Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I bought a hatchling iguana from a pet store for $10. I know I shouldn't have, but the store was keeping the babies on straw with no light. She also had 2 ferrets and 4 kittens in a 5'x3'x3' cage with feces everywhere. I could tell the authorities, but I live in the 'back woods' and trying to get animal control to do anything is like pulling teeth. She also had a bearded dragon with no light. I gave her a few pages on the CORRECT way to take care of these little guys. ...And an explaination on how to take care of the beardie.

Anyway,.. I have had him for about a month now. I go into his cage about twice a day and he always goes balistic. Will he ever tame down enough to where he won't run away every time I reach into the cage?
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Deborah

0.0.1 blue tail monitor
3.2 bearded dragons
2.0.2 adopted green iguanas
1.1 furry 4-legged
barking kids
0.1 furry 4-legged
meowing kid (claimed me)
0.1 of the 2-legged
scaleless/furless variety

Hi. So sad to hear of these petshops not taking care of these animals right. I have been dealing with something similar in my backwoods little town too. I printed off some info for them and gave them quite the lecturing about proper iguana care. Recently went in to check on the large male iguana they have and discovered they were feeding him catfood. UGH. So i understand your frustrations. But im just going to be persistant. I keep going back in to check on him and coach them on proper care. If i dont see improvements i will be calling the authorites cause theres just no excuse for it. Now as far as taming a hatchling, it can be done, but it takes alot of patience and persistance. Not sure if im the best person to give advice on this subject since my Ozzy at about 4 years old still needs some work in the taming department. We have come a long way though, at first he would just freak out when i put my hand in the cage, would do laps around his cage. Now he just goes into frozen iguana mode LOL. Will just close his eyes if im petting him etc. Im sure others here can give you better advice on how to go about taming, but i would say just start slow by putting your hand in the cage, talking to him/her, getting him/her used to your voice etc. And work up from there. Hope this helps and stay on that petshop about taking care of those animals right. Tami

Hi,
According to the author of the book Iguanas for Dummies, Melissa Kaplan, all Igs can be tamed. They are wild lizards and their first instinct is to run. It takes patience and perseverance. Try picking him up under his tummy. The hand coming down over his body represents a predictor.

I have had my precious baby G'Kar for a year and a half. It took a long time for him not to tear around his enclosure when I wanted to get him. Sometimes he stills runs.

Everything the pet store told us and SOLD us was wrong for him.........food, enclosure, lighting and heating all had to be changed. First animal I bought without doing my own research before I purchased........luckily I found Melissa and her book and website.

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Sheryl

Touch passion when it comes your way, it's hard enough to find as it is. Don't turn away when it calls you by name......B5

Happily Enslaved to Green Iguana Master G'Kar ~~24/7~~

Hey yes, i actually found myself in your same position. Same pet store type ordeal and everything. my iguana did the samee thing.. i called around and asked if he'd stay so wild. sure enough with handeling him for about 1 hour a day he stopped going crazy in almost the first week! he got soo scared when i tried to capture him from his cage one time his tail broke! ;( very sad.. And.. no i did not pull the tail off.. it just.. like detatched itself. poor lil guy. But it is growing back and he is very healthy. we are even growing collard greens in our garden for hiM!

animal control offices have no jurisdiction over petshops.
I had to contact them twice in the last few years and they
are quick to respond. I even managed to help close one of them
down.

Hope this helps

Animal Doesn't do much, but if you hand them a written complaint with how it SHOULD be, they may actually go out there.

Cindy

Yes, you can. Hold them as often as you can. Take him with you around the house. Talk to him. Basically, treat him as you would a baby. Here is my wife, back in 2001, teaching Iggi to eat from her hand.
Link

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

One other options with pet shops is to appeal to their business side. They are there to make money. Offer to assist them in "spicing up" their displays a little bit to better promote their products and move their stock. This actually worked for me in the past. I hate to put the animals into that heartless of a category, but some of these people do not really know how to properly care for them in the first place and truely don't realize they are making mistakes (I know ignorance is never an excuse).
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids