Iguanas are pretty exotic pets. It is common for people to ask if iguanas will ever bond with their owners. Most people want a pet they can have special moments with.
I was asking the same question because when I first got my iguana, it was very cold towards me and there was no bond at all. So, I went on the internet and did some research and here is what I found.
Most iguanas will form some sort of bond with their owners. Each iguana has its own personality, hence bonding experience will differ from iguana to iguana. Some will be easier to bond with while others will be harder or even near impossible.
Bonding with your pet iguana is very important and I strongly suggest that every iguana owner do just that. Moreover, bonding with your iguana won’t be hard if you know the right techniques to do so. Just like anything in life, it will take time and patience.
Reasons to Bond with Your Iguana
Bonding with your pet iguana can only be beneficial to you and your iguana. Here are some of the reasons for it:
More Memorable Moments – When you have a good bond with your iguana, it will naturally like to hang around you more often. This will definitely create some unforgettable moments with you and your iguana.
Easier to Tame – If you plan to tame your iguana in the near future, you have to first create some sort of bond with it. Without a bond between you and your iguana, it can make it almost impossible for the taming process to begin.
Less Aggression Towards You – Iguanas can get very aggressive and dangerous if you have no bond with it. You might get attacked by it more often and have more injuries as a result of that. With a good bond, your iguana will be a lot less likely to be aggressive towards you. Moreover, it will also be much easier to handle.
If any of the reasons appeal to you, make sure to bond with your iguana as much as possible.
Bonding: Adult Vs Young Iguanas
The bonding experience can be quite different depending on the age of the iguana. Young iguanas can react very differently compared to adult iguanas.
Young Iguanas
Most people might think that bonding with young iguanas will be easier since they have not exposed to many things yet. That is true to some degree but you need to be prepared to expect some behavioral changes.
This behavioral change is very likely to happen when young iguanas hit puberty at the age of around 2 to 3 years old. It might suddenly become more aggressive after that even if you already have a good bond with your iguana.
That being said, if you start bonding with your iguana since it was young, the bond will be a lot stronger as you were there its whole life.
Adult Iguanas
Compared to young iguanas, adult iguanas can be easier to bond with since it might already have the experience of getting handled by humans.
However, some adult iguanas are not treated very well and it can lead to the iguana losing trust with humans. This will make your task of bonding with your iguana that much harder. Always ask the seller or adoption center how they were treated before you get it.
Techniques of Bonding With Iguanas
Having the right techniques to bond with your iguana is very important as it can really speed the process up. These techniques have been proven to work over and over based on my years of experience with iguanas.
Feed Your Iguana By Hand
This is one of the most effective ways to get a bond between you and your iguana. As you may or may not know, iguanas love food. Feeding it by hand will make it love you a lot since it will start to associate you with the food that it loves.
On top of that, you should also treat your iguana with some fruits every once in a while so it never gets boring. If you don’t have so much time to hand feed your iguana every day, try your best to do it as often as you can.
Pet Your Iguana
If your iguana allows, try to pet your iguana. You want it to get used to your touch. This will make it less likely to become aggressive towards you.
If your iguana doesn’t allow you to touch it yet, you should just put your hand near it for a few minutes every day. Eventually, it will start to let you touch it.
However, if your iguana is very aggressive in nature, you should put your hand right outside of the iguana cage so it can’t attack you while you’re making it get used to your presence.
Talk to Your Iguana
Try to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes every day talking to your iguana. Your iguana might not understand what you’re saying but it will start to create a bond with your voice.
The more you talk to them, the more familiar they will be to your voice. Iguanas are more fond of things they are familiar with. Another thing you can do is give it a name.
Surprisingly, just like dogs, iguanas can actually know their names if you give them enough time. They can even come towards you when you call them by their name once they are familiar.
Be near your iguana
When placing your iguana’s cage, try to put it as close to where you spend the majority of your time at.
When your iguana gets to see you every time, it will recognize your existence and start to see you as a friend rather than a foe. This will make it so much easier to bond with your iguana.
Doing Activities with Your Iguana
Iguanas are very lazy animals but there are some activities that will get them moving. These activities include walking in the park and swimming.
You can only do this if you already develop some sort of bond with your iguana. Without having any bond or trust with your iguana, it might just run away when you bring it out for a walk or swim.
Even putting on a leash can be an impossible task when there is no bond. Only do this to bond further with your iguana after the initial bonding stage is over as this is a more advanced bonding technique.
Time It Takes to Bond With Iguanas
The time it takes to bond can differ greatly from iguana to iguana. Each iguana has its own personality. Some can easily bond within a few weeks or months while others will not bond much with you even after years of trying.
It is purely dependent on luck if you are getting a new iguana that you know nothing of. If you are lucky, you won’t have to do much on your side to get a bond between the two of you.
However, from my experience, most iguanas take about 2 to 4 months to have some sort of bond with. From my experience, those iguanas that take years or near impossible to bond with is a rare encounter.
When Iguanas Developed A Bond with You
You know your iguana has developed some sort of bond with you when it starts to allow you to touch it without freaking out or being aggressive. This is only obvious if your iguana didn’t always behave like that.
Another sign that your iguana has a bond with you is when they get jealous. Yes, iguanas can get jealous. This will be very obvious if you have another pet in the house and you’re showing some love to it in front of your iguana.
Other than that, iguanas that have a bond with you will like to stay close to you and always allow you to pet it. Even if you have a very good bond with your iguana, it can sometimes still be aggressive towards you but that is just normal iguana behavior.
Lastly, the most common sign that you have bonded well with your iguana is that it allows you to put a leash on and go for a walk. Iguanas with no bond with you will usually not allow you to put a leash around them.
Conclusion
Iguanas do bond with their owners and there are many benefits to that. The age of the iguana will have an effect on the bonding experience since young and adult iguanas act differently.
When bonding with iguanas, using the right techniques will give you the best shot at doing so. Other than that, these techniques can also help you do it as quickly and as effectively as possible. One of the most effective techniques is to feed your iguana by hand.
Even after using all the techniques listed in this article, there is no guarantee that you will ever bond with your iguana. Each iguana has its own mind and personality. Some might not like humans at all but those iguanas can be quite rare.
You will know when your iguana has developed a bond with you when their behaviors change, such as being less aggressive and friendlier.
