Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Everyone,

I am considering getting an Iguana but I am still not sure. I heard that they are very mean & either bite or whip you with their tail all the time & really don't like human interaction.

I thought the best place to go to get it str8 from the
horses mouth is a forum with owners of Iguanas. I am hoping
you all can dispell this rumor or confirm it to be accurate
information in addition to any other information you feel a
possible new Iguana owner might need to know.

Thanks for your help in advance,

Paul

Also, I noticed there are alot of different types of Igunas. Does the temperment change from the type & if so what is the most calm & docile of the different breeds?

And do all types get big or are there some breeds that are small?

First how old are you? this will just help us let you know if n igg is right for you.. as they are not for everyone... Have you ever owned a reptile before? if not i would suggest getting something smaller and easier to care for.

Not all iggs are mean.. mine is very calm.. well up until now cuz he is in season.. but mine thrives on human interaction.. he loves being around me and my family..

For more info you can go to this site
Iguana Information

Now iguanas are not for everyone and yes some can be mean.. it all depends on the iguana so im not going to tell you that yes they are mean or no they are not.. some iguanas like attention and some dont.. thats just the way that they are... they are like people they all have there own personality...

If you ahve any other questions just post tehm up here and we will help you out..

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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs
My Email

YOU DONT OWN YOUR IGUANA, YOUR IGUANA OWNS YOU

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

link on last page doent work

http://www.kingsnake.com/thewyvernslair/faq/iguana.html
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs
My Email

YOU DONT OWN YOUR IGUANA, YOUR IGUANA OWNS YOU

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

I am 25 & I own a bearded dragon & have had several snakes in my lifetime so I am familiar with the basics of reptile care & have researched Iguanas a little bit more since my first post & will be honest that i have read horror stories of people loosing their finger & being bitten completely through their hand & it causing such a severe infection the man was hospitalized for a week. They say you could loose an ear if its sitting on your shoulder & just decides to bite down on it. Others have reported scars on thier arms from their Iguana & those also got infected. They say the poop has salmonila in it & can be dangerous. Now I admit everything has its negative side & I did read cool things too about how they are potty trained & they will come up to you & just crawl up on you and sit with you while you watch tv. But The negative part about their sharp serated teeth & the damage they can do did scare me a bit. I am not sure I wanna pull a "crocodile hunter" one day & go wrestling with this 6' Iguana for my life. haha.

all reptiles on the face of this planet carry some sort of salmanella in their gut, so it's not fair to make the statement "iguanas have salmonella in their poo" since this implies that other herps don't. Your beardie does, and so have all of your snakes. I'm sure that most of the infections you heard about probably came about because people possibly didn't clean the wound (infection could happen with any scratch). Also, i trim my iguana's nails, so the scratches aren't so bad.
-katie

Thanks for the input Katie. It is very possible that the cuts were not properly taken care of & that is why they were infected. I will not disagree with you about the salmonila with all reptiles either.
I am only saying that when investigating this specific type of lizard I have seen more "warnings" and negative stories related to them then I have with other lizards. But its also possible its because they get so big & of course will do more damamge in a bite than say a small type lizard.

If I may ask how long have you had your Iguana, what type is it & have you ever been bitten?

Thanks,

I posted below, but just for your info I got bitten a few days ago, my iguana IS positive for Salmonella, and there are NO signs of infection because I clean the wound often and disinfect it. It is healing up very nicely. I have had my iguana for 2.5 years, and he has never bitten me before where it has broken the skin.

i have only got bitten once that drew blood and it was my own stupidity that caused it. i was hand feeding essa some carots and she bit my thumb. it bleed a lot but was only a small cut. i just washed it out and i was fine.
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brandy

Do you all have the common "green" Iguana? If not, what species
of Iguana do you have?

Id say almost everyone that posts here has a common green iguana... and i have been here for ove a year and i have never read a post of someone loosing a finger or and ear.. i dont think and igg is capable of that... i heard horor stories like that from people in my family before i got my igg. and my igg is teh sweetest thing you will ever meet... i let my younger brother hold him and my igg is very calm...

>>Do you all have the common "green" Iguana? If not, what species
>>of Iguana do you have?
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs
My Email

YOU DONT OWN YOUR IGUANA, YOUR IGUANA OWNS YOU

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

I have had my Sam (rescued as an adult) for a little over a year, and he is sweet. never been bit by him, but before i trimed his nails, i got scratched up pretty good, but i cleaned it with bactine and it was fine. i have a couple of others that aren't so nice, but they always warn me before they try to bite (one was abused, another adult was just never ever handled), they'll puff and whip first. but i have never actually been tagged by them. And good for you for doing your research first!
Also, i think there may be more bad rap about iggies because of their sheer numbers. more chances statistically for harm to humans.
-katie

And more. Males (and females) in season will charge you from across a room, and have no problem fighting it out with other pets you may have. They scratch you with their claws without even meaning to, and it's no fun clipping the claws of an iguana that doesn't want you to touch his feet! They require lots of time- preparing fresh food every week, cleaning and disinfecting the tub, the dishes, etc...

