Twelve Tips to Rid Your Yard of Pesky Iguanas

Photo courtesy of Iguana Gone — www.iguanagone.com

By Phil Autelitano

It’s an epidemic! Iguanas have invaded South Florida and there’s no end in sight. They’re everywhere — taking over backyards, crapping in swimming pools, eating our flowers and fruits, destroying landscaping, seawalls and foundations, stinking up the place and spreading harmful bacteria in the process.

Your first thought might be to kill them. Iguanas aren’t endangered or “protected” under Florida law, except under anti-cruelty laws, so whatever you do, it has to be quick and painless. You can’t shoot them, because in most Florida cities and towns, it’s illegal to discharge a firearm with their limits. Whatever you do, you’re then left with having to remove the dead beasts from your backyard and dispose of them properly. (You can’t just toss them in a canal, that’s illegal, too.)

You could build walls, or use bird spikes (which really have no effect on iguanas’ armor plated skin), maybe some poison, though I haven’t found one that works, and even if it did, you’re still left with dead iguanas in your yard, or dead iguanas somewhere nearby stinking up your yard.

Bottom line, it’s a problem we here in South Florida just can’t seem to get rid of, and until someone, somewhere, figures out at way to eradicate Florida of iguanas, the only “solution” to the problem is CONTROL.

Here are ten ways to control the pesky iguana problem plaguing your backyard:

1. Do not leave food out, unattended. A bowl of fruit on the patio table unless you’re sitting there eating it, is not a good idea. Leftovers from a party should not be allowed to sit. Clean up your dinner mess right away. Iguanas are mainly herbivores but that doesn’t mean they won’t smell something good and want to eat it. They will TRY anything.
2. Rid your lawn of dropped fruits. Iguanas love fruit. Even more so, they love low-hanging fruit, or fruit that’s easy to get to. If you have fruit trees or avocado trees, etc., take the time to pick up you yard and dispose of any dropped fruit. (If it’s good, keep it for yourself. If not, discard into a closed container/garbage can).
3. Keep a lid on it. Iguanas will dig into your garbage looking for food. Keep a lid on your garbage can. Some iguanas are smart enough to…