Mean Iguana

[nickzero]

Hey guys,im new to the Forum,and i bought my iguana in the late summer of 07,so,when i got him home,he seemed ok,i can hold him,pet him,hand feed,didnt matter...So winter comes around and he starts acting very paranoid towards me and who ever walks past the cage,he whips his tail,hisses,growls,no matter what we do or how far we are from him,hes mean as hell. Now ive been trying since then,by holding him every day,hand feeding,got him a bigger cage,everything i cna think of,and hes still rotten lol. Can anyone please tell me why my Iggy is being this bad? Also right now hes sleeping on my shoulder. So hes not always mean,maybe territorial? But hes even mean when i hold him and everything,Please Help me...

[George-n-Me]

It could be that its Breeding season for Iguana's and sometimes male's show aggression, even to their owners.

[nickzero]

Hmm ok,thx,yea hes very tempermental lately,once hes out of his cage,hes nice. Its confusing,maybe hes bipolar? Or is it not warm enough? Stress from lighting,i can make a laundry list of things that might be the issue. But with the cage hes in its a litlle difficult to put a hiding spot in,its got 3 levels for him to climb on,its fully ventilated,and i have a heater in my room to make sure its warm enough,But the bottom is kind thin so i just cover up wherever the light shows through,this way he goes down and its nice and dark so i dont know,maybe your right,could be mating season. Any other ideas?

[Merlin]

How big is your iguana?
Its not unusual for an iguana to seem docile when first moved to a new location. Once they get settled in their true personality emerges. It can take up to a year to socialize one.
as for the cage, he is defending his territory against an invader.
Can you post a picture of the cage and give us details of temps, foods, type of lighting etc.

i have a heater in my room to make sure its warm enough

If that is the only soure of heat it isn't sufficient. Iguanas need an ambient temp in the 80's and a basking area of 90-95 degrees.

[prism_wolf]

And that's true for all the animals. They each need specific basking areas with heat, light and UVB. What's your setup like for your ig now? this will have a HUGE effect on his behavior...and health.

[crazybaby]

I think it sounds like a breeding season behaviour but it could be other things like you said. My ig HATES me but, will gladly allow my hubby to pick him up pet him while in his enclosure and even snuggle with him when taking a nap in the afternoon. I can't get into his enclosure without him lunging, wipping or trying to tear the towel I use as a sheild to bits! lol He was so docile for the first couple years and suddenly with this past breeding season all that has changed, I know he's not in season but he's continuously territorial and crazy around me. But, this could also have been caused by our moving around over the summer (moved across Canada, stayed with mom then moved again to our new home which was months ago)
So...Like Merlin said it can take a while for their true colours to show and likewise for them to be socialized. All I can say is have patience...Rome wasn't built in a day.

[nickzero]

Lol oh yea,that didnt sound very good with the heating,i have 3 lamps on his cage,one basking,a UV,and a heat bulb. I bought 3 different ones but i cant really tell,plus the heater,his cage says its 89 degrees. Humidity is at 72%,and hes about 2ft 7 inches.I feed him Kale,Parsnips,Celery sometimes,very little Carrots,umm Mustard Greens,Tomatos,Apples,Bananas,cheese for a treat,very rarely. His cage is 5 feet 7 inches tall,buy 4 feet 6 inches wide and it has a fountain with a running pump and filter. Umm,a heating rock with a thick fire proof sock,wich he loves. And the cage is an old ferret cage,for plus heating i put a towl with rainforest plants that he sits and stairs at lol.

[prism_wolf]

Hmmm...with a basking bulb and a heat bulb you should have temps higher than 89...and it needs to. You need a basking temp of about 95 degrees. What kind of thermometer are you using?

Your diet certainly needs a revamp. The only food you have on there that's any good is the parsnips and mustard greens - and the greens only good if mixed with a larger family of greens together. Kale is high in goitrogens which leads to the binding of iodine. Important in thyroid function. Celery - a very empty food, carrots high in oxalates which bind calcium. Use squash instead for the orange color like butternut squash. Tomatoes can cause stomach problems for their high acid content...even damaging the stomach lining. Apples and bananas for very occasional treats only - especially bananas. This should be only 1-2 times a month, but you can also feed the peel. Cheese - how about never instead...;-) There are too many other healthy treats without offering cheese...and if he is in a compromised state of health - his kidneys will be worked even harder trying to process the animal protein in it.

