How to tame a 3yr. old iguana

Discussion in 'Iguanas' started by outshine12, Sep 26, 2004.

  1. outshine12

    outshine12 Embryo

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    just bought a 3 year old male iguana and I need some tips on how to control him and tame him. Everytime I go to the tank he is hissing and whipping his tale. Maybe some 1 has some tips on what i could do.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. Dylacat

    Dylacat Member

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    How long have you had him? One thing that I have heard of ppl doing, is to put a shirt of yours in the enclosure with him. In this way, he'll get used to your smell a little quicker. Other than that, you just need to take it slowly, and let your iggy come to you.

    Good luck,
    Rebecca
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. biochic

    biochic Well-Known Member

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    Well, at 3 yrs old, chances are good that you may never 'tame' him. He may not always smack his tail at you, but he will probably always be agressive. Just to warn you. One thing I recommend is talking, misting, and otherwise being around him everyday for a short period of time. The t-shirt thing seems to work with some animals too. Feed him well, give him a little extra of his favorite treats (like fruit baby food, berry yogurt, fresh fruit, etc) every now and then. But give him space too. Don't hang around when he is eating. One thing we did on our ig's cage was put a bamboo blind oon the front so every once in a while we can kind of shut her off to the world and give her a break from the activity around her. You could start doing that at night so he gets some 'alone' time. But like Rebecca said, just be patient.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. outshine12

    outshine12 Embryo

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    I have had him for bout a week the lady I got him from took good care of him but barely handled him she got him from her grandson cause he went off to school
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. GeckoKing_57

    GeckoKing_57 New Member

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    Males are REAL territorial... They are not good pets at that age if they dont know you. Females(human) are even worse to place around an older male because of breeding habits. It has been recorded of males attacking small children and females due to their territorial insticts. So be carful and use ALOT of caution if you want to handle him... It may take some time of you feeding him and misting him occasionaly for him to get used to you before you decide to handle him.... But dont give up.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Nursey

    Nursey Embryo

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    i have to agree with biochick at 3yrs old and very lilttle handling previously you have got your work cut out for you, males are very dominant and very stubborn our male is 4yrs and is tame but if he dont want to behave at times he wont and breeding times is a nightmare he will try and chase me... little and often is one way to go but it will take time,
     
  12. KLiK

    KLiK Well-Known Member

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    although i do agree it is hard to tame a 3year old ig, it is possible. i was able to tame a 2yr old iguana to a relatively calm state (still not fully calm yet) after working with him for a couple of months my proccess is...
    1) Try to let him see you cutting up his food and then placing it in his enclosure
    2) Put a cloth or old shirt in the enclosure with your smell on it
    3) Pet him inside the enclosure
    4) Hold him for 15min a day for a few weeks then lengthen the time periods *remember that you should not put him back in his enclosure until he is calm while you hold him* **be warned you are going to get whipped, cut, and possibly bit**
    5) Clean the enclosure weekly around the same time every week this way it is routine
    6) Talk softly to him while you hold him and while he is in the enclosure

    thats what i did and it seems to work pretty well, but keep in mind that it is really going to take a lot of work
     
  13. HerpNut

    HerpNut New Member

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    man if i were u i would jus forget about even trying 2 tame him jus watch him ,dont worry about taming him think of him as more of a pet 2 watch then 2 try and tame ,ya know kinda like a chameleon, i dont think he is going 2 calm down at all, but if u arent afraid of a lil bit of pain then go for it
     
  14. KLiK

    KLiK Well-Known Member

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    HerpNut: its never good to have such a negative attitude towards an animal that can be a very social being
     

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