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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 13:53:53 GMT -8
okay i have posted here before about my iguana's gender and posted some pictues and i was told she was a female by a vet and by some of the people on here, and i was unsure because she has male features, and i heard an alpha female can have male characteristics if they are around other iguanas, she has seen my friends female iguana only twice and saw herself in the mirror a few times is that enough to make her have male characteristics? she bobs her head when she sees the other female and herself in the mirror. and i think she has pretty large jowls for a female i see brain bumps too and i have said before i think i see a buldge.. but i really dont know lol but my other question was is there anything she can do except well laying eggs lol that i can tell shes definitley female? she just turned 4 years old and is about 20 inches SVL and i havent seen any male behavior though.. except she does the head bobbing and right now she is a mix of orange, green and some blue is that considered breeding season colors? or are they usually all orange? and i hear some males can get nasty if shes 4 years old how many times would she have been in breeding season if she was a male? once a year? because she hasnt changed behavior at all as far as i can tell, and also no "love bites" or plugs or anything like that, or is there no set time for a male to do that? anyone have any other opinions? and thanks so much all you guys here are the best!!
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Post by crazybaby on Dec 23, 2006 15:40:53 GMT -8
Iguana's are THE masters of disguise! tee hee There are a lot of female igs out there that look so much like a male that you're constantly in question of the gender. For the items you mentioned above though: Head bobbing: This is done by both male and female as a form of communication not only for breeding signals. It can be as simple as a hello or as drastic as "you wanna fight?" lol There's actually some neet sites which provide some insight on bobbing as a "language" and how to understand. I can't seem to find the really good one I came across a while back but here's a good one: www.niad.org/green-iguana-bobbing.htmlAs for the physical characteristics (brain bumps, jowls etc) it goes back to the "look as male" as possible idea. lol Generally it doesn't look like jowls until the dewlap is extended really, then the muscles push out and resemble a males head shape. (I may be wrong in this case because I don't remember what you're ig looks like) As for the color, orange is indeed a very male related color but is very commonly seen in females. Reason being is dominance, when they feel they are of a higher status than the "other" iguana (one in the mirror or the keeper) then they will show their status using color. Even if you've never seen an egg in all her time with you, it's entirely possible she's simply re-absorbed them. A friend of mine hadn't seen anything of a female in her iguana and then found out after 10yrs of having her that it wasn't a male. lol She was orange, massive in size and acted very much like a male, minus the aggression. She just happened to lay some eggs one day in my friends bed and that was the only way anyone ever came to the conclusion of male. lol I hope this helps ease your mind a bit on the subject. From what you've told me alone I would say you have a very content female and I think you can safely bank on it.  I have a male of only 2-1/2yrs and he's leavin me all sorts of plugs and just this morning gave me a "love bite" lol I can't wait for this "season" to be over  |
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 17:20:35 GMT -8
thank you SOO much for all your information! i will take some more pictures of her very soon and you can let me know what you think!! |
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 17:36:35 GMT -8
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 17:48:18 GMT -8
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 18:05:06 GMT -8
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Post by IguanaKing on Dec 23, 2006 19:19:53 GMT -8
Try to get some pics of the base of the tail and the undersides of the legs. Aside from the eyes, your iguana looks very male to me. BTW...head-bobbing in a female is almost always an angry/warning gesture. In a male it is usually a "Hey, how's it goin', I'm here!" kind of gesture. Pretty much any day Hercules doesn't bob at me in the morning, I make a vet appointment. So head-bobbing in a male happens quite often, and its actually very rare that its an angry gesture. BTW, in the pic you showed where the dewlap is flared, that STILL isn't full-blown war mode in an iguana. Its just an indicator of a little nervous curiosity.  |
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Post by crazybaby on Dec 23, 2006 19:29:22 GMT -8
You've got a nice lookin ig there SLN (easier than spelling it out lol) Upon looking at the pics, I'm not on your side with being sceptical in the assuming she's female. That ig looks very male just like IK said. I'd definitely go along with IK in seeing about getting a shot of the underside so we can see the pores and stuff. If you can't, take a look at the inside of 'her' legs for the femoral pores and count how many from inside to the knee there are that are enlarged. Most females will only have the first 8 or so enlarged and the rest pretty tiny. Pics would be best though. |
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 19:49:46 GMT -8
haha okay thanks guys! im going to try and get some pictures now of 'her' tail and pores!
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 23, 2006 20:22:16 GMT -8
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Post by IguanaKing on Dec 23, 2006 20:58:03 GMT -8
Just from that first pic from your cell-phone, I can confidently say...YOU HAVE A BOY!!! ;D
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Post by crazybaby on Dec 24, 2006 10:41:23 GMT -8
Well SLN, you definitely have a lil man right there! Perhaps your vet needs a bit of instruction on how to tell male from female lol Guess this is a surprise x-mas gift for ya then...congrats! |
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Post by prism_wolf on Dec 26, 2006 20:10:09 GMT -8
BOY!!! Boy - boy - boy! Nellie is more of a Nigel...:-) Congrats...;-) I suggest printing a few pictures and take them to the vet of the physical differences in male and female traits! Especially in the femoral pores and hemipenal bulges!
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Post by simbalovesnala on Dec 29, 2006 13:03:00 GMT -8
hahahaha!!! wow i sooo thought it was a female! but i knew those male features were a little too masculine!! haha and i know they store fat in their tails and thats what i thought all that was lol i think the picture shows more of a buldge than in "real life" haha and another thing, i heard when a large amount of well "white goop" appears when they deficate it means its a gravid female? well a about a month ago i used to see lots of it! now its not as much but still there...im a little confused about that, and when would i see a seminal plug? i havent in the 4 years i had him and no strange breeding season behavior either is breeding season just once a year? and during what time of the year?
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Post by simbalovesnala on Jan 17, 2007 23:13:00 GMT -8
hmmmmmmmmmmm lol
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I have a male of only 2-1/2yrs and he's leavin me all sorts of plugs and just this morning gave me a "love bite" lol I can't wait for this "season" to be over 
