Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi all i hope everyone is well, i am looking for some advice regarding my little iguana, he is a lovely little one until i try to pick him up he goes bonkers, if you can catch him he quite likes to be out as he enjoys pets and fusses he is eating well and a very placid nature, but i am a little concerned with the way he bonces around his viv he is only small and i dont want him to hurt himself, when we bought him we were told he is silly tame this does not seem to be true. some people say continue with picking him up and he will get used to it and some say take it slowly and it may tack weeks and i dint know which advice to follow. i have snakes and beardies but obviously gorbash (my little iggy) is totally different i just want to train him in a way that is safe and isn't going to mentally scar the little one for life. any advice is great fully received, thanks in advance
bobbie and gorbash

At a young age they are very skittish. If you just got him then dont handle him for the first week or two. Let him get used to his surroundings and calm down. He will be stressed for a few days until he gets used to his new home.

After a couple weeks then start working with him. I dont mean just reach right in and pick him up. This will not work, as he will continue to run away from you. Work slow, start out by just reaching in to change his food and water. Then as he gets used to you doing this, keep moving closer to where he is sitting. Eventually you will be able to touch him or even pet him. Once this happens it is time for you to try picking him up. If he lets you then go ahead, but if he doesnt then go back to just reaching in to change his food and water. It can be a slow long process, but it varies with each Iguana.

Good luck and make sure to post some pics of the lil guy and keep us updated!

Also I forget to add, when your working with your Iguana always come from the side. Try not to come from above him, he will look at that as a threat. Iguanas that are captive bred still have their wild instincts and in the wild attacks on Iguana would usually come from above them. This is why they feel threatened when you reach from above.

All of the advice you've received here so far is great. I'd just like to add something I've found to be helpful. Assuming your little Iguana is being housed in a glass-sided vivarium, try covering the glass with newspaper about an hour before you want to interact with him. It will help him to realize that he can't run through the glass to escape and he'll be less likely to bounce off walls and injure himself.
Use newspaper instead of a solidly colored material so that he can plainly see a wall. If you were to use black paper he might still think there's some depth there.
And I wouldn't leave the paper up constantly. You want him to be able to see you when you're outside the cage, so that he gets used to you, and hopefully he'll eventually realize that you're not a predator.
Good Luck!!