Evil mean horrible iguana plz help me

[Night_Crawler]

k, I have recently acquired an iquana a very young female, the day I her back from the pet shopp she has been horrible when i reach to pick her up the freaks out and whips my hand repeatadly with her tail when i pick her up she wiggles and tries to get out of my hands scratching and whipping my hands she ramms her head into the wire cage scratching and cutting her face i have tried to tame her and i just cant does anybody have any tips on taming iguanas i could really help please?

[Night_Crawler]

sorry about the horrible spelling and missing words when going back and proof reading I did soemthing and it made the letters disappear when I pressed space or Backspace so i gave up trying to fix it and just posted it sorry i hope everyone can kinda make out what i was saying.

[garterguy]

ok,thats what mine was like now he is tame.if your iguana is about 8 months or loder it will be harder to tame.how you tame it is hand feeding it and stroking its head.try to do this at the same time.but,it will be acustomed to you but it wont be very nice to other people.thats the way iguanas are.

[eyespy]

Just be slow and gentle and patient! What you are describing is a fear response and it takes time for an iguana to learn that you aren't going to eat her. The older she is the longer it will take but you must just continue to show her that you are the provider of good things like food and headrubs.

Never yell at her or when you are near her, never move fast or suddenly, just be calm and gentle and give her the time she needs.

[Samba]

The iguana's afraid of you! You have to gain her trust and show her you're not going to eat/hurt her by spending a few minutes each day with her. When you do spend time, make sure you offer her some food treats, (although right now, since she is brand new, she might not be interested in eating because of the stress...) Let her get established and eating regularly then you can try bonding with her. If everytime you interact with her and she gets something she really likes from you, she'll start to WANT to be with you. I've noticed that the older iguanas are, the harder they are to bond with. Just don't get mad, frustrated, and don't ever hit or punish her. I know it sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people really don't believe reptiles have 'feelings'. Also, when 'hanging out' with her, make sure she is up on a place that's level with your head. For instance, if you're sitting on the couch, maybe she can sit on the topmost part a few feet from your head. Don't stare at her (most would recommend that you look in her direction, but not into her eyes) and talk softly. When you've done that you can try petting and treats. Many iguanas grow fond of affection once they understand that they aren't going to be hurt! I hope this helps out, if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[garterguy]

oh yeah i also find that letting him run around in a tub helps to

[Night_Crawler]

I try to give her food from my hands but she refuses but she is really young not sure exactly probly around six months shes only about 10'' long head to tail but I keep trying and yesterday i held her for about an hour and she made real progress i think its getting better thanx for the help but keep it coming.

[V.hb]

Its very simple! leave the iguana alone! set him up with a big water basin, lots of hides good temps leave fresh food in the cage regularly and as i started off LEAVE HIM ALONE!

once the animal begins to grow use to your presence it will be clear sailing, unless of course its a male in season. you should have read up more before buying the animal, I can't believe people are still buying iguanas and are shocked at their first display of aggression. they are afraid and do not want to be touched until they no longer see you as a threat.

If you want an easy handler, buy a beardie or a leo.. But i really hope you hang onto the iggy, there are to many unwanted out there to add another one.. Have some patience and try to wipe it out of your head that its an "evil mean nasty" lizard. Because it isnt. good luck

[eyespy]

I don't agree that you should leave the iguana alone, I've found they tame down better with short intervals of regular handling from the start. But you do need to allow her a fair amount of her own space, interspersed with allowing her to get used to your presence.

Make sure she has hide spots, both high and low in the cage, on both warm and cool sides so that she can get away if she's overwhelmed. Allow her to see you going about your daily life, and stopping to rest your hand in the cage frequently. Don't pick her up every time you stop by, but when you do be calm and gentle and never let a session last more than 10-15 minutes.

I'd be shocked if the ig took food from your hand this early on. Iguanas feel most vulnerable when eating and it's a huge sign of trust when they accept food from their keeper's hand. But you should offer nonetheless so that she comes to associate you with food.

[V.hb]

I feel its better for them to accept your presence before you force handling on them.

remember, handling is completely unnatural to any animal. it takes time, and trust.

