Taming an Iguana

[kittyhaven]

Hello again everyone

I have a 14 mth old Iguana named Fidelle. I have been unable to try to tame him at all. We have followed the books on Iguanas religiously and well no luck as of yet. I attempt to touch him and he litterally gets terrified and absolutely freezes there on the spot, and he stays like for days. Hes amazing to look at, but I dont think that I will ever get to take him out of his tank. I wonder what his previous owners did to the poor guy?

[Lucky Rescue]

This is a wild animal and a reptile. The most you can ever hope for is that he will get used to being touched and not become aggressive.

You have to realize that in the wild, anything attempting to grab or hold a lizard is usually a predator. Overcoming this natural reaction will take a lot of time. Make sure his enclosure is big enough, and has lots of rocks, branches etc to make him feel secure.

[kittyhaven]

He has got the taj mahal of iguana tank! I've got him in a 500 gl tank with tons of good things for him to hide in, I think Fidelle will end up being a window pet, don't want to scare the poor guy!

[Sneaky]

Hi there,
The best way to tame a lizard is from a young age with a lot of handling.
If you continue to handle them regularly they will eventually
become quite used to it and very tame and docile.
I had a friend once whos iquana would sit on his shoulder and go all kinds
of places with him, had a harness and a leash, and loved car rides.
They are great reptiles.

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

I dont have a pet Iguana but they are amazing creatures. Here is one that lives in Puerto Vallarta. He was wild but seemed pretty used to people. I am sure hes had his picture taken several thousand times.

[kittyhaven]

Yeah they're definately gorgeous when they are full grown. Mine is a green iguana and will turn a darkish grey colour. Our breeder thinks that I may have lucked out and my iguana will stay the beautiful emerald green colour that he currently is. I need to get some pictures posted of him! He is well past the "stage" where they begin to darken and he just keeps getting alot greener.

[bunny_girl]

these are two pictures of my iguana reefer they are magnificent creatures

[Herp-Art]

FOOD...food is the key to all herps hearts, well that and LOVE. When you feed, show affection and talk to him!! he will begin to associate the two...this can be quite a commitment...as all pets are, but especially herps! Feed small amounts multiple times , as opposed to larger amounts every other day!
And a couple of treats they love that you may not have thought of...Tofu, large curd NATURAL, not flavored, and frozen peas...thawed of course...and heres where I preach...forgive me. IT IS A MUST that you have 3 types of lighting...halogen basking lamp on the hot side of tank, full spectrum throughout , and a UV source throughout(which should be changed every4-6 mo, regardless if its burned out or not!)!! if you do not , not only will the critter be subject to metabolic bone disorder, but they will never get to a tame point! And dont forget calcium and mineral supplements several times a week!!
have fun and enjoy!!