One of the reasons people are afraid to get an iguana is because they are afriad that it will hurt when it bites. This is one of the most common concerns I get before my friends want to get an iguana as a pet. After many years of interacting with countless iguanas and bitten by them multiple times, I have the answer for you.
Iguanas’ bites can hurt if they are doing it for self-defense purposes. However, there are many reasons for an iguana to bite you. Some bites will hurt more than others and some may not hurt at all.
No matter how careful you are with an iguana, you will get bitten sooner or later. Most of the time, iguana bites are not painful. Do not let this fear deter you from getting an iguana as a pet, they are lovely to have around.
Types of Iguana Bite
As I’ve mentioned above, there will be many reasons for iguanas to bite you. Not all bites will feel the same, some will have less pressure applied to the bite while others will have more. Here is the list of all the types of iguana bite that you could experience.
Self Defensive Bites
Biting is one of the iguanas’ defensive mechanisms. However, they only use it against their enemy if they have no way of escaping.
This type of bite can be quite severe and it usually happens when owners corner their iguana. When you do that, the iguana will think that you are trying to attack and it will bite you without much hesitation.
Moreover, these bites could also result in having the iguana cling on to the bite. When this happens, it can be very difficult to get it off.
One of the best ways to get the iguana off is by soaking some cloth with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. The strong fumes from those substances will irritate the iguana enough for it to let go.
Here’s a video showing how hard an iguana can cling on once it bites onto an object, in this case, a hand:
Accidental Bites
Just like humans, iguanas aren’t perfect. They will make mistakes and have accidents too. You might have experienced it too if you have ever hand-fed an iguana.
Sometimes, when an iguana is trying to eat the food out of your hand, it might accidentally bite you. These are accidental bites. So, don’t think that your iguana hates being hand-fed just because it bit you.
Accidental bites usually don’t hurt much as they were just trying to grab the food with their mouths.
When hand feeding your iguana something small such as peas, they will usually use their tongues to get it from your hand. At least that is my experience with most of the iguanas I interacted with.
This shows you that iguanas are trying their best not to hurt you when you’re hand-feeding them. They are more gentle than most people think.
Biting Out of Fear
This is very common when you are starting to tame your iguana for the first time. But fret not, these bites are usually of very low pressure.
It’s normal for iguanas to freak out when you are new to interacting with it. Such a reaction is expected when there is no bond between the two of you.
Investigative Bite
When iguanas are introduced to something new, they might lick it with their tongue then give it a little bite. This can also happen when you have a new smell or changed your looks to something your iguana is not used to.
They do this to test if that new object will bite back. These bites have little to no pressure on them.
Territorial Bite
As you may already know, iguanas are very territorial animals. They will get angry if something is in its place and will fight over it. These bites are often very devastating and can even kill smaller animals.
It is not a good idea to have more than one iguana in an enclosure especially if you are new to this or if the cage isn’t big. Despite all that, you should never let your iguana dominate you when it’s free-roaming in your house.
You need to show your iguana that you are the boss. If you don’t, the iguana will think that it has control over you. This will make taming your iguana an uphill battle.
However, if your iguana is in its enclosure and shows signs of being territorial, it’s best to leave it alone if you don’t want to get bitten. Just respect it and simply walk away.
On the other hand, iguanas can also get jealous which can also induce the iguana in performing a territorial bite. Here’s a video showing one way an iguana might perform a territorial bite, it can be quite scary:
Mating Bites
These bites only happen during the breeding season with a male iguana. When your iguana performs this bite, it means that he wants to mate with you and it can get quite awkward.
Males will perform these bites on you like how they would on a female iguana. They are usually not dangerous but they will cling on until they finish their business.
Don’t try to push it away because the harder you push it, the more aggressively it will bite down.
If you want to remove your iguana, you can use the same technique used for removing iguanas that perform self-defensive bites by using alcohol or ammonia. In rare cases where that technique does not work, you can also pour a little alcohol directly in its mouth.
Moreover, You can also remove your clothing if your iguana is clinging on to it such as your shirt or shoe.
Another thing you could do is replace whatever it’s clinging on with something else such as a sweater or t-shirt. Watch this video to see this in action:
Can Iguanas Bite Your Finger Off?
From my many years of experience, I have never seen or heard anyone that I know of that have their fingers bitten off by an iguana.
However, when I was researching online, I did find 2 images of partially bitten off thumbs. They claim the damage was done by an iguana.
Other than that, there really isn’t much I could find. However, I do believe that iguanas have the ability to bite your finger off if they really wanted to. These reptiles have a strong jaw with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
From the research I have done, it is quite possible for an iguana to bite your finger off if it wanted to. So, Don’t simply mess with your iguana because the result can be devastating.
Protecting Yourself From Iguana Bites
There are several ways you can protect yourself and prevent getting bitten by your iguana. When you do get bitten by an iguana, make sure to rinse the wound with hot, soapy water.
If you have an open wound from the bite, you should seek medical attention immediately as most iguanas carry salmonella which can be found in their mouth and skin.
Nevertheless, here are some ways you can prevent that from happening in the first place.
Thick Leather Gloves
The easiest way to prevent getting bitten by your iguana is to get a thick leather glove. Even with a glove, some iguanas can still bite through it and cause some serious damage if they are not thick enough.
However, there is one downside to this method. Your iguana will not get used to your real touch and may be difficult to tame it in the future.
Respecting Your Iguana
It is important that you respect your iguana when it’s showing signs of aggression. If you continue getting near the iguana or touch it when you see signs of aggression, you will most likely get bitten.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t overly respect it because the iguana might think that it has control over you. Again, this will make it very hard for you to tame it afterward.
There is a very fine line between when to push on and when to back off. The more you get to know your iguana, the better you know the limit. This can take years of experience to get right.
Taming Your Iguana
The best and most sustainable way to prevent your iguana from biting you on a regular basis is taming it. Once your iguana is tamed, it should be a lot less aggressive and much friendlier towards you.
Even if they do bite you, it will not apply as much pressure. Not only is it the best way, but it is also the one that will take the most time and effort to execute.
Conclusion
Most of the time, iguanas’ bite will not hurt unless they see you as an enemy and try to defend themselves.
In fact, there are many types of iguana bites and all of them will be performed differently with different pressure.
Moreover, iguanas can bite your finger off if it wanted to but that doesn’t happen often and for most owners, it’s not something to worry about.
Lastly, there are some ways you can protect yourself from an iguana bite. At the end of the day, the best way to prevent severe bites is to tame your iguana.
