depends on how you hold him ....

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]

Posted by iZ + my hUmOmmY on September 08, 2001 at 22:12:55:

In Reply to: Can he bite?? posted by Alilia on September 08, 2001 at 20:13:56:

well, there's always the chance that an ig is gonna bite ... yes, they are agile and are really good at suddenly twisting around ...

after surviving iZ's horrible mating season/jealousy rages last summer, my personal method is to always approach him assuming that he will bite me ~ before you think i'm totally crazy, lemme explain ...
by thinking that way, i try to always be prepared for the unexpected ~ especially when i 1st approach him and i'm not totally sure what his mood is that day ...
by thinking that way, i also get control over "where" his teeth would hit ... my forearm is always the 1st part to near him ... if it's gonna happen, i'd rather have my arm bit than a scrawny finger ~ or my face!

(btw, iZ only really bit me once and that was when he was sick and it was extenuating circumstances ...)

now for iZ's 2 cents ... *grin*
iZ has taught me what *he* sez is the "proper way to pick up an ig" ... :)

iZ's 1st rule:
never, EVER "loom over" me!!! it's extremely scary and makes you look like a preditor ... always be *below* the my eye level when approaching me ...

iZ's 2nd rule:
start talking to me when you're at LEAST 1/2 across the room ... sometimes i'm in the middle of a really good daydream and even tho you THINK i'm looking right at you, i'm not ... it seems like you just suddenly appeared and it scares the boogers outta me!

1Z's 3rd rule:
talk to me and ASK me if i even WANT you to pick me up or not!!! *geesh* (this should really be #1 ...)

iZ's 4th rule:
ok ok alright already ... you're standin' there and you're obviously gonna pick me up whether i said yes or NOT ~ so at least do it RIGHT!!!
never grab me from above! it's rude and it scares me ...
if you put your hand under my lower belly/vent/tail area FIRST and let me grab your wrist/arm with my legs and THEN put your other hand under my upper chest, i feel much more "in control" of the situation and i'll generally be calmer ...
my legs are LOTS stronger than my arms (tho they're pretty strong too!) but if you let me make sure my legs have control + a good grip on your wrist/arm, then i don't hafta worry you're gonna drop me or somethin' silly humon thing like that ...

ok ~ 'nuff of iZ's rules ...

if you carry the ig on your arm, elbow down, ig's vent near the inside of your elbow and head towards your wrist (and away from your face) then you've got your other hand free to be gently giving headrubs ~ dual purpose there ~ hopefully it'll have a calming effect AND hopefully to prevent any sudden head jerk movements by the ig ... and sometimes a light hand over his head can have the same sort of effect as a towel over him ... (just give headrubs so he doesn't realize it's more of a restraint/precaution than anything ~ *grin*)

wow ~ i hope you didn't think i'd have a really quick, short answer ... LOL

Bon. + iZ

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: well, there's always the chance that an ig is gonna bite ... yes, they are agile and are really good at suddenly twisting around ... : after surviving iZ's horrible mating season/jealousy rages last summer, my personal method is to always approach him assuming that he will bite me ~ before you think i'm totally crazy, lemme explain ... : by thinking that way, i try to always be prepared for the unexpected ~ especially when i 1st approach him and i'm not totally sure what his mood is that day ... : by thinking that way, i also get control over "where" his teeth would hit ... my forearm is always the 1st part to near him ... if it's gonna happen, i'd rather have my arm bit than a scrawny finger ~ or my face! : (btw, iZ only really bit me once and that was when he was sick and it was extenuating circumstances ...) : now for iZ's 2 cents ... *grin* : iZ has taught me what *he* sez is the "proper way to pick up an ig" ... :) : iZ's 1st rule: : never, EVER "loom over" me!!! it's extremely scary and makes you look like a preditor ... always be *below* the my eye level when approaching me ... : iZ's 2nd rule: : start talking to me when you're at LEAST 1/2 across the room ... sometimes i'm in the middle of a really good daydream and even tho you THINK i'm looking right at you, i'm not ... it seems like you just suddenly appeared and it scares the boogers outta me! : 1Z's 3rd rule: : talk to me and ASK me if i even WANT you to pick me up or not!!! *geesh* (this should really be #1 ...) : iZ's 4th rule: : ok ok alright already ... you're standin' there and you're obviously gonna pick me up whether i said yes or NOT ~ so at least do it RIGHT!!! : never grab me from above! it's rude and it scares me ... : if you put your hand under my lower belly/vent/tail area FIRST and let me grab your wrist/arm with my legs and THEN put your other hand under my upper chest, i feel much more "in control" of the situation and i'll generally be calmer ... : my legs are LOTS stronger than my arms (tho they're pretty strong too!) but if you let me make sure my legs have control + a good grip on your wrist/arm, then i don't hafta worry you're gonna drop me or somethin' silly humon thing like that ... : ok ~ 'nuff of iZ's rules ... : if you carry the ig on your arm, elbow down, ig's vent near the inside of your elbow and head towards your wrist (and away from your face) then you've got your other hand free to be gently giving headrubs ~ dual purpose there ~ hopefully it'll have a calming effect AND hopefully to prevent any sudden head jerk movements by the ig ... and sometimes a light hand over his head can have the same sort of effect as a towel over him ... (just give headrubs so he doesn't realize it's more of a restraint/precaution than anything ~ *grin*) : wow ~ i hope you didn't think i'd have a really quick, short answer ... LOL : Bon. + iZ

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]