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Food Aggression

erwallace15 Oct 30, 2011 09:09 PM

We have had Louis for 2 years now. We rescued him off a family that was in over their heads. His original owner did not handle him regularly and did not feed him enough, or a proper diet. In the last 2 years I have had him, he has doubled in size, filled out, and acts like a pretty typical iguana. No matter what I have tried, or how persistent, I have never been able to handle him. We have him in a beautiful, large enclosure next to a window so he can stare outside all day. With lighting, heating, fresh water, 5 feet of climbing vertical, plants to hide in, heat rocks, everything.

The issue is his food aggression. It became serious lately as he has begun to charge the enclosure door when we approach with his food bowl. He would bite me if he got the chance. He is getting a great, varied diet. He is not hungry, he often doesnt even eat the food immediately once we get it in the cage.

Any suggestions or tips on how to stop this behavior would be great.

Thanks for the help,
Emily

Replies (1)

iglady Oct 31, 2011 06:29 PM

If this aggression has only occurred within the last month or so, I would guess it is hormones (testosterone). My males go into mating season in October. They become aggressive, especially to females of any species and reduce eating. Fortunately, it tends to decrease after a while.

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