#43610

 What do you think???

I really hate having to post this question but in all fairnss I think i have to. I need to know if what im trying to do is right and safe for that matter. I need to know if what i am doing with stitch is truely right. I only want whats best for her and Im starting to think what may be in her best interest and my wants are two very diffrent things. I know Ive only had her for a very short time (about a month) and so I shouldnt expect her to have calmed down much at all in such a short amount of time. But shes growing at an alarming rate now that she is in a bigger tank then the ones that they housed her in at the pet shop and now when i reach in to her tank more often then not she stands her ground and lunges for me when i get to close, mind you this does not stop me from holding her but it, and her constant struggeling has shortened our "play time" with one an other. And to tell you the truth it does not scare me but it has my boyfriend all upset. he keeps telling me it was a bad idea to get one so old that had never been handled befor. Shes already bit once(didnt suprise me I shouldnt have reached in to her tank with out a glove on) He told me that the first time she hurts me badly i would have to find a new home for her. I would hate to have it come to that. Also i sorda dont want to put all of my energy in to her just to forced in to having to give her to a breeding facility because shes too uncontrolable. I Love her and do my best to make sure shes as happy as i can, and know that the last thing i want to do is give her away,(I have to make this shot now cuz its makin me cry) but if that would be what was best for her then i would have to. please let me know what you think.

 #43659

 What do you think???

It does take some real time to tame an iguana. I really didn’t feel like Sleestack was tamed for many months....close to a year...although he made slow steady progress. She does need a bigger enclosure. I don’t know what to tell you. If you don’t want her then I guess you should find another home, but you do need to be committed to taking care of her if you keep her. And, there are no breeding facilities...not sure what you are talking about there. She would go to a shelter or you would need to find a rescuer. Sometimes they put them down at shelters in areas where they don’t know much about iguanas. They are not set up to take care of them usually. Only ig rescues are and they are usually pretty full because everybody dumps iguanas. I hope you give it more time. But, you can’t have your boyfriend calling the shots. They are wild animals and can take awhile to tame. Your iguana is scared and that is why it bites.

 #43661

 What do you think???

i would use a good pair of gloves and handle her as much as possible and if she doesnt start to calm down i would definitly find her a new home its not really whats best for her its whats best for you. she isnt really gonna be happy anywhere exept for the rainforest,if she is not wanting to be tamed or showing any improvement in her behavior than maybe its best for you to get a new home for her and i realize its a hard choice i would also start of with a snaller one if u did get rid of her becuz they are much easier to tame GOOD LUCK, -MARK

 #43680

 What do you think???

That is not true Mark....a small one is often harder to tame than a large one. Size has nothing to do with it. They all have different personalities. If they are not tame, they need time to be tamed....there is no easy way around that. If you get rid of this one, I do not think you should get another one. None of my friends like Sleestack as much as my last iguana. He just isn’t as sweet, but I took him in and now it is my responsibility to see he has a good home. I do love him but it took me awhile to warm up to him. I’ve only ever heard of a few iguanas that could not be tamed much. They all can have attitudes but most can be tamed.

 #43684

 Patience it might take time

I adopted Spike in january he is 3 and a half he was not handle much either and the first weeks I used gloves to take him out of his cage and hand feed him because trust me he would try to bite he would also tail whipping me. Then after about 4 week I let him out of his cage in my office and he started exploring and finally decided that his favorite spot would be on my desk as I work. Now I can pet him when he is there and hand feed him with no gloves. Spike does not try to bite or tail whip me anymore. There is still some work with him he still does not like for me to grab him but when I hold him he is ok well till he start struggling. I know it will take time for him to get to know me and get use to a woman since his former owner was a man but it is worth it to me and since January he has already change a lot. My husband also was concern at the begining when he saw Spike behaviour but he realise that Spike is getting better and that it just take time. So be patient wear gloves if needed and at some point as I did you will see a change and it will be very rewarding. Good Luck

 #43776

 Patience it might take time

Frenchie just reinforced one of my strongest opinions about taming iguanas. I’ve always found that giving the iguana some freedom, such as brief periods of freeroaming time in close proximity to the owner, makes taming easier and quicker. With little iguanas I suggest to owners to completely iguana proof their bathroom or another small room. Then just spend time in there, sitting in a chair or on the floor, letting the iguana explore while you talk to it...constantly. The lizard will eventually become comfortable with your presence and not see you as a threat anymore. This method, or something similar, has worked with every iguana that we’ve had here with the exception of two young adult females that just wouldn’t accept me. With them I believe it was chemistry or something...they just didn’t like me, period.

