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Post by joseph2 on Apr 17, 2004 4:45:45 GMT -8
A question out of curiosity. I know when iguanas are juveniles, they tend to lose their tails easily. My question; When they get older, do they still drop their tails as easily as when their younger, or do they tend to keep them as adults? Zilla's tail is veeeerrrrryyyyy long and beautiful, so I'm extra careful to make sure he doesn't get it caught up anywhere. But when he decides to go spastic, I swear he hits his tail so hard against any nearby object that I don't know how it stays attached. Just wondering.
Joe
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Post by Tesa on Apr 17, 2004 11:40:08 GMT -8
IMHO the babies lose their tails more easily because they are easier "freaked out" than older iguanas.
Also...its really hard to catch the little buggars without getting their tals......whereas in larger iguanas there is more body area to get hold of......
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Post by dominick on Apr 17, 2004 11:49:07 GMT -8
Hi Joseph-
I certainly think babies are more prone to tail-drops. It's a natural defense and one of the first things they do when threatened. Afterall, they're not very big and easily eaten.
When the Ig grows, they develop other natural defenses (teeth, claws, big bulky tail for whipping), so a tail drop would only occur if a predator (or other Ig) had a good hold on it and the Ig felt there was no other way out. The wound it leaves is truly horrid looking and doesn't heal easily.
The biggest threat to an adult Igs tail is exactly as you alluded to; humans getting it caught in something like a car door, or them whipping it so hard against something it breaks off. Both are very unfortunate situations.
Continue to keep a good eye out for that long, beatiful tail! Zilla will certainly appreciate that!
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