[garterguy]

one should never leave an iguana to set alone it will make it worse "presence" ha nothing to do with it has to get used to you holding it and it has to know that you arent going to try to do something to it.Do not leave it alone.Igs can get very ferocious if left alone too much.i completely disagree with what you said V.that will only make the problem worse.it will get used to being left alone and then develop habits to defend itself against everything.

[Samba]

Well to throw in 2 more cents, I would agree that the iguana shouldn't be left along a lot TOO EARLY on in your relationship, BUT too frequent, constant touching and handling will definately stress the iguana to the point where it might not eat.

Regular handling for short intervals, (15 minutes of 'peaceful' interaction once or twice a day, until the iguana learns that you will not cause it any harm) should be sufficient to start. Fear of being harmed is the number one reason the iguana may appear 'mean' to you when you try to interact with it. If left alone too much, the iguana learns that it can use 'mean' behaviours to keep you at bay; an iguana that is raised this way may become highly aggressive because it knows that you won't harm it if it can use threats of harm to keep you from disturbing it. Bottom line: You don't want the iguana to fear you, and you want the iguana to know that you don't fear it.

At the length you're describing, this iguana sounds very young, and the potential for taming should be good. Just remember, don't grab it's tail, and touch it softly when interacting. Don't CHASE, GRAB or SQUEEZE the iguana (while trying to restrain it), rather, let it set quietly in your presence (maybe on your leg or arm?) Trust takes time to earn, and no one works harder to earn that trust then the iguana owner! Good Luck and keep us updated on you and your iguana's progress!

[V.hb]

if you read my post i said interaction, that consists of touching, feeding and whatever else that would bring you into contact with your ig. I do not agree with force handling an iguana, because it just makes you even more of a threat to the iguana every time that cage door opens. In time your iguana will accept your presence and calm down, this is when I personally would begin handling the beast.

Good luck.

[nouserpif]

I think, in short form, what VHB is saying, is to give it space and let it settle in... From what I see, all iguanas are like that.
Anyway, I am thinkin V. hB has some good advice...

[Night_Crawler]

Yes, I have followed all of your advice and in two days my iguana has made incredible change she is much more tame not wiggling or scratching as much she still refuses to eat from my hands but she will soon start I'm sure. I'm actually starting to think of keeping her instead of giving her away she is so much nicer thank you all SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

[marisa]

Providing a cage that will cut her face when she scratches is not a good idea aside from all this taming.

You need to provide a smooth wood and plexi glass cage or something of the like.

Wire cages ARE NOT for reptiles. Period.

Marisa

[lynsey_togofire]

okay. i know there are a lot of responses to this post but i happen to have had GREAT experience in taming iguanas. the one iguana i had i got potty trained within a weeks time. she was a very affectionate lizard. the next iguana i got was just like the one you described. she was completely out of control. one of the things i learned from my first iguana is that if you let them free-roam, they get SOOOO much calmer. my first iguana started out really aggressive. a week after i got her, i let her start free-roaming the house. btw...if you do this...iguana proof the ENTIRE area you are letting her roam. they can fit in some amazing spots. in a matter of 24 hours after i let my iguana out of that cage, she was coming to me for affection. that means the world to you i'm sure. try it for awhile. maybe clean up your room a bit and do an experiment for about a week. when you let her out of the cage, don't take her out...just open up the door and let her come out at her own free will. make sure there are not too many hiding spaces around your room b/c i'm sure she will find one right away and stay there. set up her lights and a climbing aparatus in a corner of the room and keep her food there. keep going about your daily routine as if she was in her cage. she will soon be able to see that you mean her no harm. if she begins to feel comfortable and comes out more to bask at her own free will, then you can take it to the next step and SLOWLY approach her. iguanas have a "shadow eye" on top of their heads. if you approach her from the back or move your hand over her head suddenly, she will more likely run from you if you do that and you will be back at square one again.instead approach from the front and put your hand on the floor and slowly move it under her. this will show her that you mean absolutly no harm to her whatsoever. slow and steady is the key. soon you will have her eating out of your hand and coming to YOU for attention. this will take awhile, but it is well worth the wait. hope this helps and good luck with everything.
lynsey :)