Re: Another question about new Igs :)

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Posted by aysel on January 23, 2003 at 17:50:21:

In Reply to: Another question about new Igs :) posted by Ladilee on January 23, 2003 at 17:18:52:

Personally, I have been very lucky with Tarzan. He has never show any signs of aggression towards people. I handled Tarzan every day when he was little. He has his moments when he lets me know that he wants to be left alone, and I do. It is a matter of respect and knowing your iguana. You must respect his wishes when he wants to have some time to himself, and you have to know when he is trying to tell you that.

The best advice I can give you is to be persistent and gentle with handling. If you keep this up, it will give you more of a chance of success with your iguana.

You can't always tell if an iguana will be aggressive or fearful when it grows up. As I find myself saying very often, iguana personalities vary per individual. You might get hints along the way, but it is almost never definite.

One iguana that I was taking care of was WILD... well, he still is! He gave me my first experience with an iguana bite, one that drew blood... and he was only a juvenile! He hates pretty much everyone. He doesn't just bite to warn, either; he bites to kill. Bite, shake head from side to side, don't let go... He's like a pitbull of the iguana world. I don't think that he will ever be calm. Some other iguanas have a more optimistic outlook for the future. Most that are 'mean' are in breeding season, or just unsocialized. With careful and persistent attention and handling those usually learn to accept the company of people.

Good luck with your iguanas, I hope this helped a little bit!!

-Lesya + Tarzan

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:Hi...I have another (probably silly) question about my new Igs.

:I read so much about aggresivness....bitting, tail whipping, displaying, etc...

:At what age does this start? I have no idea how old my lil' ones are (bigger one is now 17 3/4 inches nose to end of tail, and in full shed again) Both of them are sooooo sweet and calm, it's hard to imagine them wanting to bite. I'm just curious how long we have before we can expect a change in attitude.

:My husband is scared to death of these guys. lol...not so much scared now (cuz they're so little) but he's read some of the things I've read and can't understand why I love them so much when the potential for injury is so great. I told him he should try making nice with them now, or he'll probably wish he had when they're bigger. *?* Actually we'll only have one soon, as I need to give one of them to a new home.....but that doesn't seem to help his nerves. :)

:Anyway, I am really curious about the aggresion thing and what if anything can be done to keep it to a minimum....other than handling them everyday and hand feeding.

:Thanx again.... :)

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