Why is my iguana aggressive?
The most
common email I have received over the years has been about
aggression and taming. There are many reasons that your iguana
may be aggressive. Here are some of them:
- He/she
is a new member of your family – when your
iguana is first brought into your home and first
introduced to his new enclosure you can expect that he
will not want to eat or be handled right away. This is
very normal behavior. You need to give him time to get
used to his new surroundings. If you are providing him
with ALL of the proper care he needs, he should eat,
drink, and calm down within a week. If he doesn’t,
you should check to be sure that all areas of care are
correct. (You can refer to Caring For
Your Green Iguana to find reliable
information)
- Stress
– stress will definitely cause your iguana to be
aggressive. An enclosure that is too small, loud noises,
fast movement, improper handling, dogs, cats, etc. can
all be causes of stress. Your iguana needs to be in a
calm and peaceful atmosphere. It is also a good idea to
provide a hide box or somewhere in your enclosure where
your iguana can go and "be alone" sometimes.
But you will always see a tail sticking out…lol. A
upside down shoe box with and entrance and an exit cut
out makes a nice hide box, just be sure not to put it too
close to the lights.
- The
temperature of your iguana’s enclosure is not ideal
- Your main goal in setting up your iguana's heating and
lighting is to provide a warm basking area (90F-94F) and
a cooler area (75F-84F) so that your iguana can acclimate
itself to the temperature IT chooses to be in at any
given time; and get the necessary UVB rays so that it can
metabolize calcium. Your iguana does not want to be
forced to remain at one temperature. An iguana enclosure
that is too hot or too cold will both cause health
problems besides behavior problems. (See Heating/Lighting and A Guide to
Cage Setup)
- Improper
Diet - What you feed your iguana will ultimately
effect its quality of life and determine its life span.
Your iguana needs to be fed the proper combination of
foods to be sure it gets the best nutrition and calcium
to phosphorus ratio of approx. 2:1. If your iguana is not
digesting its food properly it can lead to aggression and
stress. (See Food)
- Breeding
- A very common reason for aggression. There are some
great links below to read about iguana breeding
aggression
Iguanas
can be wonderful pets when they are cared for properly. Please
don’t hesitate to email me any time with
questions. I am happy to help in any way I can.
Other
aggression/taming links: