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UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / JULY 1, 2021
Iguanas: Less than one month left No Florida Keys pet owners have had their animals chipped by FWC CHARLOTTE TWINE
charlotte@keysweekly.com
T
he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) July 28 deadline is creeping ever closer for pet owners to chip their iguanas to come into compliance with the state’s bold effort to minimize the adverse impacts of the invasive species. Wildlife officials say they are encouraged that they have helped pet owners tag nearly 150 tegus and green iguanas in free events held throughout the state, because if caught out in the wild without a chip after a Oct. 26 caging deadline, they will be humanely killed. However, FWC staff report that none of the reptiles tagged thus far has been from the Florida Keys. “These events are meant to assist members of the public with new PIT tagging requirements for pet green iguanas and tegus, so every tagged pet is a success,” Michelle Kerr, spokeswoman for FWC. Per an FWC press release, new rules require owners of pet tegus and green iguanas to apply for a no-cost permit and mark their pets with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag, also known as a microchip. The FWC has held five Tag Your Reptile Day events throughout the state to offer owners an opportunity to have their pet green iguanas or tegus microchipped for free, at such locations as Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach, Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, UF College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Zoo Tampa and South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach. One more free chipping event will be held in Fort Myers in July. Perhaps the distance of these events has been prohibitive, because when Keys Weekly asked Kerr about the attendance of iguana owners from our island chain, she replied, “There have been no owners from the Florida Keys at these tagging events so far.”
Another possible deterrent: the limit for iguanas/tegus to be tagged at these events is five. “We have noted multiple owners who brought five tegus/iguanas to receive a free PIT tags at these events,” said Kerr. The five-iguana limit was definitely a deterrent for a passionate local pet owner who spoke to Keys Weekly and asked to remain anonymous. The Florida Keys resident said she has 15 iguanas, so going to the FWC’s free event was not an option. “I took one iguana to the vet and asked them to show me how to insert the chip. I paid to watch them,” said the owner, who noted that the microchip gets inserted in the rear leg of the animal. “Then I bought 14 chips online to do the rest of my iguanas myself.” The iguana lover is also $1,000 into building an outdoor cage, another requirement from the FWC with a deadline of October 26. But she doesn’t mind all this effort for her reptiles. As she said, “They’re my babies.” Though it may seem counterintuitive to control reptiles in the wild by chipping pets that are living on private property, FWC communications rep Carli Segelson said this is a necessary part of the FWC’s multi-pronged approach.
“These species pose a threat to Florida’s ecology, economy and human health and safety,” she said. “Because they are high-risk to Florida, enhanced regulations are necessary.” Experts agreed at a February conference that enough data has been collected with the University of Florida to support removal of iguanas and other high-risk reptiles. Segelson also said that in the future, having these reptiles as pets will no longer be allowed in Florida. The FWC’s grace period ends July 28, and by that time all pet green iguanas and tegus must be permanently microchipped and owners must have applied for the no-cost permit. All other entities must come into compliance with the new rules by July 28 as well, including entities possessing the regulated species for research, educational exhibition, eradication/control or commercial sale purposes. Additionally, entities with these species will have to come into compliance with the new outdoor caging requirements. The grace period for upgrading outdoor caging ends Oct. 26, 2021. The last “Tag Your Reptile Day” event is Sunday, July 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Lee County Domestic Animal Services, 5600 Banner Dr, Fort Myers. More information is at MyFWC.com/ ReptileRule.
A green iguana being microchipped at one of FWC's Tag Your Reptile Day events. FWC/ Contributed
