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Communication Iguanas communicate using their bodies. You need to learn their movements and think like an iguana to understand an iguana. The posture they are in, the dewlap extended or not, the body puffed up or not, tail wiping or flicking, head color, hissing, and much more are all ways they communicate. 1. Head bobbing is the most common that you see. This can mean all different things. A greeting bob is when the head is held up for a second or so and then moved up and down. A territorial bob is just like a greeting bob but the body if puffed and the dewlap flared. An "I'm annoyed with you" bob is also like the greeting bob except much faster. And last but not least is the shudder bob. This bob is when the head shakes rapidly and swings side to side and up and down. This is a sure sign that you iguana is very annoyed and to leave him/her be. Males tend to bob more frequently than females do. If a female bobs its generally because they are irritated with something that is going on at the time. 2. The dewlap is also used for communication. If its tucked up under the chin the your iguana is comfortable. He/She does not feel threatened or that they are being submissive. When the dewlap is flared then they are uneasy and it is a threatening gesture. Some bigger iguana have large dewlaps that they let hang down when relaxed. 3. Click-hissing is a sound that iguanas make when they are very mad. Its a good sign just to leave the iguana alone for the time being. Try not to make a shhh sound or a hissing sound, they will interpret that as a treat. You want to make friends with him not enemies. 4. Tail twitching is when they twitch their tail back and fourth like a cat does. This is done as a threat or for mating presentation. 5. A white head can mean that your iguana is exited or I'm mad depending on their body posture and movements. 6. Swaggering is a walk that iguanas do when they are threatening or for breeding purposes. They compress their body to make them look bigger and lean away from you while circling you. 7. If the mouth is open, the iguana more then likely getting ready to bite. He/she is very upset. If this occurs then be alert. Note: if your iguana is having his mouth open and it is not a treat, make sure that the temp is not to hot. Iguanas can't sweat like we do. Move your iguana to a cooler spot so he can cool down. 8. When an iguana lies with its font feet behind it and some times the back legs stretched out on the sides of its tail, this means that they are completely relaxed and comfortable. 9. When they close their eyes it could me that they are relaxed or they are tuning you out (If I can't see you, you can't see me). Iguanas will close their eyes when they are in stressful situations in order to tune out everything and avoid the stress. Sometimes when you are petting them and both eyes are shut it can mean that they are relaxed and just enjoying the petting session. Most iguanas when brought home for the first time will probably be calm for the first few days or even weeks, then all the sudden start running away from you, tail wiping you, and biting you. This is normal. You will need to spend a lot of time taming them to make them social. There are many different body languages. You will have to learn what the different body languages are and mean in order to understand your iguana. Basically just watch, learn and think like an iguana. Iguanas are smart Iguanas are very intelligent. They can remember good and bad experiences. They can recognize people and sounds. They are almost always aware of what is going on around them. Iguanas can learn to do many things like being potty trained. They can also do things they know will upset you just because they get mad at you. For instance: "If you won't let me out of my cage right now then I will just go poop painting. Ha ha.... you got to clean it", or: "Well I know I'm not allowed up there but I think it would be fun to knock off all that stuff on your shelves and make it mine. " Aggression Iguanas can get very aggressive especially during breeding season. They get this way sometimes to be territorial and defend their territories, sometimes with violent attacks. These attacks can be against you or other iguanas. The attacks can also be unpredictable. Not all males become aggressive during this time. For more information on this please see my breeding page. Getting Bitten Iguanas have about 120 sharp little teeth. Iguanas will warn you before they bite. If you are bitten then it was the result of something you have done wrong. Figure out what it was that caused it and prevent it from happening again. It could be something your doing to just wearing the wrong color. You need to pay close attention to their body posture, movements, and behavior. Be prepared and it will reduce the risk of getting bitten. Some iguanas will not let go of you when they bite. When this happens you can put some rubbing alcohol on a cloth or tissue and put it in front of their nose. They dislike the smell and usually let go. You can also try putting a cloth or towel over their eyes. Once they feel safe they usually let go. If bitten you need to clean the wound well. If the bit is very bad or deep then you will need to get medical attention. You may need to get stitches and to make sure no teeth were left in the wound. Make sure to tell the doctor that reptiles carry Gram negative bacteria in their mouths. You may need an antibiotic.
