Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an 10in (svl) male iggy and i feel really horrible about not being able to hold him much because of his claws. I trim them at least every 2weeks but they are just so sharp! If i can tame him down a little will he trust me more, and mabe not hold on so tight? Any advise will be greatly apprieciated.
Thanx Mark

0.0.1 green treefrog
0.1.0 African clawed frog
1.0.0 green iggy
and the usual dog and fish

I would say just hold him about 5min a week then 10 min the next week and so on and so on, that way he gets used to you i also would not move so fast around him,and dont let other people touch him let him get used to you first.

Slaker@imbored.com

I recently rehomed my foster baby ig who had VERY sharp claws! So I know what you're talking about. The cuts I would get from him were much worse than the ones from my adult iguana.

It is normal to have to cut a baby ig's claws every two weeks or more; they just grow so fast. I would also file the claws that I still felt were sharp after I cut them. (Sometimes it seems like cutting them just gives them a more angled slashing surface!) I filed them with a medium or fine grain human nail file, and this seemed less scary to him than trying to restrain him to clip the tiny claw juuuuust right.

I found that holding him straight up in the air when he fussed calmed him down, and that if I handled him long enough, say longer than 10 minutes, he would relax and not hold on so tight.

Getting clawed on an existing cut is the worst. But I find that winter, gardening or dishwashing gloves scare baby igs, so try some thin latex surgical gloves. You can often get them at the grocery store.

Also, it helps to make a hip leash for them so that you can let him cling on to your shirt while you watch TV or whatever, without worrying that he'll escape if you don't hold him. Sometimes they don't mind being on or around you, they've just had enough of being held. Leashes sold in stores can be really dangerous for iguanas, especially feisty babies. I will try to post again with a picture of my iguana wearing a hip leash, and directions for making one.

Don't give up! My iguana is now about 3 years old, and I only have to cut his claws about once a month. The claws just aren't needle sharp when they get older.

Here's a picture of the foster ig I was telling you about, wearing a hip leash. You can see it's called that because it goes right before the back legs, around the hips. I made it with a barrel clasp (like the ones you see on the strings of hooded sweatshirts) and about 3 feet of cotton roping (synthetics are not good, they will chaffe him), just like the sweatshirt strings, and a rock climbing clasp, the kind that it was very popular to put your keys on in the late nineties.

Thread both ends of the string through the barrel clasp. This will not be easy. It helps to put tape around the ends, to make them like shoelace ends. Once they are both through, tie a strong knot in one end, and tie the other end securely to the clasp. You are done.

To use, clip the climbing clasp to your belt loop. Thread the iguana through the loop made by the cotton string. then make the loop smaller by pressing both buttons on the barrel clasp and adjusting the string until it is snug around the iguana's hips. This will also not be easy the first couple of times- tape will not help you here.

Release the buttons to lock into place. It shouldn't be so tight that it constricts the iguana's breathing, but you definately shouldn't be able to get even your little finger between the string and the iguana.

The leash is not fool-proof- don't leave your iguana unattended on the leash, and don't assume you can let him wander far on a long leash. A hip leash has less of a strangulation risk than the kind of leash that goes around the neck, or the harness kind, but it is still a possibility. Also, large iguanas have been known to break out of the leash, and smaller ones to wriggle out somehow. THe way I think of it is that the leash gives you that extra second that means the difference between a lost iguana and a caught iguana! I never take my iguana outside without one on. It has saved me from having to chase him about 3 times.

I don't know if my directions are clear enough- search for "hip leash" on the forums for better ones!

My 10 month old was also tearing my hands up. One day he
really did a number on me and my husband asked me why I
did not wear gloves. Dah! I started wearing a thin pair
of gardening gloves and not only did it prevent deep scratches
but Digit seemed more comfortable with them than my bare hands.

He is taming at a normal rate so someday I will not need
the gloves.

Hope this helps
Linda