Iguana?
- Thread starter Yessabub
- Start date
Lizardlover
New Member
Wrong part of the forum for that.
pantherlover
New Member
ive kept iguanas & theyre a lot easier to care for than chams, ill say that much. with my experience, every one ive had has taken over the livigroom & each one has become nastier than the next
mr and mrs
New Member
i had two few years back very easy to please they used to have my whole room went in the viv at night and when they were cold and wanted food 
they can be a bit temperamental i have scars from there whippy tales on my arms so strong and quick it can rip skin !!! and a few dig marks from there claws other wise there great
they can be a bit temperamental i have scars from there whippy tales on my arms so strong and quick it can rip skin !!! and a few dig marks from there claws other wise there great
joshua n janet
New Member
i had two few years back very easy to please they used to have my whole room went in the viv at night and when they were cold and wanted food
they can be a bit temperamental i have scars from there whippy tales on my arms so strong and quick it can rip skin !!! and a few dig marks from there claws other wise there great
i had one when i was small and it bit my finger and never let go like a pit unill my dad put a pen betwen his mouth
draetish
Avid Member
I had a red one before I got into chams. Everything I read on the internet about them being friendly and nice animals was not true. That ig had it made, she even had a pillow for her little head on her bed. She was okay at first, but really never liked being handled, it was always a fight. I put up with it for about 4 mos till one day she made me so mad I left my house. I went to the pet store where I hung out back in Corpus Christi and was telling the guy about it and he suggested that I trade her for my first chameleon. I will never own another iggy.
fluxlizard
Avid Member
I've been keeping iguanas since 1980 or thereabouts.
I'd be happy to give you any advice you want, just PM me with your questions.
The only iguanas I have had that were nasty were lizards I took in that were unwanted by their owners. I can tell you how to tame if that is why this particular iguana is unwanted. It takes some consistancy, persistance, and time and patience. Unlike chameleons, iguanas cannot be a hands off pet or they will become fearful and nasty. Because of their intelligence, they have to be handled and interacted with regularly for significant blocks of time, much like a dog, for a few years in order to gain their trust. Once trust is gained they are truly amazing lizards.
None of the iguanas that I have raised and none of the iguanas that have been in my care longer than a few years have been nasty, even in the middle of breeding season when I know for a fact it is breeding season because breeding has occurred with my animals- I can go in and pet the males that I have had 15 minutes before or after on the very day they bred with females with no problems, and even when females have just laid fertile eggs I can touch and move them. A lot of people blame breeding season on iguana aggression incorrectly- hint breeding season is a few weeks, not several months.
I'd be happy to give you any advice you want, just PM me with your questions.
The only iguanas I have had that were nasty were lizards I took in that were unwanted by their owners. I can tell you how to tame if that is why this particular iguana is unwanted. It takes some consistancy, persistance, and time and patience. Unlike chameleons, iguanas cannot be a hands off pet or they will become fearful and nasty. Because of their intelligence, they have to be handled and interacted with regularly for significant blocks of time, much like a dog, for a few years in order to gain their trust. Once trust is gained they are truly amazing lizards.
None of the iguanas that I have raised and none of the iguanas that have been in my care longer than a few years have been nasty, even in the middle of breeding season when I know for a fact it is breeding season because breeding has occurred with my animals- I can go in and pet the males that I have had 15 minutes before or after on the very day they bred with females with no problems, and even when females have just laid fertile eggs I can touch and move them. A lot of people blame breeding season on iguana aggression incorrectly- hint breeding season is a few weeks, not several months.
draetish
Avid Member
I only wish mine could have been like that, she was beautiful. I would go back to the pet store about once a week and they had her in with 3 other iguanas. I would go up to the glass where her head was and rub the glass and she would just close her eyes and be mellow. I even picked her up and she was fine. Do you think it was because with me there were no other igs and at the pet store she had other igs to be with?
pantherlover
New Member
the ones i had became agressive when they where too large to keep in any kind of enclosure i can find. they where fine when i kept them in enclosures. as soon as i let them have the free roam of a room, theyd run frim me & so forth. sometimes it was like they all the sudden became territorial? think that might have anything to do with it?
fluxlizard
Avid Member
No I don't think it was not being around other iguanas.
I'm sorry it turned out that way with yours. I wish I had known you so I could have advised you a little and things I think would have gone differently for you.
I've had igs that I could open the back door and out they would go to do their business on the lawn and back in they would come when they were done! They grow smarter as they get larger and they remember people. But they require a lot of time when they are younger. Here are some that I have had.
Dollar bill for size comparison.
Watermelon on a chopstick
some of my eggs hatching
edit- I've got some great video of my kids playing with one of my 14 lb males when they were 3 or 4 years old, but it's on vhs, not digital. One of these days I've got to convert a bunch of tape- I've got lots of old chameleon footage of eggs hatching and stuff..
