Green Iguanas
iguanas can be a nuisance for residents in our community. As a non-native species, they thrive in South Florida because of our subtropical climate and lack of natural predators. Iguanas can be frustrating to residents, destroying landscaping, and burrowing under sidewalks and into seawalls. The City of Oakland Park is working with a vendor to safely remove iguanas from city parks. We are asking for your help. Please do not feed iguanas on city property, as this can encourage them to gather in our parks and can attract other animals as well. If you see a cage in a city park, please leave it undisturbed. For more information, please call 954-630-4500.
Residents can follow the recommendations below to help deter green iguanas from private properties. For additional information and assistance please see the resources below or contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s South Regional Office at 561-625-5122.
What You Can Do as a Property Owner
- Green and spinytail iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be removed from private property year-round.
- All species of iguana may be humanely captured and removed from private property without a permit at any time.
- Captured iguanas can be kept as personal pets or can be humanely euthanized but cannot be relocated and released at other locations in Florida.
- For the welfare of any caught animal, traps should be set in a shaded area.
- Homeowners that trap iguanas on their property can obtain euthanasia services from local exotic veterinarians, humane societies or animal control offices.
- Iguanas are protected by anticruelty laws, and inhumane treatment of them is punishable by law.
How To Deter Iguanas
- Deter iguanas humanely using the following methods:
- Remove plants that act as attractants
- Fill in holes to discourage burrowing
- Hang wind chimes or other items that make intermittent noise
- Hang objects such as CDs with reflective surfaces
- Spraying the animals with water as a deterrent
- Never feed iguanas directly or inadvertently by leaving pet food or ripened fruits outside
- Avoid planting vegetation that iguanas eat. Iguana-resistant plants include: Milkweed, some pentas, citrus, some crotons, other toxic plants, tough, thick-leaved plants
- Protect valuable plants or gardens with cages or screened enclosures
- Place a piece of sheet metal around a dock piling or tree trunk approximately 18 inches from the ground to prevent iguanas from climbing.
Additional Resources
FWC Information on Iguana Removal
General Information on Green Iguanas