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not getting anywhere with my new ig

760 views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  Flatty 
#1 ·
hey all, ive had my baby male ig for 2 months or so and ive been handling him as much as possible but eachtime is the same, 15 mins cat n mouse around his cage and once i have him i cant really move as he is always poised to do a runner... is this normal or is the chasing around making things worse??
 
#11 ·
so just sit with my hand in there untill he climbs on it? this will take time .
do this....yes

and this will take time - duh!

surly you knew this and had researched how to care for it well b4 getting one and from different sources :bash:
 
#4 ·
I have the same probs with my iggy as soon as I open the viv it freaks out but I dont attempt to catch it as I feel it just scares it more hopefully it will eventually get use to me
 
#5 ·
right with lizards like iggys that can and will do you damage even when smallthink of it as you with a giant what are you going to do if he grabs you???? panic
gently each day calmly put your hand in and stroke,change water and food rocket etc etc
start like this this will take a month till he stops getting flighty and used to you
taming a lizard like an iggy can be done but takes time and ptience from you,the natural instinct in the wild if anything is seen as danger is to dive from a branch into the water
start off slowly with them i have seen a rescue that has been left in a viv on his own and grown to 3 years wild but has been tamed down so he will allow stroking an dhandling from time to time(bearing in mind he can bite your thumb off and leave scars wit claws on wrists and a nasty whip form a tail)
to get these to become tame and handleable is a huge job but with time and patince can happen
however darting in there and grabbing is sending any steps forward 6 steps back
take your time : victory:
 
#6 ·
hi

Hi there
Just thouht i would let you know my iggy gem was a nightmare even when feeding and doing water she would go right skitty running everywhere in her viv. I have had her a little over a year and now when she sees me coimg to viv for food water or misting she will come straight up to top of viv for a stroke she loves being touched now. she will allow me to pick her up but not moving her too much but im sure she will get there, so really just give your iggy time and learn to trust you dont force yourself on him.
jo
 
#7 ·
Take it slow. Your movements towards and into you're Igs enclosure should be slow - this will encourage you're Ig to realise that you are not a threat. Also you can try gently stroking his head, particularly the transparent scale between your Igs eyes - this will really calm him down. I have had my Iguana for 14 years and she is very tame - it's all about being confident when handling them, no sudden of quick movements and spending time holding your Ig.
 
#8 ·
hi stiggy mate.

may i ask what are you expecting?
 
#9 ·
This. Its a young iguana and you've only had it two months.
I've had max for a full four months, and he's only just starting to not bite as soon as i take him out... and he's older!

Stop chasing him around. Give him a while of relaxation between handling (i.e. dont handle "as much as possible", spend some time sitting by his tank and just talking to him and letting him know you're not gonna put him through hell every time you go near him.
 
#12 ·
ive had my male ig about a year now and he's still mental as hell one day, calmer than calm the next. loves it once hes out but it takes hell of alot of time and effort. he will run if i go in the viv to change water but will come up and jump out for food!

if mines in a mood i pop him in a nice warm bath before handling to much and that calms him right down. will sit on my head for hours but as soon as he gets bored of being out he'll run like hell around the room.

stick with it, its worth it in the end! :2thumb:
 
#13 ·
button 12 you have obviously taken this chance to jump on someone and make yourself look good, how about sound advice as that is what the forum is for i belive. your post was pointless and unhelpfull, no amount of research can replace actual experience or cover every eventuality.
 
#14 ·
Dont take it personally mate its just us lot sometimes have a hard time helping newbies especially since we see so many people who just dont put enough time into research.

Good to see your takeing whats been said on board though
 
#15 ·
First of all, you seem to want it tame straight away. Sounds like you more want a lap dog, so why not get a yorkshire terrier :p

Reptiles need to trust you before they will come to you, so gain it's trust. You're certainly not gonna get that when you're chasing it round an enclosure. The most simple way of doing this is with the daily maintenance. Cleaning poop, changing water and so on. After a while start to try hand feeding it. Once it's started to stop being jumpy with you going to give it food, try give it a little stroke.

The smaller the steps you take the easier it is for both of you.

Another thing you need to remember, one day out of routine can take you back a month so you need to be gaining trust daily, not as and when it suits you.
 
#16 ·
ive had my baby iggy now for 3 days hes just started eating, at the mo aslong as im 6 inch from him hes ok maybe in a month il try aliitle closers you can tell by the body position m8 just me being in his home he lowers his body and head slightly.if a dog cowered ud go slowly towards it and try your best not to make the situation worse for it. im in the same situation as you it killing me not having him out of the viv and running over my setee but ive done alot of research and spoke to a few on here and every1 sugests taking it very very slowly to minimize stress and speed up this whole process. what make me laugh is that no matter how old ppl get when they get something new we all go bak to kids and get eyes in our fingers lol good luck mate and just keep asking the experienced pll on here questions cuz some of there answers are better than any book
 
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