Mouth

An iguana's mouth is lined with a bunch of serated little triangular teeth. An iguana bite is painful, whatever you do; DO NOT PULL AWAY when you are bitten. An iglet (baby iguana) may not inflict a very bad bite, but you just wait until he/she gets a little older! My 8 month (as of 12-1-00)  old iguana already has some little teeth. I've never been bitten, but thats because I have taken the time to tame and handle my iguana properly. Even though yuo may not realize it, iguana's DO haev lips. They are not like human lips, but they ARE there! :) You should make sure that your iguana doesn't get anything stuck in his/her lips. An iguana can get a disease in their mouth called mouth-rot. Some characteristics of mouth rot are: Excessive saliva and chunks of "cheesy stuff" in their mouth, their eating habits will change also; they will bite at their food but not eat it. IF YOU THINK YOUR IGUANA HAS MOUTH ROT, GET HIM/HER TO E VETERINARIAN RIGHT AWAY!    The tounge should be a very nice and dark pink or red. The tip of the tounge is usually "redder" than the rest of it. An iguana tounge should not be pale. An iguana uses the tounge to "taste" everything around it. A healthy iguana should be interested in its environment and lick its surroundings as it moves around. This Licking can also be a curse. I've heard of many iguana's who have accidentally ingested coins, marbles, staples, rocks, and any other odds and ends that may be laying around. All the more reson to keep your house clean and "IG-Proof". Vaccum your carpet, sweep your floor, and keep any objects that are small enough to be ingested locked up and out of your iguana's reach.