Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I made a leash for my adult very tame spiney-tailed ig . I have had her for 5 years now she is full grown she is 30 inches long and i have taken her out a few times with the leash. Does anyone have good or bad experienes with leashes. i made the leasah from a piece of suede with two holes for the front legs and tied to the thin rope thru grommets.

thank you.
john styner

in my own experiamce i have not had the best of luck with leashes! when i put my ig in a leash when it was a baby, it would spaz out and etc! i never tried to put it in a leash as an adult, she was always pretty tame, i could take her outside and sit her in the grass and she was fine, i would sit out there with her, doin yard work and etc, and when she was ready to go in, she would go to the front door and start clawing at it! i ahve been told leashes ruin their spikes? thats my two sense! how do you like your ig? i never had that kind of iguana, is it the same kind of care as a green ig requires? got any pics of it? thanx
-Robert

Well we adopted Iggy a while back. His previous owners used a leash on him. His spikes are gone right behind the neck/dewlap area and also right above the tail. They have not grown back and we're 95% certain they never will. We were told there is a very small chance that after several sheddings he might start to grow small ones back in their place but it is unlikely. So Maybe they are okay in some circumstances but I wouldn't use one after seeing him!

Stephanie

Hip leashes are an alternative form of leash that many people here have used (or at least many people who used to be here - there seems to have been a nearly complete turnover of users). They're pretty simple, and they go around the body right in front of the back legs, where the spikes are shorter, instead of around the neck and front legs. This also prevents the leash from choking your lizard. It's pretty easy to make one, you just need a strong cord of the appropriate length and a button toggle sort of thing. Like the ones that go on the cords at the top of a winter coat. If you search the archives for "hip leash" you should be able to find good instructions on how to make one.

It has saved me from losing Bud quite a few times. After having him escape from a pet carrier bag I was taking him to the car in, and diving into a hedge to retrieve him, I would NEVER EVER take him out without one again. I prefer it to a pet carrier for transport to and from the car. I haven't seen any damage to his back spines.