Male green iguanas and female owners

Yes, Zorro is in mating season again, but, compared to the last two years, he's reasonably calm. I can't even tell you how happy that makes me. Although he is very aggressive towards me and tries to sink his teeth into my flesh, I can deal with that. Sort of. Touching him is out of question, or only if he really is generous and lets me. He's not eating, only bits of banana, a few leaves of rocket or some blueberries, which is normal for mating season. I have also covered the glass with bubble wrap, so if he jumps against the window, it'll help prevent him getting a bleeding and swollen snout. A typical injury in iguanas during mating season and all too often ends up needing a visit to the vet and antibiotics. So far, it's working just fine. he only bumped his nose a couple of times and that was when he tore the bubble wrap down. It just can't withstand sharp claws and 6kg hanging on it. My observations show that his being calmer might have to do with my being not as stressed as I was the last two years. The situation with my upstairs neighbours had me so cornered, that I didn't have any opportunity to relax. Since I've move house, the iguana seems to pick up on my vibes. Interesting, isn't it? They are rather perceptive.
Those of you who read last year's entries regarding Zorro being in mating season will remember that I wanted to have him a hormone implant, but that needs to be done well before they get into season. Somehow, I had the feeling he started a bit earlier than expected so I missed having it done. Since he's 'fine' I think it may not have been too bad. I don't like messing with his hormones and would only do it if both of us are in danger, which we were last year, but if he remains as he is now in future, I'd be more than happy to deal with a grumpy iguana. What's new anyway? :-)

That said, I'm really glad to have wooden flooring as he recently, when I had him out to clean his vivarium, attacked me. If that would have been on carpet, I'd have stitches in my shin right now. He just shot forwards in order to bite me and his powerful jaw and strong teeth would easily be able to take a piece out of my leg/arm or wherever he manages to get me. They sometimes, will bite into something and shake their heads violently. If that's tender human flesh, it'll result in a blood bath.
However, I was a lucky girl and locked him away in the bedroom for the time being. If you have a female with an iguana in mating season, you have to watch your back. They are smart and sneaky; the moment you don't look, you'll make yourself a target.

Cheeky, innit? I still wouldn't change him for the world. Look at him being pulled out of his sleep. I tried to remove the shed skin on his horn on the nose while he slept. He opened his eye only that bit. I left him in peace and he immediately fell asleep again.

Wish me luck!

I have no idea why, though it might be the fact that I moved house, but it seems Zorro has decided it's time for mating season. He's not full in it yet, but the early signs are already there:
Less relaxed
More aggression towards me
Eating less
Trying to bite into anything that moves
A lot of jumping to the glass when he sees his reflection (not so much snout banging. Yet!)
As usual, it came over night and I'm rather upset about it, because I wanted to avoid him going into mating season at all costs. Trying a hormone implant for the first time. That seems a little bit too late now. We had planned March/April as he normally went into season in May.
All I'm hoping for is, that he'll not get as mad as he was the past two years, so he'll not hurt himself.

On the other hand, as you can see from the picture above, he's in good health and a proper dinosaur. Big and beautiful, a little cheeky and definitely impressive.
I can still touch him and give his cheeks a good massage, but it'll be a matter of time when he turns into the lethal animal he becomes for the next few months. I can honestly say that I'm not looking forward to it and all I hope for is that he'll be fine and as calm as possible.

Wish me luck that I don't need to see the vet surgery this year. I'd be utterly happy if I don't.

I know I posted this before, but I will not tire of warning people off those animals:

Iguanas can become 25 if kept well and they become big, too. Zorro is 6.5 and almost 5 feet, 6kg
Males in particular can become very aggressive towards female owners. Even if you had them since a baby and they are tame. As soon as they reach maturity, they can turn. Zorro was tame before and turned from one day to another.
They need a good and healthy diet, it's not as easy as opening a tin for a cat. They are animals with special requirements. One should be certain they can commit to care for such a pet.
They have razor sharp teeth and a fully grown iguana can easily bite off your finger when attacking

BEFORE you decide to take on an iguana, do your research and think long and hard. No point getting one when you will give the animal away because it's getting too big or aggressive. If you are sure you can commit, think about rescuing one, there are plenty of abandoned adult iguanas in need of a loving home.

If you have questions or are uncertain, please contact me. You'll find my e-mail address under 'about me'.

Do not get an iguana because they are cool or cute! They are living animals and need an owner to have good knowledge and understanding of those fascinating creatures.

Please do not disturb: my iguana, my king

This was just too cute I had to share. After a relaxed doze on his top shelf he came down for a bit of a cheek rub. He loves it. But first things first: I fed him some spring greens, holding the huge leaves, so he can -- like they do in nature -- perforate and rip pieces off. He looked rather happy munching away.

Then, he decided it's time for a massage. Since he normally doesn't enjoy being touched, these rare occasions need to be savoured. As soon as I stroked his cheek, he dropped his feet and melted into the cork-bark.

 If an iguana does that when you touch it, he's definitely relaxed. ------------------------->









 See the back leg stretched, a good sign.

You can see he enjoyed it. After five minutes, though, he had enough and buggered off. :-)

Man I love this animal, with all his faults and troubles and even with all the aggressions, these are the rewarding moments.