psycho
Junior Member
Posts: 20
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Taming?
Jul 3, 2004 22:52:30 GMT -8
Post by psycho on Jul 3, 2004 22:52:30 GMT -8
I'm a first time iguana owner and mine is not tame yet anyway can you guys give me some tips? and can talking to my iguana help it get tamer?
thx
PSYCHO
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Post by mar on Jul 4, 2004 0:38:05 GMT -8
We can help with this, every ig needs a lot of time and patients to tame and we have all tamed our igs a few times. But, you knew this was coming huh, we need to know a lot more about you, your ig, and the ig cage. Start a thread in the intro section and give the basic info: name of the green one, its size, the cage size and temps, diet, how long you have had him... Also almost all of this has been answered in other threads so quick advice is to start reading past threads.
Mark
Might want to add this too: I am also a first time ig owner, just I have had Bob for 9 years now and I still pepper this board with questions on igs.
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Post by Tesa on Jul 4, 2004 4:24:23 GMT -8
Hi Psycho As Mark suggested, when we know more about the iguana and how his house is set up we will be able to help you better. Initial advise is just to be calm and patient. Don't try to hold the iguana every time you approach him. If you go to his cage and just talk to him sometimes, he won't feel as threatened by you. How is the iguana responding to you now?
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Post by Merlin on Jul 4, 2004 6:34:56 GMT -8
Welcome Psycho! What a fitting name for an ig slave! ;D
The key is going to be patience. Some times it takes a long time for an ig to realize that you are a good thing and not a big ugly monster that is going to eat it! Go slow and easy.
It's worth it!
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psycho
Junior Member
Posts: 20
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Taming?
Jul 4, 2004 11:09:57 GMT -8
Post by psycho on Jul 4, 2004 11:09:57 GMT -8
Well um I'm from california. I love my iguana but he's getting kinda big now so I get scared specially when he/she tail whips my mum. the cage is a converted chinchilla ferret habitat. it has 3 levels he mostly likes the top level because it's the closest to the lamp. my iguana is sorta lazy (cept when you put your hand in his cage ) he has a broken toe at the moment but he's getting it fixed tuesday. I got him from a pet store (big mistake I really regret that now). his favorite foods at the moment are: blueberries not banana not strawberries grapes and HE LOVES LETTUCE. we offer him a plate with a wide variety of foods and let him decide what he wants instead of forcing him. oh yeah the cage is 29 inches tall 30 inches wide at front and 18 inches at sides. and when we get a house (which is really soon) I plan on building him a humongous habitat. anything else you need to know?
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Taming?
Jul 4, 2004 17:42:57 GMT -8
Post by Merlin on Jul 4, 2004 17:42:57 GMT -8
Ok first off your igs diet needs a MAJOR overhaul! Get rid of the lettuce its useless as a food. Check out the IZ diet recommendations at tesa.proboards24.com/index.cgi?board=diet&action=display&thread=1066652394Also allowing the ig to choose its own food is not a good idea. Just like us they don't always eat the way they should. Sort of like giving us a choice between chocolate ice cream and brocoli. In our minds we know which is better for us but c'mon its chocolate ice cream!
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psycho
Junior Member
Posts: 20
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Taming?
Jul 4, 2004 18:18:19 GMT -8
Post by psycho on Jul 4, 2004 18:18:19 GMT -8
well we don't give him iceberg lettuce and all that cuz we know it isn't healthy. we give him kale, alfalfa etc.
we offer him a bowl each night last nights was. alfalfa sprouts, blueberries, watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, and kale.
still should I change this, if so how. and how do I tame him. does talking to them, and playing classical/ sounds of the season also work for taming them?
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psycho
Junior Member
Posts: 20
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Taming?
Jul 4, 2004 18:20:46 GMT -8
Post by psycho on Jul 4, 2004 18:20:46 GMT -8
um, i talk to him and he just looks at me for a long time when I go to pet him he tail whips me or my mother.
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Taming?
