Head Bobbing

Your iguana may exhibit a head bobbing display. This generally begins happening after the iguana is 1 or 1.5 years old. It can be a territorial display or it could be a mating ritual. If there are no other iguanas around, your iguana may bob its head at you to give you a signal. It may want you to leave it alone or to get away. Iguanas sometimes bob their heads when they see their reflection in mirrors. It is generally recommended that you keep your iguana away from mirrors. If there are other iguanas around, a head bobbing display could be territorial, meaning "get off my branch" or "get out of my way" or "get away from my mate". If you have a male and a female iguana, the male might bob its head at the female if it is interested in mating. All of these are normal displays and should not be worried about, unless your iguanas seem to be acting very territorial toward one another. If this is the case, they may have to be separated.

Sneezing

Your iguana may sneeze quite often. In most iguanas this is a normal behavior. Iguanas do not sweat as humans do, so they do not excrete salt through their skin. Instead, they do it by sneezing. There is no need to alter the salt content of your iguana's diet if it seems to be sneezing a lot or hardly at all. If you house your iguana in a glass enclosure, you will find white spots on the glass. This is simply what your iguana sneezes out. It cleans up relatively easily.

However, iguanas can also contract respiratory infections. This can happen when your iguana is not breathing clean air, such as air surrounding a dusty substrate, and when it is kept in cool conditions. If your iguana breathes loudly, possibly with its mouth open, it might have a respiratory ailment and you should consult a veterinarian. Bubbles or liquid outside the nose and mouth can also be indicative of a respiratory infection. If you ever suspect your iguana to be ill, always keep it a little warmer than usual. (Still provide a temperature gradient, however. See Heating and Lighting section.)