Are we going too fast too soon?

As you know, we bought our iguana last Monday. He is meant to be 2 years old but he is 3ft long (snout to tip of tail).

When we got him, he was a little fiesty - attempted tail whips, open mouth threats etc but we accepted it as he is scared.

Towards the end of last week, we thought he was tame and just needed socialising. He would let me get him out and when he was out, he would hang around us on the sofa and sun himself under a lamp.

Then Friday he became active. He would jump off the sofa (literally jump and bellyflop the floor) then run about the room. Our cats would sniff his tail and he would "flinch" and the cats would run off.

I could pick him up and he would be calm.

Tonight, it changed. He was a sod to get out... attempted tail whips and open mouth threats. I ignored him and picked him up to bring downstairs. He was a heck of a struggle and I put him on the sofa where he ran off it and tried legging it down into the basement kitchen. I stopped him and picked him up again. Once again he struggled a lot - slashed my wrists etc

As I put him down, he properly tail whipped me across the arm - nice red mark
He legged it under the sofa so we waited for him to come out. When he did after 15mins, I put him on the sofa and he was being agressive again so I decided to put him back in his vivarium.

I held him properly (under belly so it is on my forearm) and my wife went to give him a good night stroke. Pixel bit her. It was a proper bite that bled, but not a serious bite.

Needless to say I told him off and put him back.

Should we leave him alone for a few days or get him out and make him realise that no matter how much he bites, struggles and whips us, we'll love him and want him around us?

James

Tough love James. You have to use tough love.
And, you gotta be brave.
You MUST get him out. You MUST handle him when he has been/is being nasty. Otherwise you are teaching him that aggressive behavior rewards him with being left alone. Yes, you will get scratched up, will even have scars (try wearing long sleeves). Yes, you risk getting bitten. You need to learn now, while he is small, how to hold him so that he can not get his mouth on you.

I have a persistently aggressive adult male iguana. Have had him since he was a scrawny little green thing. He was always aggressive. I have always used a harness with him when I wanted to keep control over his "travels". It is not safe to allow him free access to escape where he will in your house. He also needs to get the idea that he CAN'T run away from you. You lose control everytime he gets away from you.

When my iguana would try to bite or use other aggressive behavior, I simply placed him upside down--belly up, secured against my thigh, a handy flat surface (the sofa?) or in my arms like a baby. I make a cage out of the fingers of the most handy hand and secure him over his chest and neck. Holding him in the "finger cage", if done correctly, prevents him from craning his neck to bite. I held him this way, and DID NOT LET HIM GO, until he calmed, physically relaxed and gave in to me. I use the same hold, with the other hand (in a sort of top bottom sandwich) from above when he is simply lounging on my arm and I want to keep him "reassured" that I am in control. I use no more pressure that is necessary and I never actually press down on him to cause discomfort.

This teaches him that YOU ARE THE ALPHA lizard. That YOU have actual power over him but don't hurt him or give him reason to fear you. Works darn good. BUT, it is not a panacea. You will have to use it over and over again. Effectiveness and success is dependent on your technique and persistence. Technique takes practice. Sounds like he is more than willing to give you plenty of practice. Also, you will have to employ this technique at various times in the future--because he will probably challenge and test your authority. Mine becomes particularly "testy" in the spring, breeding season.

The bigger they are the more dangerous is an iguana that bites. They are capable of inflicting serious and nasty injuries.

Simple mechanical physics: As far as the tail goes, the closer you are to it, the less power it has. Horse people know to be close to the horse and in contact while they work around it. That way, if the horse chooses to kick, the kick has considerably less power. To be at the end of an extended leg/or tail, is to be at it's position of greatest power.

that is exactually what i would have typed coyote but im trying to avoid carpo tunnel syndrome i agree with u 100%

Just to be different - I feel that too much handling is stressful, and that sometimes leaving them alone is a darned good option. Forcing a frightened or ticked off iguana to submit to handling can just as easily go the other way, creating an animal that runs and fights any time you try to hold it. I'm not saying that you should never handle it when it is acting up, just pointing out that there is another school of thought in this area. Less stressful interaction (talking to it, being around it without actually messing with it, and/or light physical contact) goes a long way to building your iguanas assurance that you are one of the good guys. JMO

I tend to agree with Harald. I do not see, or understand how man handling him is going to build trust with him, or any other animal.

A slow gentle hand would show many more rewards with him. Sounds like he is having a fight or flight responce. Man handling him will only make him worse.
JMHO.

It seems like the iguana was just having a bad day, let him want to be alone when he wants too. Heck, most people do not like being bothered when we are in a bad mood.

my belief is when you first get your iguana dont make any contact with them for a week or two let them settle in after that handle everyday but if they are having a bad day give them a break but continue the next day.

If your iguana is brand new, then give him some time to adjust to his new home. However, as coyote said, you want to make sure to handle him for the same reasons coyote said. He is acting aggressive to get you to leave him alone. If you leave him alone, back off, etc. he will continue to do it because it is getting him the response he wants. It may not seem so serious now but what about when he is 6 feet long? An iguana is an animal that you have to work with every day to socialize and even after they lose the aggressive behavior you still have to spend time with them to keep them that way. If you leave him alone, he will only get bigger, stronger and worse. It will take a lot of work, patience and scratches. My suggestion to you is to get some gloves to work with him at first.

Since posting this, Pixel has been awesome. He's really taken to us and we understand each other better.

We went away on holiday for a week and left him with our daughter to look after (She fed, cleaned and watered him daily). He didnt poo at all for the entire week - must have been stress constipation or something because when we returned I got him out of his vivarium and within 5 mins he crapped on the sofa! I swear he was holding it in for revenge! LOADS of it!

Anyway, we cleaned it up and he was happy again - jumping about the room and climbing up me as I walked by him. Really nice. He did bite me later that night, but it was more of a "get away" bite - no damage just a couple of pin pricks. I essentially went to stroke him without really talking to him or taking head of the leg kicks he gave me... still stroked him after he bit me tho

James