Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Heyllo~
I have two juvenile iguanas I rescued from a pet store I worked at that wasn't taking care of them (not really taking care of them at all- grrrr). One of them has always been very tame- allows me to pick him up, pet him, etc. About a month ago I moved. Since then, his (or her, not sure which) behavior has done a 180. His appetite has decreased dramatically, he has become aggressive, and he claws at his cage door all day. I have tried letting him out when he does this, and he will leave his cage and walk around my apartment, but if I go near him he will start to tail whip and try to bite me. One other curious thing- At my old place, I had the two ig cages arranged so that they could see each other; now I have them set up so they can't see each other, hoping that would help with stress (they would head bob a lot). Also, he used to be in Cage 1, and after the move I put him into Cage 2. Both are identical (5'x4'x4', same shelves and branched). When I let him out, he did go over to Cage 1, where my other ig is, and clawed at the door. Could he possibly miss the other ig or his old cage? Or is something totally different going on?
Some other stuff:
~Both igs are approx. 8" SVL
~both were treated for worms this past spring
~I have been following all iguana care advice- right temperatures, proper diet, baths, etc.

Did all of that make sense?

Thanks!!
~Jen

Moving affects iguanas. Iguanas hate change. Detest it actually.
The igs' past condition may explain their "tameness". Weak, recovering animals often seem tame, then once back on track turn wilder than usual.

It will take time and patience to let them readjust. If possible, put him back in his original cage. Head-bobbing is to establish territoriality and dominance. Eventually they'll have to face each other, so let them figure out who is who, under supervision. They're still too small to cause severe damage to themselves.

Let it adjust, explore and get used to its new surrounding.
You'll have to monitor it closely. Make sure there are no loud noises to cause further stress.

Best of luck.

-IJ

I just want to add that even good change (i.e a larger enclosure etc) can also cause them to get stressed. Like the message above, iguanas need time to adjust to anything. Do you have your young iggs in reptariums? if so watch out-they will figure out how to rip them open and run around on their own....I learned this the hard way a few years back..
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Blizard Leopard Gecko
1.1.1 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red, 1 Orange Amelanistic)
1.1 Ball Python

Hi. well even if he did show agression ( headbobbing) before, he was used to seeing the other guy all of the time. and also being able to see in the other cage .. so before, he knew the other cage was exactly the same and knew where the other ig was at all times( well, most of it im sure). There have been many changes in his life.. and even one little change in an igs life can upset them. it will be a long time before he settles down and accepts his new environment. if it is possible.. put them closer together(at visible distance). that may help. otherwise, he should get used to it with time. for now he'll just be a stubborn grumpy ig. good luck!!