A rock-bottom price is tempting, but it usually buys a rock-bottom job. The cheapest quotes tend to cover catching the iguanas someone can see and nothing else — no burrow collapse, no prevention, no follow-up. On a waterfront lot, that means the animals swim back and the seawall dens stay open, and you're calling someone again in a few weeks.
There's also the question of whether the cheap operator is licensed and insured at all. If someone gets hurt or the work damages your seawall, that matters. A fair price — starting from $189 for a one-time visit or $99 a month for a program — buys the parts of the job that actually make it stick.
Cheap usually means the fix doesn't stick
The parts that make iguana removal last are the ones a cheap job cuts to hit the number: mapping and collapsing the burrows, wrapping the trees, guarding the dock pilings. Skip those and you've paid to remove a few animals from a property that's still wide open to the next ones. On a canal or lake bank, that's a matter of weeks, not months.
So the true cost isn't the quote — it's the quote times how many times you end up paying it. Two or three cheap visits in a season quietly cost more than doing it right once.
How to compare quotes honestly
Don't compare the numbers, compare the scope. Line up what each quote actually includes and the cheapest one often turns out to be the smallest job, not the best deal.
- Is it licensed and insured, or a gamble if something goes wrong?
- Does it include the property walk and burrow map?
- Does it collapse burrows and cut off access, or just remove?
- Are prevention options laid out, or ignored?
- Is there follow-up on waterfront, or a one-and-done that won't hold?
Common questions
Isn't a lower price just better business sense?
Only if you're comparing the same job. A cheaper quote that skips burrows and access usually costs more over a season because the problem returns.
How do I tell cheap from good value?
Read what's included. Value covers the walk, removal, burrow collapse, and prevention recommendations — not just a headcount of iguanas caught.
Is your $189 a 'cheap' price?
It's a fair starting price for real work — the walk, removal, burrow collapse, and written prevention. It's not the rock-bottom number a corner-cutting operator quotes to catch what they can see and leave.
