patience... (long, sorry)

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

Posted by Lily on April 04, 2002 at 22:19:32:

In Reply to: Some iguanas can never be tamed?? posted by Oliver on April 04, 2002 at 20:57:10:

I'm sorry to hear that you and Nate are at odds... A few things to keep in mind:
If you've only had him for 7 months out of the year and a half of his life, you have no idea what he went through before he came into your home. There's a good chance he was abused, neglected, or otherwise traumatized by humans and--like children raised in battered homes--it may take him a while to develop trust with you. That said, keep in mind that iguanas can live for 15 or more years, and in the face of that time span 7 months is nothing. I guess what I am saying is be patient, and understand that it can take years of love to correct a single wrong done to your ig.

On a more practical side: I have a juvie who is about 8 months old (see Phil in the lower post) who gets it into his head to do some acrobatics every now and then. Usually it's when he wants to go home and eat or go to bed. The thing is, if you let your iguana go back to its cage after escaping, it will learn that the best way to get what it wants is to put up a fight. Every attempt to wiggle away that Phil makes means at least 5 or 10 more minutes on the shoulder, doing laundry, writing this message, etc. before he can go home and do what he wants.

Hope that helps,
-Lily

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: I'm sorry to hear that you and Nate are at odds... A few things to keep in mind: : If you've only had him for 7 months out of the year and a half of his life, you have no idea what he went through before he came into your home. There's a good chance he was abused, neglected, or otherwise traumatized by humans and--like children raised in battered homes--it may take him a while to develop trust with you. That said, keep in mind that iguanas can live for 15 or more years, and in the face of that time span 7 months is nothing. I guess what I am saying is be patient, and understand that it can take years of love to correct a single wrong done to your ig. : On a more practical side: I have a juvie who is about 8 months old (see Phil in the lower post) who gets it into his head to do some acrobatics every now and then. Usually it's when he wants to go home and eat or go to bed. The thing is, if you let your iguana go back to its cage after escaping, it will learn that the best way to get what it wants is to put up a fight. Every attempt to wiggle away that Phil makes means at least 5 or 10 more minutes on the shoulder, doing laundry, writing this message, etc. before he can go home and do what he wants. : Hope that helps, : -Lily

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

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