On Melissa Kaplan's advice to challenge your iguana

Yes, this is another post about the green monster. While I'm sitting here to write this, he lies lazily on his bamboo shelf, where he has a good view over me. He really likes that. While I have covered all the other reflective surfaces, I left this one open, so he can also look outside the window. Iguanas get bored easily.

His aggression has become a little worse, I noticed mainly in the morning hours or just before he goes to sleep. During the day, he's rather relaxed as long as I don't come near. Looking him in the eye when I stand in front of the vivarium will be understood as me challenging him and he might jump to attack.

Which brings me to a website that is well known to most iguana owners. Unfortunately, many trust this advice too much and will probably learn their lesson the hard way: being attacked or even worse, severely bitten and end up in A&E (ER).

Melissa Kaplan advises to stand your ground with male aggressive iguanas or challenge them, by stomping your foot, climb onto something and shout at the animal, shaking your finger at them or even charge them first. That is not going to work! In fact this will make your iguana even more furious and he will attack. By that I mean, he will probably charge at you and sink his teeth into anything in his way, hand, leg, foot, shoe, towel, whatever available. And that's not enough, he will violently shake his head from left to right to definitely get a piece out of your body. Big aggressive iguanas in mating season are dangerous. They need to be treated with as much respect as possible and their owner has always to be on the lookout for signs of attack. Plus, they're incredibly bendy and fast.
I am one lucky girl to have a particularly aggressive exemplar. At six years old, he's big and strong and if I was to follow Melissa Kaplan's advice, I'd probably know each nurse and doctor by name in an A&E. She says she's carrying her iguana around for a bit. I have done it, just by putting him back into his vivarium, after taking him out in order to clean it, and he'd bend around so quickly, trying to bite into my face. Male iguanas don't care how big or loud you are, they will charge, no matter what. Brave little buggers.

I've been very lucky so far to not have suffered any major injuries handling aggressive iguanas. I had two in my career as an iguana carer (since '94). My current one, Zorro, presents aggressions on the high end of the scale and I would never let anyone near him. At this time of the year, which can last for a few months, I try to handle him as little as possible. Even if he's not in mating season, he's never really tame and I always have to watch what I'm doing, but he usually lets me touch or handle him as well as, sometimes, even give him a good head rub. But one wrong move or moment unattended and I end up with a very painful bite.

For those of you who are interested in keeping iguanas and are doing their 'homework' with an extensive research first, here are two websites that might be just what you're looking for:

Henry Lizardlover  He knows what he's doing, though I don't agree with those pictures he's taking and I also don't agree on the one video where he feeds his animals Swiss cheese. Iguanas should not be given any animal protein. But he has good advice on food, detailed information on behaviour and breeding issues, male and female.

Green Iguana Society  Another site that will answer questions about iguana behaviour, feeding, handling, etc.

Zorro the red nosed dragon

Rudolph is supposed to have a red nose, the iguana not so much.

Zorro's in mating season again and as a result has jumped against the glass a few times. He sees his reflection and thinks it's an intruder and as a result, he's ended up with a red, bruised, hopefully not inflamed nose.

 Quite good to see the pinkish colour. It needs to be monitored as iguanas are prone to abscesses when they repeatedly hit/rub their noses against hard things. It's a little swollen and also deformed from the abscess he had last year. Vet says, it's not going to be normal again.

Male iguanas tend to become very aggressive in mating season, especially towards female owners. He also jumps to attack me. Which means I have to be double observant around him. Mating season comes relatively sudden and I noticed he's less interested in food (greens), but still likes his treats (raspberries, blueberries and bananas).

 

Here, the nose from the front. The little dot at his mouth is a piece of blueberry. They shouldn't get too much of it, but I give him fruit so he's not loosing too much weight. He stopped eating wild rocked, would only nibble at coriander and turns his (red) nose up mint. Things he usually rips out of my hands. I spay more and also try to get him to drink while doing so.

Only do this if you are an experienced keeper. They are very fast and bendy and their bites can take off your finger. He's a very big boy and has massive jaws that are extraordinarily strong.

Here a few signs to recognise iguana's mating season:

More active

Displaying more aggression

Less appetite

Jumping against the glass

Jumping at you (yes, happened, I opened the vivarium to clean and he jumped straight into my arms.)

Often even more head-bobbing with attempt to jump at you.

Following your every move.

The signs of mating season go as sudden as they come.

I've got bubble wrap and newspapers from inside the glass now. So he won't see me or his reflection. I will have less to look at, but it's better than having him back to the vet. Saves both of us stress and me the money.

I'll watch him closely and hope the swelling will go down. Up to now, no signs of an abscess, but I can only hope it stays like this.

A quick word of caution: if your iguana displays these symptoms, but won't even touch treats, or he has a swollen mouth/nose. Please consult a vet if you're unsure, it might well be that he's in pain and will need urgent treatment, often surgery to remove the abscess. 

Iguanas are eating machines who can eat you alive. If they stop eating, it's serious, unless they are in mating/breeding season. (Carrying females will drink more and stop eating in their last couple of weeks, but getting bigger. They should be monitored, too, in case of laying complications.)

If you have any questions, please e-mail me or post it in the comment section, if I can help I will answer.