 #43797

 Patience it might take time

I agree with the two posts above me. I barely did any work to tame my iguana. He has alot of freedom too. Not that it didn’t take any work, but I believe what Frenchie and Jif say, I think it did make him more at ease. He doesn’t even mind people coming up to him or petting him. PE

 #43856

 Patience it might take time

Frenchie, Jif, PE: Thank you once again for the Kind words and good ideas. I thought it would be too eary yet to let Stitch free roam but it looks as though that is what i am goint to have to do i was just concerned about the her safty as well as my own I would hate to have any thing happen to her thats all. and that includes making her acclimate to a new home and owner. Like i said befor the only thinking of what is best for her. I went in to this knowing it would be a lot of work and i intend on seeing it through I just wanted to be sure that my efforts wouldnt be for nothing. thank you once again. Xta: I Truely value the advice you normaly give to most people, and granted i was asking for your opinion and maby i should not have taken your words so personaly but i did. so now let me make this as clear as i can for you. I asked at no point for an opinion on what you thought of my personal life I only asked about my Cyclura, if i wanted help with my personal life I would call Dr.Laura.

 #43888

 Patience it might take time

One more piece of advice. You mentioned her struggling when you’re holding her. No matter what, don’t put her down while she is struggling. If you do, she gets the idea that she has the upper hand and that struggling will get her what she wants...put down. Hang onto her until she calms down, then praise her, tell her what a good girl she is, then put her down while she is calm. Have a treat nearby that you can hand-feed her. If you are getting scratched up while handling her, wear long sleeves or wrap her in a towel. I will reinterate that you WILL be richly rewarded if you have patience thru this tough time. My beautiful Azul came to me as an incorrigible, mean, 18 month old whirl of teeth! His two previous owners gave up and he was given to me, free. As we speak, he just jumped onto my lap for some special cuddle time. That makes the effort put into him priceless!

 #43950

 Patience it might take time

oh, yes. It is definetly worth it! I finally tamed the iguana at my pet store. Now he sits across my shoulders while I am stocking shelves in the store. Sometimes he will fall asleep with his snout nuzzled up to my neck when I work the late shift. I will be so, so sad when someone buys him. I’m only letting a special person with experiance take him home.

 #44029

 Patience it might take time

TheGreenDragon...sorry I came across like I was getting into your personal life. I didn’t really mean to do that. I just know we all get pressure from our significant others who don’t always understand how difficult it can be to tame a reptile. I didn’t want you to get discouraged or give up due to this. It was only because you mentioned something about him wanting to get rid of your ig if she bit you again that I brought it up. Again, I’m sorry if I offended you....

 #44157

 What do you think???

i didnt mean to through you guys off or give you wrong info but i found it easier to start when there young i didnt put my last comments in good words i ment its easier when there smaller so you grow with the animal and your not afraid of it,they dont whip or bite nearly as hard as a three year old animal thats never been handled and if your just starting off it could benifit you to start off with a younger lizard just so your not afraid or whatever sorry for any of the problems i may have caused, mark

 #44194

 Patience it might take time

Thank you for the apology and understanding. I let stitch free roam the bathroom today, she was a nervous a long tail cat in a room full of rockers. But she let me feed her fruit and almost let me touch her with out hissing at me. It was kinda nice. To tell you the truth due to the fact that the first Rhino i ever saw (and only other)was an adult female, whos owners never took the time to tame her, due to her owners neglect she was, lets say temperamental, at best. When any one would walk past the tank She would charge the glass and shake the entire wall display. She wanted nothing more then to get at you. So as silly as this may sound I sorda expeected her to do the same. Needless to say she didnt. and I have all my fingers, toes and my nose in tact She got to check out the bathroom and not just the bathtub today and hell even if no progress was made with her to day at least my bathroom go cleaned. I think she responded well to the freedom I could have sworn That was a smile i saw on her face today whail i fed her her fruit. thanks again

 #44380

 Patience it might take time

to add to the previous posts: i have found the same to be true as far as letting my ig out every day for a while. she used to scratch at the door of her cage and give me all sorts of trouble, but now it seems like we have a kind of mutual understanding. also, i used to immediately let my ig go when she did not want me to hold her. now, i keep on until she calms down, and i geta lot less scratches! i’ve found that she is less difficult when i use treats like banana or mango to try some positive reinforcement. as usual, you guys are alot of help! thanks!!