Posted by Jamie/JBug on July 17, 2000 at 00:34:19:
In Reply to: new pet iguana posted by Ziggy's mom on July 16, 2000 at 22:45:18:
Hi and welcome to the greatest iguana forum ever! :)
Most iguanas will bite from time to time. To a baby iguana, you are a terrifying creatre that may or may not want to eat him/her. They have what is called the "flight or fight" instinct built into them. Most new babies will seem to be "tame" for the first week or so, and then go insanely wild with what appears to be fury. At this point people always ask "what am I doing wrong?" The answer is nothing. Neither is true. Most new babes are just so petrified that they will try and make themselves as insignificant as possible, or even try to appear dead, just to escape your attention. Once they realize that you are probably not going to eat them, then they get braver and make a stand. Most do so by biting (yeah, it can hurt a little) or slapping you with their tail (which can also hurt somewhat). But don't let him/her cow you! STand firm or s/he will have successfully trained you to put him/her down when it wants you to. You need to work with your new baby a LOT before he/she gets any older. A lot of igs take up to 9 months to tame reliably. A few take more. It takes a lot of work and patience. Don't give up! Once your iguana gets older, and if he/she isn't tame, *then* you'll have something to be concerned about. Please check out this link below to get you started. This page is solid gold, a wonderful resource. Good luck to both of you, and always remember, this forum is for learning! Never be hesitant to ask questions!
Best,
Jamie/JBug
: Help! Does it bite? I love my new baby iguana, but I'm afraid it bites. If it does, how hard? When it gets bigger, will the bite hurt a lot more? Please, someone, let me know. Thanks.