Iguana owners!

[DeCypher]

Does anyone else on the forum own an iguana?
I have a year-old iggy, Marley.

 

[esn]

I have two desert iguanas Two of my best buds. Dodger and Arugula aka, Dodge and Argie. They're very chill animals.

 

[DeCypher]

Lucky to have tame animals you are! Mine is...stubborn. Been going through the taming process for 7 months, I feel like I've made no progress.

 

[esn]

Your iguana sits on your hand long enough to take a good picture - he seems pretty tame to me! There's a definite difference between species, though. You can basically pick up a desert iguana from the wild and it will be tame within a week. They have no fear of humans, probably because their population is now growing to be found in California suburbs. Yours is also a male, though, right? Male iguanas are known to have some trouble taming down, particularly once they get to breeding age. I find it absolutely hilarious that grown male iguanas need some "special toys" to work out some of their breeding frustrations on. It definitely works to keep them calm and tamer though.

My Dodge is for sure a male. I'm hoping my juvie is going to turn out to be female. Desert igs aren't easy to sex at all, and their only real indicators are when they hit breeding season. Even then it's difficult. I'd like to captive breed them, though. I think they make wonderful pets, and are well suited to inexperienced handlers. I'd rather see cb desert iguanas in the pet trade than green iguanas. Many people can't seem to handle green iguanas as pets, especially when they're male and begin to get aggressive. Our reptile rescues over here are pretty much overrun with green iguanas that people have released or abused.

I'd like to see some pictures of you walking your iguana down the street I love iguanas with big ol' lizard leashes on.

 

[DeCypher]

You know I'd love a desert ig if you ever do breed them ;] haha.
He might seem tame in the pic..but if I try set him down even for a second, he takes off. I have to hold him at all times. He also runs away when I go to pick him up. Extremely annoying..but I'm being persistent! And I'm not gonna give up. Hopefully I'll be rewarded with a calm and socialized ig.

 

[esn]

That sounds pretty normal. If he's out and about for a while he should eventually settle down. Mine like to take off and run for a while before they chill out sit on the couch with me. Exercise. Same with my bearded dragon and my blue tongues. When I let them out (not ever at the same time!), all they want to do is explore and run around for a while, but eventually they'll come back and hang out on the couch with me.

Dodger is the only one that takes suicide jumps, though. He'll climb up to the tallest point he can reach, then jump off of it. I don't even know what goes through his little reptile brain, but I just make sure he can't get too high. I think I'll attach a parachute to his reptile harness next. The kind that comes with little plastic army men.