In my opinion, the sooner you hold your iguana, the better. When we got Iggi from the pet store, we didn't know anything about raising iguanas, just children. We raised Iggi like she was our child. How long would a mother wait to hold her newborn child? Would she let her child lay in a crib, and just pick him up to feed or bathe him? Of course not. We held, petted, talked to, sometimes sang to, our iguana most of the day, We would put her in her enclosure to poop, and to sleep. My wife would carry Iggi around with her while she was vacuuming, or doing clothes. I would watch TV at night, and Iggi would fall asleep on my chest. At about 1 year old, we got a floor-to-ceiling cat tree, and threw away the enclosure. She has been free roaming now for 4 years. How does an iguana act that has been raised with close contact with its owner? Well, Iggi has NEVER bit or tail whipped us, doesn't need a leash when we take her outside for her daily walks, and is good around strangers. Recently, we had to dose her for parasites, by squirting medicine down her throat. Even when I was pulling on her dewlap, to get her mouth open, she would not bite me. All she would do is turn around, and lay her head down, to keep me from getting her dewlap. My point is, The more you hold them, and the longer you hold them, the more tame they will become. Here is a picture (kind of old) showing Iggi with my wife.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~
