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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 17, 2006 10:10:42 GMT -8
hi! i have a 3 year old female?? iguana. i thought she was male for about that long, i just recently took her to the vet about a few months ago, and he said she was female by physcial description. but she still looks very male to me, like i think i can see the buldges at the base of her tail and i think i can see some "brain bumps" but i dont know if their large enough to say its male. also the femoral pores are pretty small and it looks like she might be getting large jowls. im just so confused, but my question was, can she be female but have some male characteristics? (jowles, brain bumps) i'll post pictures of her soon
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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 17, 2006 10:30:45 GMT -8
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Post by IguanaKing on Nov 17, 2006 11:34:25 GMT -8
Welcome to IZ, simbalovesnala! ;D
It looks to me like you have a girl there. To answer your question, yes, its definitely possible for a female iguana to have a few male-looking characteristics.
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 17, 2006 11:40:57 GMT -8
A "Lion King fan!! Welcome to IZ! Yes...there are "gender benders" in the ig world, too. Sometimes an alpha female ig can take on male characteristics...especially if they have been spayed. On the flip-side...an omega ig...the submissive male...can take on female characteristics to "blend" with the female population and keep the territorial male from turning his attentions on him. Yours is a toughy...but a DNA test will give you a difinitive answer. Thse people specialize in bird sexing, but I know several people who have used this lab to get iguana results: zoogen.biz/Just follow the instructions. You will need a drop of blood, but this is easy to get by clipping a toenail short...but not too short. Go to the "Sex Made Easy" link and you can print out the card, blot it with a drop of blood and send it off... ;D At a look...I say girl, too. |
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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 17, 2006 17:12:00 GMT -8
thank you guys so much for the advice and your opinions! ;D and if she does turn out a girl, do you guys have any gravid female advice? like how to know if shes gravid and how to set up a nesting box for her?
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Post by IguanaKing on Nov 17, 2006 17:29:14 GMT -8
Absolutely! I've got just a few years of gravid female iguana experience under my belt. ;D
Have you noticed any digging behavior from her yet?
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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 17, 2006 17:47:38 GMT -8
yes, she is digging.. then she must be female right? haha but when she was younger she would always go to the bottom of her enclosure and dig, then she would just poop right there, but she hasnt been on the bottom in a long time because now i have her go in the bathtub. i noticed the digging starting up again about a few weeks ago and she also hasnt been eating as much as she used too, but is always looking for food. i also heard they need a lot of water, i always have water in there but i never saw her drink any, so im having a hard time deciding if this is a gravid female or a male hahaha but i do think she is female as well and that is what the vet told me, but some of these male features just throw me off haha
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Post by IguanaKing on Nov 17, 2006 18:25:39 GMT -8
The digging behavior, along with decreased appetite, is very likely to be a sign of a gravid female iggy.  For setting up a nesting box, this is what has worked well for me. Go to your local PetCo or PetsMart and get the largest, covered cat box you can find. While you are there, go to the reptile section and buy a heat mat. Then go to the rodent section and buy the biggest bag of rabbit pellets you can find. When you get home, just put the heat mat in the bottom of the cat box, dump the bag of rabbit pellets in on top of that, put the top on the cat box, and plug in the heat mat. It also helps to use a dark blanket or towel to cover the entrance to the cat box. Then, when you are home and see her digging, just gently pick her up and put her in the nesting box. Until she's ready, she'll just dig for a little while and then come back out on her own. When she's ready, she'll stay in there and go to work, and won't come back out until 6 to 10 hours later. Since she's still eating only slightly less than normal, and hasn't begun slurping down the water, she's got a few more weeks to go. She may stop eating altogether for 2 to 3 weeks before laying...THAT'S when you'll notice her really starting to put the water away. Try to give her as much space as possible, so she can run around and climb. This increase in activity is her instinct, and it actually helps her to build the muscle tone she needs to successfully lay her clutch. |
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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 17, 2006 19:12:30 GMT -8
ooh okay! thank you SO much! this information has been very helpful! i have this feeling if i make this nesting box and when shes digging i put her in there and she just poops lol does that mean shes not gravid yet? haha just because digging used to signify that she was going to the bathroom when she was younger but i will still give it a try! and i'll make sure shes out of her enclosure more often too! |
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 17, 2006 20:22:37 GMT -8
Before you go through the task of nest boxes...get an x-ray done first. If she is gravid...this will show it. Then you can get nesting material and boosting her calcium intake....:-) My male digs at the bottom of the cage, too...and he is all boy...he just wants out.
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Post by Merlin on Nov 18, 2006 6:03:23 GMT -8
And if it turns out thath she is a female and gravid be very gentle handling her.
If one of the eggs gets ruptured inside her it could be very bad!
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Post by sarahwheeler on Nov 18, 2006 7:46:32 GMT -8
when i got gizmo she was meant to be a male.she used to be quite aggressive,biting,tail whipping,so i thought this was probably right as i know the male can be abit lively.
and after about a week i found out about the abuse gizmo had received from her old owner.so i thought she might just be nasty cos of this.so i handled her as much as possible.and made sure she knew she didn't frighten me in the slightest.and now shes really sweet,and loves to be handled.and i only got her in april and she was 18 inches long.she now about 3 and a half feet,shes deffinitley a she
i thought so and my local reptile vet said deffinitley.
she so lovely but all iggs are.Shes deformed but still the best thing ever.your iguana looks great has she lost some of her crest,gizmo occasionly head bobs.
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Post by simbalovesnala on Nov 18, 2006 9:20:19 GMT -8
thanks for the advice merlin! wolf-im definitley going to have an x-ray done to be sure! i will keep you guys posted! and thats a great story sarah! your iguana sounds so sweet |
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Post by sarahwheeler on Nov 18, 2006 11:21:58 GMT -8
yes i know shes just fab,i have posted some photos about a month back in the photo gallery.
and i will try & post more soon.shes great she really is.i suspect we all think this about our iggs on Iz.but to me shes very special because of the physical abuse she suffered and even though shes deformed.shes made a brilliant recovery.even the vet said shes very lucky shes alive.let alone the fact she can even walk.SHES LUCKY.I know shes probably not the only iggy to have suffered.but shes still lucky and i'm lucky to have her.i wouldn't be without her.(NO-WAY?)
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For setting up a nesting box, this is what has worked well for me. Go to your local PetCo or PetsMart and get the largest, covered cat box you can find. While you are there, go to the reptile section and buy a heat mat. Then go to the rodent section and buy the biggest bag of rabbit pellets you can find. When you get home, just put the heat mat in the bottom of the cat box, dump the bag of rabbit pellets in on top of that, put the top on the cat box, and plug in the heat mat. It also helps to use a dark blanket or towel to cover the entrance to the cat box. Then, when you are home and see her digging, just gently pick her up and put her in the nesting box. Until she's ready, she'll just dig for a little while and then come back out on her own. When she's ready, she'll stay in there and go to work, and won't come back out until 6 to 10 hours later. Since she's still eating only slightly less than normal, and hasn't begun slurping down the water, she's got a few more weeks to go. She may stop eating altogether for 2 to 3 weeks before laying...THAT'S when you'll notice her really starting to put the water away. Try to give her as much space as possible, so she can run around and climb. This increase in activity is her instinct, and it actually helps her to build the muscle tone she needs to successfully lay her clutch.
