rambling thoughts ....

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Posted by iZ's mom on June 04, 2001 at 19:39:36:

In Reply to: Breeding Season HELP! posted by Louie on June 04, 2001 at 16:15:38:

i agree with John that the 1st season is *usually* the worst ~ cuz that's when there's suddenly a whole LOT of new body language to learn ... LEARN it and *RESPECT* it! (*grin*) ...

this is the time when if your ig signals that he wants to be left alone ~ leave him alone! iZ gets *very* anti-social and doesn't even want to come down for evening supper/social time ~ he wants to get in the tub, poop and go back to his room and sulk ... ok, sometimes he wants to rip me apart in between pooping and going back to his room ... but that's where learning to understand his body language comes in ...

one basic thing to remember ~ do NOT turn your back on him EVER during mating season! back out of the room, back away after setting him down, etc ...

last year, i just decided to accept the fact that iZ was gonna chomp me ~ that prob'ly sounds dumb, but lemme explain ... i thought to myself "ok, he's gonna bite me, so i'm gonna at least have control of where he bites me ..." ...
so i always approach him in a way so that if he *does* lunge, he's gonna get my forearm, not my face, etc ... i don't know if it makes sense, but it helped me stop RE-acting to him and it helped me stop being afraid of him ... and i DID make sure that i either had a thick sweatshirt with long sleeves on or a towel wrapped around my arm ... it at least gave me a sense of 'control', *i* had some say over it ... + he quit lunging at me quite so much because MY attitude changed ...

he'd puff up + hiss at me and i'd jump up on the milk crate in his room, throw my arms in the air (MY version of puffing up), open my mouth + hiss back at him ...

i can't see wearing gloves ~ but that's me ... and iZ ...

i think it's important to keep up your ig's daily routine as much as possible during mating season ... change is stressful, mating season is *really* stressful, don't do both at once if you can possibly avoid it ... if anything, *extra* exercise + time out of his enclosure may do alot of good! iZ usually goes into season during the summer and so i ig-proof my room and put a plexiglass barrier up in the hallway and then iZ can roam from his room to mine during the day and hopefully burn up some of that excess energy + testosterone before i get home from work ...

*usually* iZ is only at his absolute WORST for just a few days ~ after that, he's really irritable, but not quite so actively aggressive ... last year was a major exception cuz what i *didn't* realize was that a huge stone was forming in his bladder ~ so he was hormonal and sick as well ... (crossing my fingers this year will be a breeze .... )

*most* igs snap out of it is my point ~ it's like so many other ig things ~ takes time + patience ... iZ goes from a sweet dragon baby to a scary, raving, stalking me, lunatic ~ + then back to his same ol' sweet, snuggly, trusting self ...

but yes, it IS always scary to think "what if this year, he doesn't turn back into his old self?" ... and i HATE that i can't snuggle with him and that he doesn't even want me to TALK to him ~ the sound of my voice can throw him into a rage + send him flying across the room at me!

and then i think ~ as awful as *I* feel ~ think how bad *HE* feels!!! they're acting like this cuz their hormones are making them crazy, it's something that's totally out of their control ... i really think iZ feels way worse than i do ...
and that helps me stay patient ... it's iggy 'PMS' at it's worst ... :)

Melissa Kaplin has some articles about male aggression ...

unlike dogs + cats, neutering male igs is NOT a proven remedy for aggression ... sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't ... it should be a LAST attempt, not a 1st choice ...

oh ~ and get 'im a "Luv Sock"!!!!! seriously! get him a sex toy ... some have stuffed toys, some have a rolled up green towel ... iZ likes his green "blankie" that's up on his bed-shelf ... LOL ... + then he throws it on the floor in a damp, limp pile for humommy to pick up (eeeeeeeeew) and wash so he can do it all over again the next day ... WHATEVER WORKS!!!! *grin*

and hey, if nothing else, you're gonna have some great stories to tell when this is all over ... LMAO ...

hang in there, even iggy-PMS eventually ends!

Bon. + iZ (dOn't LiSten tO heR!!! i wOuLd neVer trY tO biTe mY hUmOmmY, i jUst wAnnA shOw hEr hOw MUCH i LLLLLLuVVVVV heR!)

