Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alittle background on my iguana.. best we can tell he's atleast 2 years old. We are his 6th home.. we've had him about a year.. He is in a 4 ft by 4 ft glass enclosure with all appropriate lighting.. a water pool to swim in.. and is fed a totally varying iguana diet complete with vitamin dust and mostly greens but lots of other veggies and fruits to keep him equally balanced.He gets picky and will refuse to eat if you dont change the things he's offered daily.. oh and he's always hated me! My husband and even my kids could pet him.. long as they dont pick him up.. until recently but he's always hated me. He is around 4 ft long and strong strong! HIs previous owners were all teen boys who fed him lettuce only and kept him in an enclosure that was hard to turn around in not alot of handling at all. If anything else you need to know please let me know ok!

Now .. up until about a month ago my husband and kids could pet him and I could feed him. He's never liked to be picked up, and he's grown ALOT since we got him. He's moved from a small reptile tank to this much bigger enclosure when we first got him. we are right now looking into building a big huge indoor/outdoor enclosure to give him more room, space, and real sunlight.. but funds are a tad limited so we will see how fast that comes to pass....

On to the problem part.. he's become VERY aggressive! I mean not just toward me but toward everyone.. so bad we can barely feed him without him lunging for our hands. In the new enclosure we are going to figure out a way to close off the top half so we can properly clean his cage and feed him without fearing for our fingers/arms etc.. today he started slapping the sides of his glass enclosure with his tail! Im scared he will bust it and get loose and then well.. I have no CLUE what would happen.. I don't want to give up on him.. no one would take him..and well after 6 homes I just hate to give up on him.. there has to be some way to work around this.. I just dont even know how to safely start.. I'm looking for any and all suggestions! Thanks in advance!!

Do you feed him through the top of the cage, or open the front and put the food in? If you're coming in from above, he might consider you to be a predator. Also, I have noticed, not only in green iguanas but other lizards as well, that they reach a "brat stage" when they become, what for humans would be teenage years and puberty, and they act up and strut and puff up and challenge, and yes, sometimes slap the sides of the cage, and come crashing towards you when you bring food. I actually have one right now that can really startle me sometimes. He doesn't like to be picked up either. However, when he is in the mood, he will close his eyes and allow himself to be stroked. I run my hands down his back and play with his tail a little bit, and he can be really mellow. But, breeding season can bring out the aggressive side. Sometimes he'll accept mustard and collared greens from my hand, and sometimes he launches himself towards me, but never opens his mouth or tries to bite, and I believe he is more excited about the food delivery than defending his territory. Last year, I put him in an outdoor walk-in enclosure. He seemed very mellow and I could walk up to him and pet him most of the time. If his enclosure is too small, he may feel trapped and anxious when you reach in towards him. Hope this helps. I think he'll mellow out again. It may just be hormones! LOL

What is the age range of this bratty period? I have a bratty little ig that is 2.5 yrs old.

It's now the breeding season so more than likely you have a male looking for ladies. Spike my normally tame wild "yard Iguana" tried 3 weeks ago to bite Patty in the face as she was feeding him. When spermatogenesis happens males can get a bit rowdy but by April he'll be back to normal....

He's invited himself inside for lunch...LOL
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

Nice pic!

I hope my guy settles down a bit. Hubby and teens are beginning to wonder why in the world I have this ig at all. He's quite the little monster and is trying to be a biter. He may be small, but I think he's trying out the whole dominant male role.