I'm sorry it turned out that way with yours. I wish I had known you so I could have advised you a little and things I think would have gone differently for you.
I've had igs that I could open the back door and out they would go to do their business on the lawn and back in they would come when they were done! They grow smarter as they get larger and they remember people. But they require a lot of time when they are younger. Here are some that I have had.
Dollar bill for size comparison.
Watermelon on a chopstick
some of my eggs hatching
edit- I've got some great video of my kids playing with one of my 14 lb males when they were 3 or 4 years old, but it's on vhs, not digital. One of these days I've got to convert a bunch of tape- I've got lots of old chameleon footage of eggs hatching and stuff..
pantherlover
New Member
haha! they look super healthy! thats awesome!
Syn
Avid Member
I just recently got a VHS to DVD converter that we are using for old VHS tapes. It is pretty neat. If you want me to convert it for you I could, you'd just need to send me the tape and a CD and a SASE.
Jess23
New Member
My very first lizard was a female green iguana. I loved her! She was super tame, it was like having a little, scaly dog in the house She was really chilled out and very easy to handle, but they can be very fiesty. They need a huge cage (and preferably plenty of time out of the cage to roam around- supervised!!) and do require a lot of work to keep tame but i would love to have another one day, fantastic lizards.
She was really chilled out and very easy to handle, but they can be very fiesty. They need a huge cage (and preferably plenty of time out of the cage to roam around- supervised!!) and do require a lot of work to keep tame but i would love to have another one day, fantastic lizards.
fluxlizard
Avid Member
Thanks for the offer Syn-
I do have a converter thing for my computer but seems like I never get around to doing it. One of these days LOL
I do have a converter thing for my computer but seems like I never get around to doing it. One of these days LOL
Yessabub
Established Member
Yes in fact that is the reason why they are getting rid of it she said the previous owner was abusive and he became aggresive so shes having a hard time dealing with him. She said hes 4 feet long so this must mean hes adult but how long does it take to get that long? so i know approximately how old he is.
fluxlizard
Avid Member
Well growth rate will depend on care, and some never get much longer than 4 or 5 feet anyway regardless of care- most get closer to 5 though. Really exceptional can reach 6' or a little more. 4' is adult size- the lizard can breed.
Good care 4' could be 3 to 4 years old. Getting passed around could mean less than best care and then the iguana could be anything over 3 years on up.
Of course, I've also found that most iguana owners and viewers tend to exaggerate the size of their lizard- so you may want to measure with a tape if and when you aquire it.
At that size a bad temperament comes with some risk- if claws aren't kept trimmed- they will cut your arms easily and teeth are small but like little razors- they can cut to the bone in your finger or cut your arm or face by the time the lizard is 4'. I had a big almost 6' male "donated" to me once because he nearly took the finger of his previous owner. She had to have surgery and almost loss the use of the finger (she did beautiful embroidery and it almost cost her that). In fairness to the lizard though- she really was clueless- when I went to pick the lizard up he was clearly telling her to keep her distance and she said "OH look- he knows me, he loves me!" LOL. It took that lizard about 3 years to tame down to where we had a good relationship.
I'm not trying to discourage you, and having a thing for iguanas as I do I would really love to see this one you are talking about go to a good home rather than a shelter, but depending on the attitude of the lizard now, you should be aware that a 4' iguana with an attitude is a lizard that will require some determination and caution to tame... It is completely possible though- just a lot more difficult than raising one up tame. Let me know if you decide to give it a go and I'll be happy to walk you along step by step as you go.
Good care 4' could be 3 to 4 years old. Getting passed around could mean less than best care and then the iguana could be anything over 3 years on up.
Of course, I've also found that most iguana owners and viewers tend to exaggerate the size of their lizard- so you may want to measure with a tape if and when you aquire it.
At that size a bad temperament comes with some risk- if claws aren't kept trimmed- they will cut your arms easily and teeth are small but like little razors- they can cut to the bone in your finger or cut your arm or face by the time the lizard is 4'. I had a big almost 6' male "donated" to me once because he nearly took the finger of his previous owner. She had to have surgery and almost loss the use of the finger (she did beautiful embroidery and it almost cost her that). In fairness to the lizard though- she really was clueless- when I went to pick the lizard up he was clearly telling her to keep her distance and she said "OH look- he knows me, he loves me!" LOL. It took that lizard about 3 years to tame down to where we had a good relationship.
I'm not trying to discourage you, and having a thing for iguanas as I do I would really love to see this one you are talking about go to a good home rather than a shelter, but depending on the attitude of the lizard now, you should be aware that a 4' iguana with an attitude is a lizard that will require some determination and caution to tame... It is completely possible though- just a lot more difficult than raising one up tame. Let me know if you decide to give it a go and I'll be happy to walk you along step by step as you go.
