Re: my son's iguana is acting different I think its sick

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Posted by iZ's mom on September 11, 1998 at 17:24:01:

In Reply to: my son's iguana is acting different I think its sick posted by Shana on September 11, 1998 at 11:13:21:

how long have you had your ig? don't think it sounds like s/he is sick! is s/he a fairly new addition? usually when you bring an ig home, they are very quiet and timid for a day or two and us silly humans think "oh, i got such a nice, tame iggy" .... WRONG .... they're just TERRIFIED .... once they realize this is where they're going to be, they're STILL not sure if they're going to be your supper .... and so they will still act big and scary, just to let all us humans know WHO is the most dangerous ...... patience and persistence!!!!
the hissing and the "standing-up" part really sound like s/he is being territorial .... OR s/he feels threatened .... iZ does that to my son (who's 6'1"!) and he (iZ) especially HATES that baaaaaaaaaad iguana that lives in the glass house (aka: MIRRORS!)..... if he catches sight of the baaaaaaaad ig on the floor (mirrored tv cabinet doors .... need to change THAT!) he also puffs himself up so that he looks BIGger and "stalks" on his tippy-toes .... i think it's funny but iZ is VERY serious when he's DOing it!!! *grin* i would strongly recommend you NOT pick an ig up when they are posturing like that!!!! they're in an aggressive frame of mind ... why push it?
i think i have read that females will exhibit this behavior too ..... (iZ is alllllllll male!)

oh-BTW- SNEEZING is also a very common thing for an ig to do ... does NOT mean they're sick .... it's how igs rid they're body of excess salt (humans sweat, igs sneeze)

as for what sex it is .... you can't really tell til it's older .... (1 1/2 years old i think????)
the MAJOR difference is in the femoral pores along the inside of their thighs .... males will be alot bigger and will protrude a bit ... females are smaller and (i've heard) basically not very noticeable .... but when they're young, it's mostly imposssible to tell ....

here's a very good resource site for you .... recommended by igs everywhere to help their silly humans learn!

http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html

(Melissa Kaplan is THE BEST!)(in my humble opinion...*grin*)
her site will also give you excellent info on diet and housing requirements!

hope this helps! (sorry i tend to ramble when i get started about igs/iZ!!!)

:P + :)
iZ + mom

Follow Ups:

FYI on Female Behavior Iguanamomma 9/12/98 (1)
- LOL .....thanx for the info!!!.............nt iZ's mom 9/12/98 (0)

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: how long have you had your ig? don't think it sounds like s/he is sick! is s/he a fairly new addition? usually when you bring an ig home, they are very quiet and timid for a day or two and us silly humans think "oh, i got such a nice, tame iggy" .... WRONG .... they're just TERRIFIED .... once they realize this is where they're going to be, they're STILL not sure if they're going to be your supper .... and so they will still act big and scary, just to let all us humans know WHO is the most dangerous ...... patience and persistence!!!! : the hissing and the "standing-up" part really sound like s/he is being territorial .... OR s/he feels threatened .... iZ does that to my son (who's 6'1"!) and he (iZ) especially HATES that baaaaaaaaaad iguana that lives in the glass house (aka: MIRRORS!)..... if he catches sight of the baaaaaaaad ig on the floor (mirrored tv cabinet doors .... need to change THAT!) he also puffs himself up so that he looks BIGger and "stalks" on his tippy-toes .... i think it's funny but iZ is VERY serious when he's DOing it!!! *grin* i would strongly recommend you NOT pick an ig up when they are posturing like that!!!! they're in an aggressive frame of mind ... why push it? : i think i have read that females will exhibit this behavior too ..... (iZ is alllllllll male!) : oh-BTW- SNEEZING is also a very common thing for an ig to do ... does NOT mean they're sick .... it's how igs rid they're body of excess salt (humans sweat, igs sneeze) : as for what sex it is .... you can't really tell til it's older .... (1 1/2 years old i think????) : the MAJOR difference is in the femoral pores along the inside of their thighs .... males will be alot bigger and will protrude a bit ... females are smaller and (i've heard) basically not very noticeable .... but when they're young, it's mostly imposssible to tell .... : here's a very good resource site for you .... recommended by igs everywhere to help their silly humans learn! : http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html : (Melissa Kaplan is THE BEST!)(in my humble opinion...*grin*) : her site will also give you excellent info on diet and housing requirements! : hope this helps! (sorry i tend to ramble when i get started about igs/iZ!!!) : :P + :) : iZ + mom

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