I know iguana's are suppose too be hard to "tame" but I need some ideas. I have an iguana who's about a year old. I have tried to just sit next to the cage, tried keeping the door open, tried holding her in a towel to get her used to me but no matter what I try she's just not taking to me. she'll hiss, bob her head, whip me, and of course extend her dewlap. It's hard to even clean her cage, feed her or let her soak in the tub. When I do clean her cage or let her sit in the tub of shallow water, she goes on a hunger strike and hides for days. I've even tried to give her 2 weeks just to herself here and there like I did when I first got her. Any ideas?
I'm copying my reply from another thread because I'm lazy, but hopefully this should help you out: The important thing is that you don't let her aggressiveness change your behavior. Continue to feed and interact with her just as you did before. Most importantly, do not stop handling her. A lot of people think the aggression will die down as breeding season comes to an end--and sometimes it does--but often the aggression will continue if a habit is allowed to develop. The sooner you can nip this in the bud, the better. I know facing a nasty, full grown ig is no small feat. I'd suit up with some long sleeves and thick gloves, and prepare for some bites and tail whips. But be diligent. Try to have her out with you for at least 20-30 minutes a day. Usually they will calm down substantially once you get them out of the cage. Hopefully with some dedication she will be back to her normal self soon. Luckily females are usually not quite as territorial as males, so hopefully once she realizes you are not a threat to her domain, she will calm down. It could take some time though. Just be patient and keep trying. Aside from regular handling, which is really the main thing. You can try a couple other tricks to get her to calm down. First, try hand feeding her her meals. I know you won't always have time for this every day, but at least try to get her to take a few of her favorite treats from you if you can. Also, try misting her with a warm spray bottle. Sometimes a gentle misting really seems to calm them down. Finally, and this one sounds stupid, but I'm not making this up: Try using a stuffed animal or even a pillow to redirect her aggression. A lizard-like toy would be best, but I've read of people using just a small pillow like I said. Whenever she starts to charge, bite, or whip, make that toy the target of her aggression. This can sometimes help moody igs work off some steam while saving you from a nasty bite or whip wound. Again, try, try, and try again. And then try some more. With a patient and caring owner, an aggressive iggy can be worked with. You just have to find a method that works for you both. Keep us updated on how she's doing, too. =)
