I am so fascinated by the gestures and noises Gandhi makes, and a few of them arnt mentioned in my books....

Gandhi will make a noise that sounds just like a high pitched spit and often I will see a few drops of fluid spray out of him. This is distinctly different from his sneeze. His mouth is closed and it is a very quick gesture. I have little doubt that the sentiment behind it is one of extreme annoyance, and he often does it to put me in my place (ha).

Is this the "click hiss" that I have read about? (I thought their mouths were open during that gesture.)
Or is it a completely different iguana expletive?

Congratulations, you have been snalted...it's when they snort excess salt out of their nostrils. I'm glad my iguana has white walls in his cage, because if you look up close you can see a layer of salt all around his basking shelf. Don't be alarmed, its a normal healthy thing to do.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

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I agree. What you are describing is the act of snalting.
What concerns me is you comment about open mouthed sneezing. That is not normal.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Well, maybe it is just another kind of sneeze....I have seen him sneeze many times and it just seemed to be different. His mouth isnt open when he sneezes (I was discribing open mouthed click-hissing, not sneezing) but it is more of a suprize thing and his head does this little movement like a person caught off guard by a sneeze. When he does the spitting thing he is always looking me dead on and there are just two drops of fluid that fly directly at me...like I am being spit on!

Maybe its just my imagination though....

lol...maybe he just didnt like the outfit you had on?....To give more detailed info about snalting, according to james hatfield, it's theyr way of getting rid of excess phosporous (and salts).

my ig does the same thing, she gets salt residue all over the plastic siding on the enclosure.

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-Adam

"Help Protect our Planet from Overcollection, Purchase Aquacultured Livestock and Captive Bred Herps"

OK, now I am confused.

Snalting clearly comes from the nose, not the mouth. So, the snalt in the face sounds perfectly normal.

This however should sound more or less like a sneeze, a rapid explusion of snalt through the nose. I'm not sure I understand the "high-pitched" sound part of it? If there is "wheezing" or his nose is wet and runny, it could be an URI and needs to be vet evaluated.

I have seen several iguanas "purr" (the so called clicking sound). Basically, they have their mouths shut and kind of take sharp breaths in, their head jerk slightly and you hear a click. Very strange, and I am not entirely convinced that it is "purring". LOL More so, they become so comfortable, they perform this wierd action.

Anyway, make sure the sound is not wheezing and their is no runny discharge from the nose.

Otherwise, enjoy the snalt in the face, they seem to time that just right!

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Regards,
Dominick
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"Do you watch too much television? Did you do so as a toddler? Evidence tonight that it could be the cause of learning disorders, like attention deficit and hyperact-Ooooh, a kitty!" - Keith Olbermann

Well thanks for the replies guys, you are all probably right-this is just his snalting and I am wrongly interpreting it as an act of vengence against me
(more specificaly, against bathtime. lol) No there isnt any wheezing or discharge, I guess I am just being an obsessive lizard-mommy.

Gandhi does click fairly often, especially when he is being given "tours" of the house or being hand fed yummy collards.

I guess what I was really asking when I posted this thread was whether the spit thing he does was what is referred to as a "click hiss" on page 78 of Melissa Kaplan's book "Iguanas for Dummies". It doesnt really sound like a hiss though...more like a click spit. HA HA HA OK I realize I have entered the realm of completely batty been-locked-in-the-bathroom-with-the-lizard-for-too-long from which there is no return!!

This is what happens when my boyfriend goes out of town.....!

Welcome to our addiction....

Snalty leaves anyone?

__________________

"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Aww Look at Dizzy!! Im still trying to figure this new set up out! Can anyone tell me how to make my signature?? I need to put pics up again too!!

you can edit your signature in you user cp on the bottom left side of the tool bar at the top of the page.

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-Adam

"Help Protect our Planet from Overcollection, Purchase Aquacultured Livestock and Captive Bred Herps"