new to iguanas

[logan909]

ok so i bought my first iguana a couple of days ago i have always admired iguanas and done a fair bit of research before my purchase.

i have had a good bit of experience with reptiles but mostly i deal with arthropods. anyways i guess that's my introduction so down to business are baby iguanas usually aggressive?

i started off slow siting besides his enclosure and talking to him. ive tried not to touch him much ive put my hand in the tank to get him use to my presence but anyways today i held him and he was very aggressive . i slowly placed my finger under his neck and began to rub him and he seemed fine but when i tried to lift underneath him he went into panic mode whipping and biting . well i had read that you should not allow the iguana to become dominate over you so i went ahead and held him.. after awhile he fell asleep in my hand i then placed him back in his enclosure.

so am i doing anything wrong . ive read a lot on the internet but people tend to contradict one another.


btw not sure how old him is he is about 10 inches long from tip to tail perhaps i should wait until he is older?

[ChamZilla]

Hello there and WeLcOmE!!

Welcome to the world of iguana's!!! There is always something to learn about these mythical creatures. They are very smart and new care techniques keep popping up from year to year so we must stay updated with this!

Ok so your little one is pretty small. When your reaching your hand in there just imagine you are a giant and he is as big as he is.... It is a scary thing... to him/her at that age EVERYTHING bigger than you is a threat... animals have two instincts for things that scare them..... FLIGHT and FIGHT. Flight is when he/she wants to just get away from you and runs. No biting just gets the heck outta there. Fight is what he/she is exibiting when you tried to pick him/her up. In his/her mind its a monster coming down to get him/her and picking him/her up and going to eat them. BUT you also must not let this habit form in your iguana. You are right by picking him up even when he is flailing around and biting and holding him till he calms down then putting him back. Most of the time they arn't asleep. They just close there eyes as if they can't see you, you don't exist in his/her eyes. Some iguana's dislike being held. I have one young man that is like that. I have tried daily for 3 years to pick him up and every time he flails around like a crocodile.... so I just deal with petting him and cutting his nails, touching his tail and all that instead. MOST iguana's will get used to and be comfortable being held with daily socializing. Just be careful as not to pinch his tail when he is flailing around as he/she can detach it. And when they do grow a new tail it is never as beautiful as there original tail and they run the risk of infection if they do loose there tail.

So for my advice as of right now you are doing the right thing with him/her. Just for a few minutes 2x a day for now then increase it as he/she gets used to it. for example... today you do it for 5 minutes.... 2 weeks from now its 10 minutes 2x per day. Just make sure you don't drop him/her as they can fit in MANY MANY MANY unwanted places once they hit the floor and take off and I have heard of many the dead iguana from getting into somewhere they couldn't get out again or getting "lost" in someone's house.

Wishing you luck... hope I answered your question Feel free to ask anymore

[logan909]

1 more question ok so i have read that you should not let two iguanas see each other because it could cause them to become very irate, but what if they encountered another species of reptile would the reaction be the same?

[ChamZilla]

Hello,


I am not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean to be in enclosures across from each other so they can see each other all the time? or just another lizard walking around outside, while your iguana is in his/her enclosure?

I had my Iguana in her enclosure in my room but she could see my Chameleon in her enclosure. Only if they looked up and to the one corner.... other than that she could see everything else. Iguana's will "talk" to each other with body language if they are in visual lines of each other. Do they convey the same meanings to another species of lizard I am unsure.

What other type of lizard were you refering to?

[logan909]

i had considered a bearded dragon. and i was just curious if there enclosures were to close if it would stress them out

[ChamZilla]

mmm I'm not thinking it would.... but I wouldn't be putting them 3' away from each other. If it was like 12' across a room I don't see why it would be a problem. If you could face your iguana's enclosure towards a window or the tv they will appreciate it. They are better when they can see things all day instead of staring at blank walls. Its like a prision for them if they can't see outside or the tv on a daily basis. Most people will leave a tv on so the Ig can watch it if they have no access to see out a window. They don't need to be smack dab infront of the window... just be angled so they can see outside....