This photo of an iguana bite was provided by Sue Solomon.
A good friend of mine, Alison sent me these photos of a bite she had gotten. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt (and good thing). Taming Now comes the fun part, taming your iguana. It is not easy and it will not happen over night. Iguanas have a packing order or tree. The alpha iguana is the top iguana and the week or baby iguanas are at the bottom. Then you have iguanas that are some where in between. You need to be the alpha. It's not easy to do that. My iguanas think they are the bosses of everything. Most do. You need to think like an iguana. This will help you better understand iguanas. Give your iguana time to settle in. Keep things on a schedule like light times, feeding, cleaning, etc. Changes in schedule can cause stress. Let him watch you from his cage. Talk to him/her. 1. After few days start by putting your hand in the cage (Try not to put your hand in from above but rather the side. When you put your hand in from above they get scared and think you are trying to eat them. Once your hand is inside, the iguana is more then likely going to run all around and freak out. This is normal. Try talking softly to him and slowly try to pet him. Do this for a couple of days. If he tries to bite or wipe you with his tail do not stop what you are doing. If you stop you are telling the iguana that he wins and if he continues do this you will leave him alone. If he bites try not to pull your hand away because it will make the bite worse. Do not to grab the tail because if they feel threatened they can drop their tails. 2. Now you're ready for the next step, holding him. First you need to iguana proof the room you will be taking him out in just in case he gets away. If you have any holes in the walls or crevices that are just a little smaller than your iguana make sure you block it off. Same with your furniture. Also it's a good idea to shut the door (Trust me). When picking your iguana up, put you hands under him to lift. Hold him for a bit while he is in the cage. Slowly bring him out of the cage and talk and pet him. Let him climb from hand to hand. Chances are he/she will end up on your head. They feel more secure the higher up they are. If you hold and pet your iguana on a daily basis in time he will enjoy your company. Spend time together. Let him hang out with you while you watch TV or when your on the computer. Some people take showers with their iguanas, they put a shelf in the shower. I have not done this for the simple fact that there are places on my body that I don't want those sharp claws to be attached to. Just let your iguana sit on you shoulder while you do things around the house. The more time you spend with him/her, the more they will learn to trust you and want to interact with you. It's not going to be easy. It will take many months or even a year or more. Each iguana is different and has their own personality. Just be patient and you will have a friend in the end. Never completely trust your iguana even if the seem to be very tame. Iguanas are not like dogs and cats. They are wild and will always be wild. If they happen to be in a mood one day they could really hurt you with a bite or a wipe of the tail, especially if your not expecting it.
More then one? A lot of people ask if you can have more then one iguana together. I'm going to tell you yes and no. Iguanas are territorial and can be extremely aggressive toward one another. They can seriously injure one another even to the point of death. When iguanas are babies they usually get along just fine. When small, in the wild they will group together for safety (the more in a group, the less chance of being eaten) but as they become adults things change. Iguanas may tolerate one another with out fighting but the dominant iguana will intimidate the subordinate one with the end result being that the subordinate iguana is not feeding well and is stressed. Sometimes they will get along for years and then one day they are trying to kill each other, not letting one eat or intimidating the other. I have seen and heard many times of two iguanas that got along great for years and then have the owner come home to find that one killed the other. The best thing is to have separate cages and sometimes rooms because iguanas can still smell each other even if they can't see each other. You can allow them to be together as long as you are supervising them at all times. Now speaking of behavior brings us to the next section of breeding season. Hee Hee, that time of year that most of us iguana owners just love............NOT. Come with me and to see what I mean.
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