Jul 4, 2004 20:03:15 GMT -8
Post by SurvivorSteph on Jul 4, 2004 20:03:15 GMT -8
Yes, you still need to make changes to his diet. Collard, mustard, turnip, and dandelion greens should make up the BULK of his diet. Next comes certain veggies (ex. winter squash), then comes fruit. Merlin gave you the link for the IZ food chart... use it! It will go a long way in helping you pick the right foods for your ig. Here's a food chart from the Green Iguana Society. It has pictures, so print it out and take it with you to the grocery store. www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm
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Post by mar on Jul 5, 2004 7:45:47 GMT -8
There are a whole bunch of diets tossed around on the net, some are good while some are junk at best, and a lot of things have been written on igs. If you keep reading, actively posting, AND USING THE NEW KNOWLEDGE your ig will be better off. For diet, until you get a better knowledge base, use 1 part each collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion (if you can get it), finely chopped green beans, shredded hard orange fleshed squash (acorn or butternut are good ones and use a cheese grater),mixed shredded veggies, mixed fruit. If you go with equal weights you will be close to the right ratios -- I used a cheap kitchen scale until I got used to it. The purpose of most fruits is to entice animals to carry seeds away from plants while expending the least amount of energy on this so they are mostly water and sugar with no nutrients. Things like sprouts don't even contain all the good stuff that was in the seed again they are mostly water and fiber with no nutrients. People think they are good in diets only because the sprout fills them up without carrying high amounts of things that the body will be able to use and convert to stored energy (read sugar or fat). When taming there does come a point where you need to put on a hooded sweatshirt and show him that being handled is not that bad. When you stick your hand in the cage and get tail whipped and leave YOU are being trained and reinforcing the whipping action. This is one of the best general things to read on available on the web: www.anapsid.org/iguana/icfs/index.htmlIt looks long but I read it in a day. She also wrote Iguanas for Dummies which is supposed to be good but I have not looked at it.
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psycho
Junior Member
Posts: 20
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Taming?
Jul 5, 2004 18:24:25 GMT -8
Post by psycho on Jul 5, 2004 18:24:25 GMT -8
thx so much mar. should i use gloves with the hoodie in case he learns how to bite?
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Taming?
Jul 5, 2004 18:41:17 GMT -8
Post by mar on Jul 5, 2004 18:41:17 GMT -8
Whether or not to use gloves will start a fight. I only use fingerless gloves when Bob gets real mean. Try not using them at first but have a clean rag or hand towel on hand to wrap him in. At times covering his head can calm him down but this is just for extreme measures.
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Taming?
Jul 5, 2004 18:47:03 GMT -8
Post by Tesa on Jul 5, 2004 18:47:03 GMT -8
Mark is very correct about the diet, however, he is feeding a much larger iguana than you will be. If you get that much food all at once you are liable to end up with alot of it spoiled. Try getting two bunches of greens (one collard and choose another of dandelions, turnips, mustard) and one squash. Feed that to him this week, then next week, get the the collards with a different choice for the second greens and vegetable. Go to the food chart here and choose things that are labeled in green.
Mark is also right when it comes to taming. If you've had this guy a year and have never handled him, you are gonna have your work cut out for you! Be prepared to spend a year or more. You will need to handle him 2-3 times a day for a total of at least 30 minutes. You can NOT tame him if you don't handle him. Be very careful. It has been my experience that when the iguana realizes whipping you isn't working anymore, he will move on to biting. The only thing you can do is be patient and not give up.
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Taming?
Jul 5, 2004 19:08:05 GMT -8
Post by mar on Jul 5, 2004 19:08:05 GMT -8
Hey Tesa, common I know that, nope never mentioned weights only ratios.
Look for a store where you can buy greens by the pound rather than the bunch. Open the bunches and only take what you want. Every store I have been to uses the same PLU codes with collards, mustard, and turnips sold at the same cost so I toss them in the same bag(the girls only use one code anyway). You can then also look for small squashes. You can usually get away with making about three days worth of food at a time and storing it in the fridge. There are a few threads on preparing and keeping food.
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Taming?
Jul 5, 2004 19:19:29 GMT -8
Post by Tesa on Jul 5, 2004 19:19:29 GMT -8
yeah well...YOU may know it ;D but I know of plenty of people (myself included) who went nuts the first time they went to get "the good stuff" for their igs. lol
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