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iguana scratching

10K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  mr ackie123  
#1 ·
Hi ive had Wizard nearly 2 weeks now, hes approx 9 months old ( older not younger if wrong) Ive noticed him scratching a hell of a lot the last couple of days.( literally like a dog does with his hind leg) Anyone got any ideas? I never noticed my other iguana scratching like this.Any advice please.
 
#2 ·
assuming your temperatures are all ok, its just what they do. Open the door and let the guy out

edit: do you mean digging down or at the door? If its digging down then maybe its older than 9 months and is carrying eggs. You should be looking at making a lay box. This should be somewhere it feels safe and also filled with something such as a peat and sand mix. without somewhere suitable to lay, your iggy could well become egg bound which can be fatal
 
#3 ·
Hi no i meant hes scratching his body. I never noticed my other iguana sratching herself and up to now theres no sign of a shed. thanks
 
#5 ·
Hi thanks for reply, ive only had him 2 weeks, 1 st week i just let him settle in, and this week ive just been opening the viv door and talking to him at every opportunity. Yeah hes getting sprayed twice daily. His temps are fine.
My first thought was mites, would you beable to see them? it will be quite stressing to pick him up as i dont think his previous owners have done much handling, they seemed pretty scared of him. He is flipping out just with me opening the door and baby talking him. lol.
 
#6 ·
my little guy does it every now and again and he doesn't have mites. he just gets his hind leg and gives his face a scratch. if its mites you should be able to see little black dots on the surface that move around. Plus you should be able to spot them on the logs/newspaper etc. as long as he is active, feeding well and doing his iggy thing, generally being a grumpy bum then i would say he is A-ok.

rick
 
#7 ·
thanks :) Theres definetly nothing on him or running in the viv etc so maybe im just over watching him! :) Thanks again lizz
 
#8 ·
One of my beardies does this is the bath... is it just after spraying by any chance?
If not its possible its just one of his quirks =] or has not long had a shed and theres an annoying bit stuck on him.
 
#9 ·
my iggy is 11 months and does a similar thing , id imagine its some kind of preening to just to make sure there is no skin left on him, or maybe dried salt excretion from his nose. unless you can see mites , nothing to worry about. it when they start scratching you , u need to be concerned ha ha , they can make a mess of your hands and arms when taming them .
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys :) Im looking to the long road of taming Wizard down even with all the scratches to come!! lol.
Just going to take it nice and slow. :)