Why Your Iguana is Aggressive
One of the things you need to be aware of when considering an Iguana as a pet is the fact that iguanas can become quite aggressive towards people, even occasionally their owners. Even normally amiable iguanas can suddenly become quite aggressive at certain times of the year.
Why are iguanas aggressive?
Iguanas are not domesticated pets like cats and dogs – they are wild animals who can (and often do) make good pets, provided that their owners understand them. There are several reasons why an iguana might become aggressive and one of the most common causes, especially with male iguanas, is their mating cycle. During breeding season, almost all male iguanas will start to display increasingly aggressive tendencies. If your normally friendly male iguana becomes aggressive, then you know what the problem is and will just need to be patient until it passes. Another common reason for an increase in aggression in iguanas is stress. Stress in iguanas can be caused by many factors – a change in environment, loud noises, other animals, a change in temperature, unsatisfactory diet, all of which can cause stress in your iguana and cause him to become aggressive.
What can you do to calm down a stressed iguana?
If you suspect that your iguana’s aggressive behavior is caused by stress, then you need to look into the possible causes of stress. If it has been caused by a change in environment, then you need to wait until he adapts to his new environment. This will take around two weeks, and if this is indeed the cause, your iguana should begin to calm down. If the stress is caused by the existing environment itself – from noises in the surrounding area or from other pets interfering with your iguana, try and remove these possible stress causing factors. Creating a camouflaged hiding place within the iguana’s enclosure for him to retreat to when he wants to be left alone, will also help the situation. You will also need to analyze his diet and take steps to correct any deficiencies you find. Iguanas are notoriously picky eaters, and will always try to pick out the tasty morsels from their food and avoid the bits that they find less appealing. This could lead to deficiencies in their diet and one way of avoiding this situation is to finely chop all of the food items and mix them all together. You could also use a food processor for this purpose. This will ensure that they get the balanced diet they need. The last possible cause of stress which I’ve identified here is temperature. Iguanas need a warm ‘basking’ zone as well as a shaded ‘cool’ zone within their enclosures for them to effectively regulate their body temperature. You should also ensure that no part of the enclosure falls below 80 degrees (Fahrenheit).