Here's some food variations you can use:

**Diet Variation #1:
Collard greens
mustard greens
turnip greens
parsnips (grated)
dandelion greens (when available)
cilantro
green beans (chopped)
yellow bell pepper (chopped)
acorn squash (grated w/peel left on)
Bag of Dole Mediterranean Blend
grapes (seedless)
blueberries

**Diet variation #2
Collard greens
turnip greens
mustard greens
parsnips
arugula
watercress
yellow wax beans (chopped small)
red bell pepper
jalepeno pepper (seeds and flesh removed)
spaghetti squash (grated w/peel)
butternut squash (grated w/peel)
raspberry

There are literally dozens of variations. Make sure you take out the main stem from the greens leaves. You can discard them, feed them to a dog, rabbits or guinea you may have. Even parrots will benefit from these...or if you have a food processor you can chop them very small like the green beans and add them into the main salad. You can also add them to the compost pile.

Heat rocks should not be used at all - even with a "safe sock". If it malfunctions it could burn right through that sock. Bottom heat should be a secondary source of heat at best. Once you get your basking temps tweaked right he won't need this heat - but if it gets below 70 at night them this is a nice source of night heat to have. Use something safer such as a human heating pad that doesn't have the automatic safety cut-off switch.

Shwew! Even though some of that was copy and pasting (very common issues - trust me... ) - that still wore me out!! ;D

[nickzero]

Lol thanks for all of that. Yea i found a soft,back pad the same size as him wich ill be switchin soon,The tomatos i dont give him anymore since about a month or two,the apples and bananas were very very rarely given to him. The temps are gonne be fixed with some side hanging panels to keep the panels reflecting boosting it about 10-20 degrees depending how big i make them,it worked great for my last 6 foot iguana,he died at the age of 32...Amazingly. He was my uncles for about 20 years,than i bought him,nices thing on earth lol. Anyway,ill definately change his diet now,first i hear no Lettuce,so thats always been out,and a big list of what nots,so now no more kale,i got a list of what i can so thx again : ).

[prism_wolf]

32 yrs is highly unusual. I'm not saying it's not true, but maybe your uncle was mistaken about how long he had him?

What is your UVB source? Brand, strength and style, please.
What kind of thermometer are you using for the temps?
What kind of cage have you made? Open-air or fully enclosed?

[nickzero]

UVB Source: ZooMed 100W UV Bulb
Thermometor: Its like a little circle,it was a two pack,ZooMed brand,but idk where i got it.

The Cage is Fully Open with some covers to block drafts,breezes,and to keep heat/Humidity in,And for the age of Spike: Ok,my uncle was 30,and had the iggy from an egg,than he kept the iggy till he was 50,thats 20 years,plus the 12 ive had him,thats 32 years old.He was 6 1/2 feet,and he had the most colorful display of spikes,red,green,blueish,and some orange,with lime green skin,with white and yellow stripes,i still miss that monster.

[prism_wolf]

So your using the PowerSun. This is the greatest MV out there, but it will do if you can get it close enough with it getting to hot in the basking area:
www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourfloods.htm#zoomedpowersun

Those thermometers are notorious for being inaccurate. These are coil dependent and as it's used they very quickly lose there stability. These can be as much as 20 degrees off in either direction. Digital is the way to go here. I get mine from Walmart of Lowe's. Whichever store I'm in at the time...:-)

The covers on the enclosure will certainly help hold everything in. He's a lucky lizard to have someone who's willing to do so much for him...:-D

[nickzero]

Haha thx. Yea i bought the rejects of the stores,all my lizards were in little to no health,now theyre all perfect,the doctor said my Monitor is a little Mentally Retarded cause his first owner dropped a DVD player on his head. So yea i felt bad for him lol.