Every time someone wants to get an iguana, I always notice them asking… “are iguanas dangerous?”. This is one of the most common questions and I get it… iguanas are huge lizards and have been involved in a few serious injuries that made the news. I once wondered the same thing. It was until I got my own iguana years ago and did some research online that I got the answer…
Iguanas can be very dangerous in the wild or even as pets. They can bite, scratch, and whip their tails to defend themselves which can cause serious injuries. Not only that, but they can also transmit deadly Salmonella bacteria to humans!
With their excellent defensive skills, they will not hesitate to hurt anyone or anything if they feel threatened. Yes, they will even hurt their caretakers.
However, iguanas are not aggressive in nature, and to most people, they are not dangerous. All they need is some basic understanding of iguanas’ behavior and most injuries can easily be avoided.
How Iguanas Can Be Dangerous?
As we all know, iguanas are huge lizards with many dangerous defensive mechanisms such as strong jaws. Their bites can be devastating, causing some serious injuries. Other than that, they could also scratch, whip their tail, and potentially pass Salmonella bacteria to humans.
1. Bites
Iguanas do not commonly bite humans or any living thing at all. Their first choice when iguanas feel threatened or danger is to flee. They only resort to biting when they are cornered with nowhere to escape.
Most of the time, iguanas bite so that it creates an opportunity to run away. That being said, their bites are not soft at all. In fact, they have between 80 to 120 razor-sharp serrated teeth that can cause some serious injuries.
These teeth are used to rip and tear through foods of all sorts, including thick and dense vegetation that makes up most of their meals. However, do not underestimate these teeth. They can penetrate and rip skins apart just as easily.
In some cases, even fingers are bitten off. That is how sharp and strong their teeth and jaws are. Stitches are often needed when treating an iguana bite.
Even with a great bond and trust between you and your iguana, it could still bite you under some circumstances. Most of the time bites are on the finger, wrist, hand, arm, ankle, and face.
There are some serious face injuries caused by iguanas being broadcasted in the news. However, they are far and few in between.
That being said, it can be hard to understand the phycology behind these lizards’ brains. They are very different from how we think. So, even with full mutual trust between you and your iguana, you still have to be extremely careful when handling them.
The last thing to remember about their bites is that it contains venom. Luckily, these venoms are harmless towards humans but just be aware of it.
2. Scratches
Iguanas are known for their sharp claws they used for climbing. Other than climbing, they also use these claws to protect themselves from threats.
Trust me, they are not afraid to use them and they can cause some serious damage to both humans and animals. Furthermore, these claws can easily infect an open wound with bacteria when they do attack.
3. Tail Whips
Getting tail whipped by iguanas might not sound dangerous at first but remember, these lizards can be huge!
They can grow up to 5 to 7 feet long. Out of that, their tails can be made up of 2 to 3 feet. With such a big long tail, you can expect some respectable force when it hits you.
It is common for iguanas to whip their tails when they cannot find other ways to protect themselves such as biting and scratching.
4. Salmonella
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that you can see, smell, or taste. It can cause diarrhea, upset stomach, fever, and pain/cramping on your stomach.
Salmonella can be especially dangerous to young kids, the elderly, or people with a weak immune system. The scary thing is that iguanas can carry these bacteria on their skin.
Iguanas can pass Salmonella everywhere they go. Despite that, you can still touch and interact with your iguana… just make sure to wash the part of your body that touched the iguana thoroughly.
Even though not all iguanas carry Salmonella on them, you have to assume they all have it. Avoid kissing or getting them anywhere near your face.
Salmonella facts: According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million injections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the USA every year. However, most of these numbers come from Salmonella in food.
Reasons For Iguanas Being Aggressive
There are many reasons why an iguana is being aggressive. Keep in mind that different iguanas will react differently, they each have their own personality.
Moreover, iguanas may react one way today and another the next day but they have their own reasons. It can be hard to predict if you don’t know the reasons for iguanas to be aggressive.
These aggressions can range from minor attacks to serious attacks like those I’ve mentioned above. Minor attacks are things such as accidentally biting your finger when you are trying to feed it, which isn’t really true aggression.
However, here are 6 reasons for iguanas to be truly aggressive although, not all of them are dangerous:
1. Territorial Behavior
Some iguanas are more territorial than others. They may not like anyone or anything in or near its territory. This may cause them to be aggressive.
2. Feeling Threatened
When iguanas feel threatened or scared of something, they may attempt to bite or whip their tails if they have no choice of running away.
3. Breeding Season
During breeding, iguanas of both sexes might act differently from their usual behavior. If the iguana sees another you or another animal as an eligible partner, it might grab on to it.
This is not really dangerous but just be aware of it. This breeding season can last for 30 days in the wild but often times longer when in captivity.
4. Alpha Male Trait
Some male iguanas will have the alpha male trait. Because of that, they are usually more aggressive compared to females and other smaller male iguanas.
This can be more prominent during the breeding seasons when they are looking to mate.
5. Hormonal Changes
Sometimes you will notice your iguana acting aggressively towards the same action that it didn’t have a problem with from the day before. Hormones are the explanation of this phenomenon.
6. They Are Just In A Bad Mood
Iguanas are not different fro us humans when it comes to mood swings. Sometimes, your iguana could just be in a bad mood and do not want to be disturbed.
How to Avoid Attacks From Iguanas
Some attacks from iguanas are just impossible to avoid because they could be unpredictable at times. Even the most well-tamed iguana will misbehave from time to time.
1. Avoiding Their Bites
There are 2 ways you can avoid getting bitten by iguanas. First, do no put them in a position where they feel threatened or cornered. Remember, iguanas do not want to bite unless they have to. Their first choice is to run whenever possible.
The second way is using falconry gloves. These are more to prevent the injuries that come from iguanas biting you, less or avoiding it. Nevertheless, this is a good option to have.
If you are caring for an iguana, you will experience some sort of bite, be it minor or serious.
2. Avoiding Scratches
The easiest and best way to avoid scratches from iguanas is to trim their nails every few weeks. However, falconry gloves can also do the trick.
Falconry gloves are recommended but it can be an overkill. Welding gloves or any heavy-duty gloves will do just fine.
There is an upside and a downside to this though. The upside, other than preventing scratches, is that your iguana will be able to climb on you much easier since the claws are fully intact.
The downside is that if your iguana gets used to gloves touching it, it might never feel comfortable having human laying their bare hands on it.
3. Avoiding Tail Whips
The only way to avoid tail whips from iguanas is to learn about their behavior, personality, and most importantly, body language. Iguanas express themselves a lot using body language.
Pay attention to their movements and over time, you will get to know you iguana’s personality well enough to know if it’s calm or in a confrontational mood.
4. Avoiding Salmonella
To lower your chances of getting Salmonella bacteria, clean your iguana regularly, and keep good hygiene practices. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap after handling an iguana.
Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to get rid of all the Salmonella bacteria on an iguana no matter how good your hygiene practices are.
What to Do If My Iguana Attacks Me?
When iguanas become dangerous and start to attack you, try to get out of their way without confrontation. This will lead to fewer attacks and injuries.
Their tails are very strong and can whip it with a considerable amount of force. There are even stories of iguana tail whips breaking human bones.
On the other hand, if your iguana bites you, it can cling on to you with their powerful jaw. When that happens, pour some rubbing alcohol on a rag and put it on or close the iguana’s nose.
The strong smell and fumes should be sufficient for it to let go. If that does not work, you could also try dripping a few drops of drinking alcohol into the iguana’s mouth and it should do the same thing.
When you do get bitten, the first thing you after getting the iguana off you is to clean the wound thoroughly. If you don’t, Salmonella bacteria can be an issue.
