Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a very small C. similis. Everything I've read says that this species, in general, remains quite vicious and usually get 'meaner' the older and larger they become.

Right now, I've allowed the animal to acclimate to its new cage for about a month. Only now have I begun to catch and briefly handle it on a daily basis. Such catching and handling do not seem to stress out this particular animal. Indeed, there has been no biting, tail-whipping, or any show of aggression to this point. When I open my hand to release him, he just walks or hops off into his basking rock and proceeds to bask. He will even eat a few minutes after such handling.

I would love to hear from others who have raised and handled this species from hatchlings or very small babies whether there is any chance at all of my animal eventually becoming at least reasonably tame.

Thanks and best wishes,

C.

Depends on how you work with the animal(s). IF you force handle them, or force yourself upon them, then they will be defensive and skittish. Positive reinforcement and letting the animal come to you will lead to a calmer, more laid back animal. Of course, some may always be skittish or defensive no matter what; I've found if your calm and confident about your actions, they shouldn't have any problems accepting you as a temporary fixture in their confines. Before you know it, you'll have Iguanas nipping at your heels begging for food.

Thank you for that...

So, I should never chase it around the cage to catch it, and should not hold it at all?

C.

I bought a group of babies this year and I must say there are definate personality differences. a couple of the babies are still skittish and will run to the opposite ends of the cage (sometimes bashing their heads into the wall in the process) and I don't know if they'll ever calm down.

I have 1 that will just watch you work in its' cage and not move at all, he seems interested in all of my daily activities of feeding him, misting him and spot cleaning. When I move my hand slowly toward him I can get quite close, but it's when I go to grab him (which must look quite preditory), he's off and running., but once out of his cage he is quite calm.

Finally I have one that is somewhere between both behaviors, a little be nervous then the male but nothing like the first two...if you pick her up she'll open her mouth, not biting, but warning me...I still expect her to tame nicely.

Yes, my little one also is quite calm now (for the most part) when I'm doing things in his/her cage. Also, I've found that if I bring the flat of my hand in under the animal, very slowly, he/she is not unduly alarmed. I read somewhere that they are not accustomed to predators coming at them slowly from below; most attack from above, obviously. I've been able a few times to gently stroke his/her throat without the animal running away.

I do continue to catch and hold the animal a couple of times a day. Not for long intervals, but justenough for it to calm down in my hand. Then, when I release him/her back into the cage, I merely open my hand and spread it flat, allowing the animal to hop or walk off my hand onto his/her basking rock. Sometimes I raise the animal in my open hand higher up next to the basking light. On several occasions, the animal has seemed to enjoy this and has not sought to leave the flat of my hand.

So I think that with continued work, this youngster will make for a reasonably tame adult.

Thank you again for your input on the taming process.

Cerwyd

Yes, but I started with a very young one. I caught my similis on Gasparilla island on 7/98 when she was as big as a carolina anole. She is very tame as I have handled her a lot from the very begining and as she grew. She used to be skittish but that went away after she was a few years old.
John Styner

Thanks, John. That's good to know...

I've been hearing highly variable things about the 'tameability' of these lizards. As always, it seems to come down to two factors: 1) the individual personality, if you will, of the lizard in question and 2) the patience and persistence of the person attempting to tame it.

So far, my little one (sex as yet still undetermined) is doing very well. Skittish, as you say, but no signs of aggression whatsoever. I handle it at least once every day, and it has become totally accustomed to me doing things inside its cage. Even if only a few inches away, it will no longer run off at a hundred miles an hour!

Best wishes,

C.