself, or want someone else to come around and do it for you, this is also an easy possibility. With many homes in Boca Raton dealing with these issues, you're sure to find many experts who offer all of the aforementioned services, or if you're in the wider reaches of Florida, there's always someone to help you through the stress of an iguana infestation. With all of this being said, we wish you the best of luck with the problem, and that it gets solved soon!