How do yous tame your iguanas? Its almost as if the more I try, the harder it gets, all he does is scamper away from me, whip, and then lunge at me and bite the my fingers(and man he can draw blood now=\)...when I get a hold of him I let him sit in my hand, and then I pet him gently on his head towards the beginning of his spikes...tips? anything? thanks.

Patience. It's part of being an ig-slave. Dizzy has been with me for 2 years and he's definitely not tame, he just tollerates interaction on his own terms, and when he doesn't it turns into a battle royale to determine who is the alpha.

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~Lacey~

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How old is he, and how long have you had him? Patience is probably the key as Moshpitrockchick says. However, I don't have any iguana experience myself, but I've heard that there's never any certainty that even a seemingly "tame" iguana is really tame at all. Even if a person has had it for years.

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~Juliane~

One thing we have to remember is that Iguanas aren't tame animals, they are wild. I think the best you can do, it learn to respect each other. Remember that you both have moods and you both have likes and dislikes. You need to be willing to give each other space and learn to interpret his body language and act accordingly.

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Colleen

Start by not touching him at all. Just open the cage and put your hand in, and every so often leave the cage open when you are cleaning or just moving around the room so that you can see if he decides to come out, it will help to develop trust. Once he is starting to look to get out, or explore, start gently petting him in the cage, and then just let him come to you. This is a long process, and it will not tame your iguana just teach him that you are not going to hurt him, and it kinda "trains" him to tolerate you not like you.

Some things that I learned to do were always wearing a flannel shirt that was thick enough that my iguana couldn't claw through, it also provides a source of similarity for him to remember for each time you hold him. The other trick to do is to go into a bathroom where you can give the iguana a bath right after you hold it, kind of like a reward. I also like to feed the occasional treat with a chopstick or a bamboo skewer that you cut the tip off of, this makes your presence near the cage appreciated and a lot less stressful.

If your iguana is not responding to anything and is spazing everytime you touch him, wrap him into a small towel so that he is comfortable, and can't struggle. This is also useful when you are clipping nails, it reduces struggle and stress.

The most imortant thing is to remember that you can't let him win, if he struggles, you have to hang on for the ride. Everytime you put the iguana down you are letting him win and he will inevitably train you.

Good luck

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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
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That's some helpful advice but let me put in my two cents. Trying to wrap an scared angry iguana in a towel may result in bodily harm...If you don't believe me i'll show you my scars.

__________________

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

~Lacey~

My Photos

Sorry, I guess I should have added to be very careful about the towel thing.

__________________
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



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Some tollerate it better than others, I had a large male who had some nasty burns that needed twice daily treatment and as soon as he saw the towel he turned into a whole other iggy. Eventually we worked out a system to ambush him, restrain him and treat him before he knew what hit him.

__________________

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

~Lacey~

My Photos

With the bath, he goes nuts! he will swim around and try to climb the walls. and then when I put my hand down so he can grab on, he swims away.

How deep is the bath, some iguanas that I have seen really don't like water that they can't just trudge through, it can also be the bat tub are you leaning over him, or just casualy watching him, he may just feel threatened

__________________
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



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