But for me, it is all worth it for those little moments you mentioned- when he is wandering around and decides that my lap or my boyfriend's shoulder is the best place in the room, when he falls asleep inside the laundry basket and looks so adorable, or watching him eat and knowing that he likes my "cooking", and that he's growing into a healthy iguana because of all the work I do. They are just a lot of fun to watch, too, and there's always something new and cool to learn about them.

I'd say 50% of the behavioral "problems" can be dealt with by changing how you interact. For example, my iguana is in season now and bit me (not seriously) because I wasn't paying attention. But usually, I watch him carefully, and if he seems particularly intersted in something I'm wearing, or licks something more than two times, I know he's going to bite it. So I don't give him the chance. I divert his attention, or put him away from me, or back in his cage. I don't let people touch him when I know he's grumpy, and I don't let people on the street pet him ever.

A lot of it is just creating conditions where there isn't a chance for something bad to happen to you or the iguana or others. You can do this by making sure there's nowhere he can get caught or injured, watching him carefully when he's out of the cage, and having a cage that is secure and fun for him.

Also, because of the bad reputation iguanas have, it makes it easy to forget how fragile they are. They hate being handled roughly, and love a gentle touch and a soft voice. My iguana's favorite thing is to be brushed with a soft-bristled baby hairbrush. He closes his eyes and leans into the brush, moving around to get scratched where he wants. Another little moment that makes it all worthwhile!

Hey, just thought I would throw my two cents in. I did not read the whole thread so I apologize if I answer a question that was already addressed in here. You asked if some species of iggy's have different temperaments. The answer is YES the iggy's belonging to the genus Cyclura tend to be 10 times harder to "tame" down and some never will be a good pet. However even with this they will always remain my favorite genus of lizards. I highly recommend you get a large enough enclosure ahead of time before getting any iguana. You should look into getting all of the adequate light and food ready for him when it comes. I hate to throw anyone’s business off but I also HIGHLY recommend adopting a green iguana. There are many to choose from all over the US. Not adopting one can end up leading to more broken iguana hearts. I personally do not support the sale of any green iguana or at least to an inexperienced individual at a low price. I’ve just seen way to much abuse.

tripplehherps

So as a whole green iguana's tend to be the most docile & tame of the Iguana family?

I would definitely say so, it really should be your beginning iguana rather then something that typically is more aggressive.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that I only have green iguanas, and I'm pretty sure that most or all of the replies you recieved were concerning green iguanas.
-katie

Sam-N-Ella have a Cuban Rock Iguana, along with the green igs.

Trying to remember without going to the photo gallery but I think the Cuban's name is Chaos??? Or Boris? Dang, I'm confused now. LOL

You can search the photo gallery with their name. I know they have pics there.

I hope they read & post to this thread cause I think the Cuban's are typically a little smaller. They could tell you for sure...

Ig's aren't for everyone but those of us that have them, LOVE them.

My 2 boys....

Yep, Chaos is our male Cuban. Boris is out big male green iggy and, Sam and Ella are our female green iggys. Cuban rock iguanas are supposed to be more docile or have better temperment than green iggys. Chaos is really well behaved. He is bigger in mass than Boris, but Boris is longer. They are about the same age(7 or 8 yrs). I have heard that cubans can get 6 feet long also, but I'm not sure. They don't climb like green iggys do. Chaos climbs up onto the back of the couch, but not much higher than that. I believe they are in breeding season(not sure), and Chaos has been a little aggressive at times lately. He seems to like dangling toes or fingers right now. You can tell when he is going to go after them though, and you have time to move or reach around and pet him before he goes after your fingers. That lets him know you are not food. I was hand feeding him the other day and he decided my fingers looked tastier that a piece of mango. He got my finger and bit right through the nail. They have sharper and larger teeth than green iggys. That is about the worst thing he does except tries to eat you food if you're sitting on the couch.
Boris on the other hand is the most content and kind iggy I've ever seen. He wants to be Chaos's friend so bad that he keeps following him around and sitting near him. Sometimes Chaos will let him sit by him , and other times he will try to bite him. For the most part they get along, but they are closely watched when they are out together.
Here is a pic of them together. Boris climbed up to be with Chaos in the window. I had to make the picture smaller to fit in the gallery so you can't see the size difference too much. I couls email a full size picture if anyone wants.

We have raised our 4 year old female iguana, Iggi, like one of our children. In the four years we have had her, she has NEVER bit us, NEVER tail whipped us. She is good with strangers. She doesn't need a leash when we take her outside daily for sun and exercise. She is a free roamer, with access to the whole house. She has her own bed in her own bedroom. Here is a picture of Iggi on my wife's shoulder, watching as she prepares her food.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~