Hello,

Over the past few days, Lettuce Lips (My Iguana) has been acting very strange. When trying to get him out, he would bite at me and run around which is very abnormal for him to do.

Usually a good soak in the shower calms him down and he's okay so I decided to put him in there and see if he'd take it easy a bit. Well, he did calm down and let us touch/hold/pet/etc him but I noticed while he was soaking he turned very dark and the rust/orange color started to appear on his face.

All I can assume is that I'm going through breeding season with the little guy and that I should take caution when being around him. He will be two years old in August, which I beleive is around the time that breeding season starts.

Anyone have any tips for someone who has never experienced this before? Anything I can do to help calm him down at all?

Thanks,

Sounds like breeding season actions to me. My boys are fiesty right now also and even the girls...tho that didnt stop us from manhandling them into the tub...I let my husband do it...and get all the scratches LOL....I only had to help him with the boys a bit and got scratched very little. You have to be careful with them at this time, but show them you are boss and wont be scared off....good luck...Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Who got scratched? I thought that was you!

Steve

My main piece of advice is stock up on long sleeved shirts, they are going to save you! I still have scars from my first breeding season, this year I wisened up, now I wear a tight long sleeved shirt and a loose sweatshirt (even in 90 degree weather) when I have to get one of the boys out to clean the cage or soak them or anything. (you think it's bad with one male, try having 3!) Oh and like lyn said, you have to show them that you are the "alpha" and they can't scare you off, so no matter how bad he gets, don't give up on him!

GOOD LUCK!

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Thanks guys. Yeah, long sleeves are a must have, though he hasn't seemed to scratch me up as bad as when he was not going through breeding season.

Just kind of weird.. does breeding season usually happen overnight? Cause it literally was the next day when he acted like that.

I might take some pictures when he shows those colors again, just to make sure this is what it is. Cause it's not as bad as I was expecting it to be after reading all the articles on breeding season.

Yes it can be a night and day event...and scare the pants off ya but you just have to show them who is boss and dont let up...obviously dont hit or hurt them, but act like an alpha iguana....bob your head right along with them....good luck...Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Get a good pair of gloves....Also what I do when I have my tegu get all nasty is wrap t-shirts around my arms(they are better then sleeves). I've only had one Iggy but it was my dad's when I was like 4 so I dont remember how he got during breeding season.

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~Jason Richardson

alterantive to long sleeve shirts is apiar of old socks just cut out the toe section and slide em up your arm wont help too much with the biting but sure saves skin on scratches

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My first breeding season was ****. He was locked in his cage for months. And as a free roaming ig that was **** for him. He would chase us past his cage. Not like him at all. Then, as quickly as he went into breeding season he came out of it. One morning we woke up and he was back to his normal self and back to roaming around.

The first time was the hardest. Now his breeding actions are extremely calm in comparison, sometimes he'll try to bite but its in complete slow motion, he turns a little orange and he is just very anxious.

Good luck with him if this is his first


edit: I cant believe h-e-l-l is censored. I'll just say H E Double hockey sticks from now on

This thread is over 2 yrs old.

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!