[ Post a Response | Green Iguana Society Message Board ]
Posted by roger
on 11/8/2009, 2:43 pm, in reply to "calming aggresive iguana"
76.191.189.245
Along with the other answers, I'll offer mine. He is probably already tame to some extent. But he's in the middle of Relocation Stress, and can't be expected to show his real personality. That might take three or four months, or hopefully less. I agree that you should pick him up twice or more per day, no matter how much he tries to avoid you. Whipping and biting are things that all iguanas do, even tiny babies, only yours is strong and can inflict injuries. I recommend you get his toenails trimmed. His thing about his cage is rooted in instinctive territoriality. He might be one who never puts up with a hand in his cage, but you never know. Just keep the chases as short as possible. Be prepared to see very slow, or what looks like no progress, for many months. If he calms down to you sooner that's a bonus. BTW do not use food as goodwill bait - that can lead to a very serious problem that is not in this topic.
It sounds like you are doing everything correctly - good on you!
Iggys are so complicated, way more so than you think, that every new iguana owner should do reading to get the full picture.
http://www.greenigsociety.org/
...and the huge, all inclusive
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/icfs/index.html
Roger
Responses:
