Brittany ...............(long)

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Posted by Harry's Dad on October 11, 2000 at 03:28:56:

In Reply to: leather gloves???? posted by Brittany on October 09, 2000 at 20:21:32:

Not to scare you or anything but.....reading your post......gives me the feeling you're in for one serious bite!! First off, older abused iguanas CAN be dangerous so your guard has to be up 24/7 ( every second ). Iguana's can do some serious damage with their mouths. They seem for the most part, to move slowly.....don't let that fool ya, you blink......it's too late!! That's how fast they can be, NEVER and I mean NEVER.....get your face or open arms close to this iguana with the cage open for some time. It only takes one time and it's too late. There's a few people from VA that have been biten by their iguanas and the results weren't good.
I would follow the below advice except I would do 2 things differently. 1. I would get a pair of gloves and leave them by the iguana's cage during the day so it can get use to them. 2. I would find a thick coat that doesn't upset (color wise) your iguana and be wearing it when the cage is open for awhile. The thick coat will give you some protection against an iguana bite, NOT completely but it's better than a direct bite.
Our Harry is NOT normal so I can't really relate another iguana to him, but he is FLAT OUT dangerous!!! And so far ( knock on wood ) we haven't been biten yet, close.....but not yet. Do we use gloves.....dang straight we do!!! I wouldn't deal with him at all without them! When he's free roaming, we also use towels so when he's coming after us ( and he does ) we can throw a towel over him right before he gets to us.
Now our daughter uses the gloves to take Lola into the bathtub, so her arms don't get clawed up, Lola doesn't mind the gloves at all. She's not wild nor aggressive but she does grow some long nails!!
Maybe some would say that I am over-reacting about the gloves, but I look at it this way.....first off, an iguana is flat out....a wild reptile....yes.....they can be trained some, but they still are wild reptiles and this should always be remembered. Second, their bites are serious.....and once you've been biten, it's too late.....physical damage is done. Why take the risk? It's when people take their guard down and don't know what to look for when it comes to iguana language. Get to know your iguana....I can't say that enough. Learn to read your iguana, if it's not feeling good, keep a watchful eye on her/him but if she/he doesn't want you touching them, don't! You'll know, they will do things like shake their heads at you when you're petting them. Sue2 learned the hard way once, she was petting Lola one day and Lola was shaking her head at her......next thing Lola had her mouth around Sue2's arm holding it; although Lola didn't bite down hard.....it was definitely a warning.......IF YOU CONTINUE.....I will bite!!!
Needless to say.....Sue2 left her alone. LOL
Be careful Brittany.....learn your iguana....look for the signs.....and be careful.
Best wishes,
HD

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HD,you said something about gloves???& Brittany sue1 10/11/00 (0)

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: Not to scare you or anything but.....reading your post......gives me the feeling you're in for one serious bite!! First off, older abused iguanas CAN be dangerous so your guard has to be up 24/7 ( every second ). Iguana's can do some serious damage with their mouths. They seem for the most part, to move slowly.....don't let that fool ya, you blink......it's too late!! That's how fast they can be, NEVER and I mean NEVER.....get your face or open arms close to this iguana with the cage open for some time. It only takes one time and it's too late. There's a few people from VA that have been biten by their iguanas and the results weren't good. : I would follow the below advice except I would do 2 things differently. 1. I would get a pair of gloves and leave them by the iguana's cage during the day so it can get use to them. 2. I would find a thick coat that doesn't upset (color wise) your iguana and be wearing it when the cage is open for awhile. The thick coat will give you some protection against an iguana bite, NOT completely but it's better than a direct bite. : Our Harry is NOT normal so I can't really relate another iguana to him, but he is FLAT OUT dangerous!!! And so far ( knock on wood ) we haven't been biten yet, close.....but not yet. Do we use gloves.....dang straight we do!!! I wouldn't deal with him at all without them! When he's free roaming, we also use towels so when he's coming after us ( and he does ) we can throw a towel over him right before he gets to us. : Now our daughter uses the gloves to take Lola into the bathtub, so her arms don't get clawed up, Lola doesn't mind the gloves at all. She's not wild nor aggressive but she does grow some long nails!! : Maybe some would say that I am over-reacting about the gloves, but I look at it this way.....first off, an iguana is flat out....a wild reptile....yes.....they can be trained some, but they still are wild reptiles and this should always be remembered. Second, their bites are serious.....and once you've been biten, it's too late.....physical damage is done. Why take the risk? It's when people take their guard down and don't know what to look for when it comes to iguana language. Get to know your iguana....I can't say that enough. Learn to read your iguana, if it's not feeling good, keep a watchful eye on her/him but if she/he doesn't want you touching them, don't! You'll know, they will do things like shake their heads at you when you're petting them. Sue2 learned the hard way once, she was petting Lola one day and Lola was shaking her head at her......next thing Lola had her mouth around Sue2's arm holding it; although Lola didn't bite down hard.....it was definitely a warning.......IF YOU CONTINUE.....I will bite!!! : Needless to say.....Sue2 left her alone. LOL : Be careful Brittany.....learn your iguana....look for the signs.....and be careful. : Best wishes, : HD

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