Can you train an iguana

Iguanas thrive on a schedule. For example, set an alarm for feeding times and keep his lighting on a timer to make things really consistent. Once he seems calm, takes his meals easily, and keeps to a good sleeping schedule, you should dive in. Engage his senses.

As part of your routine, he will see, smell, and hear you. You want your iguana to acclimate to you and the rest of his environment. Iguanas have pretty good hearing, so keep the excess noise down for those couple of transition weeks and probably in general. Be patient. You might notice some shyness, especially in the first few days. Iguanas can get easily spooked, and you want to keep both yourself and your pet happy.

Work up to holding and petting your animal. Start by giving him treats, letting him lick you, and hanging out in his presence. Beware of injuries. Many owners wear gloves when they first pick up their pets. Iguanas may bite, but even more so, their tails can be a menace. A spooked lizard might whip you and can break skin. Let me just repeated, Grabbing the animal initially is the whole trick. Once you have him in hand the calming down process starts. Trying to catch him to start with is the most challenging part of the process.

After you catch him, be very conscious of how tight you are holding him. The tighter you hold him the more freaked out he is going to get, try slowly releasing the pressure then just open your hand and he will sit there. Then just hold him for a while but be careful not to squeeze him because he is going to interpret that, as your trying to eat him. I do this in a secure area so if he gets away, from me he really cant go that far.

However, most pet owners are surprised by how strong, large and sometimes aggressive these reptiles become as they mature. This is why it is important that newly bought iguanas should be trained and tamed as soon as possible.

Pet store iguanas are a bit stressed out when being handled, shipped and housed. Meanwhile, rescued iguanas have been mistreated and neglected, making it longer to gain their trust. In general, new iguanas are quite docile for the first few days when brought home. This is why most owners think that taming it should not be a problem.

However, after a few days, when the iguana becomes more comfortable with its new surroundings, it begins to show signs of aggression. This is normal though. Iguanas tend to be intimidated and nervous with their new surroundings.

But as it becomes too comfortable, it will start to show displeasure when handled. Taming an iguana will not happen overnight. Consider the following tips if you want to tame an iguana. Before you start the taming process, you need to give your new iguana a few weeks to settle in. First, establish a routine of cleaning, feeding and handling your pet. It establishes a predictable daily routine that should provide a sense of security for your pet. AS you do the routine tasks, you also need to talk to your pet and keep it in a place where it can observe you as you do your routine.

This should help your pet get used to your presence. Make sure to spend time just talking and watching your iguana. You can name your pet since iguanas do recognize their names. Iguanas bite with their serrated, sharp teeth and may even try to whip out its powerful and sharp tail.

They also have extremely sharp claws, so you need to expect some scratches when you first handle your iguana. Thus, it makes a great idea to be familiar with its behavior and body language so you can read the warning signals. Extension of the dewlap and head bobs signals that your iguana feels threatened and will defend itself. In addition, tail twitching and hissing is a definite sign of aggression. You need to be persistent and firm without pushing it too hard and stressing your pet.

This will make your iguana thinks that it has won and it should be aggressive to get what it wants. To be safe, you can wear gloves when doing so.