Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Jake, my baby iguana, just tail lashed me twice... I reached in the cage like normal to hold him for a few moments, but when I was about to pick him up he flared out the thing on his neck and whipped my hand twice with his tail. How old does an iguana have to be before he reaches mating stage, and what could've caused him to suddenly change like this? He hasn't been mean ever before...

Could his change in diet cause it? I cut up a green onion, and put a few broken up grapes in with it, and he has eaten some of the grapes. Do they have something in them that makes iguanas get pissed? I read that they need fruits, but maybe grapes are a bad choice. If this is so, are apples ok? We only have apples, grapes, and bananas in the house, so I have a limited supply on fruit choices....

young iguana's are moody ....

hopfully you read up as much as possible in having a iguana .

and i dont think a change would affect his mood's
are you like putting your hands on top of him ? if so you could of scared him remember you are the predtor to him .. hes more likely scared of you

hopfully you have all heating/ UVB lighting in the tank as well

green onion's are bad for iguanas i belive,

his main diet should consit of dark green's and veggie's ... starting with collard , and mustard . as a good starter and adding like green bean's .. and some orange squash
friut is only 10 % of a iguana's diet ... but grapes and apples are ok to feed in like a salad ...
as well as adding calucim to there diet as well .

remember a healthy happy iguana is a fiesty iguana .

good luck

christina ( im sure someone could give you some better info on it sence ive only owned a iguana for 2 month's )

Eh, I think this goes beyond feisty. Usually when I open the screen on top of the cage, he stands up and looks towards my hand, and when I move it towards him he leans a little away from it then starts to run in circles around the cage (we only have aquarium sized so far, I'm gunna build a big tank for him sometime soon), but he just sat there then whipped my hand with his tail... Well, he already has to go to a vet to make sure he has no diseases, get his nails clipped, and his dead tail amputated so a new, healthy one can grow in its place. Maybe the vet can tell me what it means when he suddenly changes like that.

You're probably right though in saying that it is just him being moody. He ate a few grapes today, which I also found out were not that great for him, so that might have contributed(Iguanas seriously have a limited diet >.>. I'll go to Wal-Mart and get all the vegetables and fruits that he can eat, and get him back on the correct diet tomarrow. I'll also get him to the vet next weekend, if possible, to get him all checked out.

Thank you for being patient with me and understanding XD. This is my first lizard ever, and I know that iguanas are especially difficult to raise. He was kind of forced on me since my sister's friend rescued him from an abusive home and my sis gave it to me. I enjoy having him, and hope he'll be my friend soon enough. I promise that I'll take better care of him, I just have to find all the info on how to.

Oh yeah, does anyone know how to search for a local Herp Vet? I spent about an hour searching the internet for one, but only found customer reviews of herp vets. Thanks for any help ^_^. (You certainly know a lot more than I do about iguanas even though you've only had yours for a month more than I've had mine. I really appreciate the help)

You are seeing what a normal iguana is really like. They bite,
tail whip, and are generally a big pain in the ass! It took
me about 2 years to get to the point of Digit allowing me to
reach in and pick him up without a problem. Now, although he can still be moody he is pretty much a really sweet guy. I never pushed myself on Digit, I feel it really isn't necessary. They will learn to trust you if you are consistant and give them their space.

Some igs never become socialized and can be a real handful
when adults.

Linda