Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, I've had my iguana for 3 years now (he's 4). Thought I'd seen it all, in terms of violent behavior, and anything involving iguana poop and other iguana fluids.

He's in breeding season right now, and has been all summer. I wake up the other morning to the sound of my formerly potty-trained ig pooping right next to his food bowl. But wait, there's more!

He sees me, so of course he tries to lunge at me and poops allllll over the place. Then he decides I'm not as cute up close as I was from the doorway, so he calms down... turns around... AND EATS A PIECE OF SQUASH THAT WAS UNDER THE POOP!!!!

DUBBYA TEE EFF, MAN!!!

I'm yelling at him, No, NO, Stop that right now!! Normally, I can make him move anywhere I want by putting my hand right up to the cage. He wants to bite it, so he follows it around whenever I move it. But not this time. He's pretty into eating the poo.

I had to reach in and move him to another level of the cage so I could clean up, then give him a bath. It's so bizarre- He actually looked kind of guilty about doing it.

So I get him all cleaned up, and then two days later I come home from work, and he has pooped in his cage again (which isn't really a big deal) but AGAIN there is poop all over his face!

What the heck?? He has never done this before, what is this all about???

Ever heard of poop painting? They do it to annoy us but usually it's when they are annoyed. I swear! My big boy has created some doosies over the years. Maybe he could fetch me big bucks like that monkey that paints, huh? *snicker* JN

Coprophagia, or eating your own poop, is usually an indication that the critter isn't getting all the right vitamins (re-digest the food to try to leech more out of it) or that something is wrong with his digestive tract (I didn't digest it well enough the first time).

Best consult your vet. It CAN be strictly behavioral, but often times there is a physical reason for it, especially if it's a behavior you've never seen him do before.
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~Alika~
1.0.0 green iguanas
0.1.0 cockatiels
1.0.0 senegal parrots
0.1.0 blue-fronted amazons
0.0.1 red belly piranha