However, if the injury is severe, go straight to the hospital. In many cases, severe iguana bites will require stitches.
Confrontational Signs of Iguanas
There are quite a few signs you have to always pay attention to when iguanas perform them. If you do spot any of these signs, just leave the iguanas alone before they become dangerous.
That being said, there are reported cases where iguanas attack their owners without any signs or warning, but this rare. Most of the time, they will show at least one of these signs.
1. Head Bobbing
The faster an iguana is bobbing its head, the more upset or aggressive it feels. They will do this repeatedly, either side to side or up and down.
2. Dewlap Extended
The dewlap is the flab of skin under the iguana’s jaw. It is very obvious when they let it down to show more dominance.
3. Standing Up High On All Fours
They do this to make themselves look bigger and more dominant, just like most animals.
4. Body Puffed Up
Just like guys in the gym trying to puff up their chest to look bigger, iguanas do the same thing. They breathe in deep and puff their chest up with air to look more intimidating.
5. Hissing
This behavior is common among many lizards when they are about to get aggressive. It is very similar to cats. When they hiss, it is better to stay away than to be sorry.
How Do Iguanas Attack?
Iguanas usually do not start the attack but sometimes, they do. Before the attack, they will perform some or all of the above confrontational signs. This is especially obvious when they are walking towards you or an object with eyes locked on target.
Once they are near enough, they attack by biting down on the object then swinging it around as violently as it can. Here is a video showing you how an iguana attack:
Taming An Iguana
Before you even think about taming an iguana, make sure you give it a few weeks in that environment. This is so it gets used to its new home. After that, make sure you familiarize yourself with the iguana and know when it feels threatened so you know when to stop.
1. Be Patient & Keep A Routine
It is important to be patient and predictable with your routine of cleaning, feeding, and handling your iguana. This will provide your iguana with a sense of security.
2. Communicate With Your Iguana
Another trick is to talk to your iguana. This might sound weird but it actually does work. It will help your iguana get used to having you around.
Also, give it a name and call it that because they will start to recognize their name over time. Take 10 to 15 minutes every day just sitting there, watching your iguana and talking to it will help tremendously.
3. Show Dominance
Show your iguana who is in charge without stressing it out. When an iguana gets slightly aggressive and you back down, it will think that it has dominance over you.
Do not let that happen because if you do, an iguana will think it can do whatever it wants if it just gets aggressive. This is easier said than done. Try to make it clear to the iguana that you are the one making the decisions here.
4. Treat Your Iguana With Care
Learn to pick up your iguana by scooping it up from the sides. Picking your iguana up from the top will stress it out as it thinks that its a predator. If an iguana shows some signs of aggression when picking it up, back off a little.
Try again by speaking with a softer voice and make slow and smooth movements. Do not stop trying when it shows signs of aggression.
If you do, the iguana will think you are the one getting trained instead. Keep repeating this until your iguana is used to getting handled by you.
5. Only Put Your Iguana Down When It Is Relaxed
Sometimes, in the middle of carrying your iguana, your iguana might start to struggle to get out. Try not to immediately put it down when it’s struggling. Do it when it is calm.
This will teach your iguana that it can get what it wants being calm, not struggling. In the event that your iguana escape from your hand, do not start chasing it. Let your iguana naturally calm down and approach it slowly and speaking softly.
There are certain situations where you need to chase your iguana but it is best not to. Lastly, do not grab iguanas by the tail because its defense mechanism will just break it off, leaving you with a tail without iguana.
Conclusion
Iguanas are powerful and huge lizards and they can be very dangerous pets if you do no educate yourself. This will not be a concern if you learn how to properly handle it and read it’s body language.
There are signs iguanas will give you when they feel threatened or want to be aggressive. This way, you can easily avoid any confrontation or injuries.
All that being said, even the most well-tamed iguana will attack you under some circumstances. You cannot avoid it as this is in their nature.