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: i agree with John that the 1st season is *usually* the worst ~ cuz that's when there's suddenly a whole LOT of new body language to learn ... LEARN it and *RESPECT* it! (*grin*) ... : this is the time when if your ig signals that he wants to be left alone ~ leave him alone! iZ gets *very* anti-social and doesn't even want to come down for evening supper/social time ~ he wants to get in the tub, poop and go back to his room and sulk ... ok, sometimes he wants to rip me apart in between pooping and going back to his room ... but that's where learning to understand his body language comes in ... : one basic thing to remember ~ do NOT turn your back on him EVER during mating season! back out of the room, back away after setting him down, etc ... : last year, i just decided to accept the fact that iZ was gonna chomp me ~ that prob'ly sounds dumb, but lemme explain ... i thought to myself "ok, he's gonna bite me, so i'm gonna at least have control of where he bites me ..." ... : so i always approach him in a way so that if he *does* lunge, he's gonna get my forearm, not my face, etc ... i don't know if it makes sense, but it helped me stop RE-acting to him and it helped me stop being afraid of him ... and i DID make sure that i either had a thick sweatshirt with long sleeves on or a towel wrapped around my arm ... it at least gave me a sense of 'control', *i* had some say over it ... + he quit lunging at me quite so much because MY attitude changed ... : he'd puff up + hiss at me and i'd jump up on the milk crate in his room, throw my arms in the air (MY version of puffing up), open my mouth + hiss back at him ... : i can't see wearing gloves ~ but that's me ... and iZ ... : i think it's important to keep up your ig's daily routine as much as possible during mating season ... change is stressful, mating season is *really* stressful, don't do both at once if you can possibly avoid it ... if anything, *extra* exercise + time out of his enclosure may do alot of good! iZ usually goes into season during the summer and so i ig-proof my room and put a plexiglass barrier up in the hallway and then iZ can roam from his room to mine during the day and hopefully burn up some of that excess energy + testosterone before i get home from work ... : *usually* iZ is only at his absolute WORST for just a few days ~ after that, he's really irritable, but not quite so actively aggressive ... last year was a major exception cuz what i *didn't* realize was that a huge stone was forming in his bladder ~ so he was hormonal and sick as well ... (crossing my fingers this year will be a breeze .... ) : *most* igs snap out of it is my point ~ it's like so many other ig things ~ takes time + patience ... iZ goes from a sweet dragon baby to a scary, raving, stalking me, lunatic ~ + then back to his same ol' sweet, snuggly, trusting self ... : but yes, it IS always scary to think "what if this year, he doesn't turn back into his old self?" ... and i HATE that i can't snuggle with him and that he doesn't even want me to TALK to him ~ the sound of my voice can throw him into a rage + send him flying across the room at me! : and then i think ~ as awful as *I* feel ~ think how bad *HE* feels!!! they're acting like this cuz their hormones are making them crazy, it's something that's totally out of their control ... i really think iZ feels way worse than i do ... : and that helps me stay patient ... it's iggy 'PMS' at it's worst ... :) : Melissa Kaplin has some articles about male aggression ... : unlike dogs + cats, neutering male igs is NOT a proven remedy for aggression ... sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't ... it should be a LAST attempt, not a 1st choice ... : oh ~ and get 'im a "Luv Sock"!!!!! seriously! get him a sex toy ... some have stuffed toys, some have a rolled up green towel ... iZ likes his green "blankie" that's up on his bed-shelf ... LOL ... + then he throws it on the floor in a damp, limp pile for humommy to pick up (eeeeeeeeew) and wash so he can do it all over again the next day ... WHATEVER WORKS!!!! *grin* : and hey, if nothing else, you're gonna have some great stories to tell when this is all over ... LMAO ... : hang in there, even iggy-PMS eventually ends! : Bon. + iZ (dOn't LiSten tO heR!!! i wOuLd neVer trY tO biTe mY hUmOmmY, i jUst wAnnA shOw hEr hOw MUCH i LLLLLLuVVVVV heR!)

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