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The day before yesterday Radar, my iguana, apparently came in to season, and thus he wants to do exactly two things, and they both start with F. I can actually deal with one of the F's, after all, anyone who's worked with imprinted hormonal essentially-wild animals has had the distinct 'pleasure' of being, um, propositioned. Its the other F, Fight, that's the problem.
Male iguanas in season want to KILL any other male iguana they see, and apparently my pant legs look like another male to him. I was reading a book on my bed and he climbed up, crawled up my leg, and bit, getting only the fabric. He was holding on so hard I couldn't pry him off. I finally stood and walked ot the living room, dragging him along. He leg go and hopped down, and I went back to my book on my bed, waiting to see if he was going to do it again. He did, only worse. I looked up to see him halfway across the room from me, glanced away, and the next instant he was latched onto my other pant leg. Fortunately all he got were my jeans, if he had grabbed me he could have sliced me right down to the bone. Their teeth are small, but very sharp and serrated, like a knife, made to cut through the toughest leaves. He wanted to tear chunks out, he was crocodile-rolling like mad and wouldn't let go even after I stuck my leg in his cage. I finally started dragging him over the bathroom (which contains The Bathtub of Doom) before he let go on his own.
I was very lucky, apparently his aggression was directed at my legs and/or he didn't realize my hands and face were, in fact, part of me, because he let me pick him up and put him away. I'm kinda shaken, I've heard that male iguanas can sometimes do this while they're in season, but I never expected Radar, who was alway so tame and nice for a reptile, to do this. It's fortunate that I'm used to the idea that I can't 'trust' my pets, the way you would trust your dog not to attack you. My critters (aside from my betta) aren't domesticated and therefore they WILL behave like wild animals, because they are.
I took him to the vet yesterday on the basis that you should always go the vet when there's a sudden change in behavior, even though I had a pretty good idea what was wrong. Not surprisingly the diagnosis was he is a healthy Stud Iguana. He's also tripled in weight since the last time I took him in, in '06 he weighed 1 1/2lbs, yesterday he weighed 4, exactly. Apparently the care I'm giving him is a little too good, so he wants to be Boss of the Jungle, kill all the guys and get all the girls. I really hope he calms down soon. Until he does I'm going to have to be very careful, make sure I've got leg/foot protection on, stay standing and alert when he's out of his cage, and probably get a pair of welding gloves so I can handle him if he does start attacking hands.
In other news, my female turquosine parakeet keeps propositioning me. No thanks. Wrong sex, wrong species. My bonded pair of cockatiels (a father/son bonded pair, no less)keep looking for nesting sites, as is, for the first time ever, my conure. At least none of them are propositioning me. Or trying to kill me.
I can't wait for spring to be over.
Male iguanas in season want to KILL any other male iguana they see, and apparently my pant legs look like another male to him. I was reading a book on my bed and he climbed up, crawled up my leg, and bit, getting only the fabric. He was holding on so hard I couldn't pry him off. I finally stood and walked ot the living room, dragging him along. He leg go and hopped down, and I went back to my book on my bed, waiting to see if he was going to do it again. He did, only worse. I looked up to see him halfway across the room from me, glanced away, and the next instant he was latched onto my other pant leg. Fortunately all he got were my jeans, if he had grabbed me he could have sliced me right down to the bone. Their teeth are small, but very sharp and serrated, like a knife, made to cut through the toughest leaves. He wanted to tear chunks out, he was crocodile-rolling like mad and wouldn't let go even after I stuck my leg in his cage. I finally started dragging him over the bathroom (which contains The Bathtub of Doom) before he let go on his own.
I was very lucky, apparently his aggression was directed at my legs and/or he didn't realize my hands and face were, in fact, part of me, because he let me pick him up and put him away. I'm kinda shaken, I've heard that male iguanas can sometimes do this while they're in season, but I never expected Radar, who was alway so tame and nice for a reptile, to do this. It's fortunate that I'm used to the idea that I can't 'trust' my pets, the way you would trust your dog not to attack you. My critters (aside from my betta) aren't domesticated and therefore they WILL behave like wild animals, because they are.
I took him to the vet yesterday on the basis that you should always go the vet when there's a sudden change in behavior, even though I had a pretty good idea what was wrong. Not surprisingly the diagnosis was he is a healthy Stud Iguana. He's also tripled in weight since the last time I took him in, in '06 he weighed 1 1/2lbs, yesterday he weighed 4, exactly. Apparently the care I'm giving him is a little too good, so he wants to be Boss of the Jungle, kill all the guys and get all the girls. I really hope he calms down soon. Until he does I'm going to have to be very careful, make sure I've got leg/foot protection on, stay standing and alert when he's out of his cage, and probably get a pair of welding gloves so I can handle him if he does start attacking hands.
In other news, my female turquosine parakeet keeps propositioning me. No thanks. Wrong sex, wrong species. My bonded pair of cockatiels (a father/son bonded pair, no less)keep looking for nesting sites, as is, for the first time ever, my conure. At least none of them are propositioning me. Or trying to kill me.
I can't wait for spring to be over.