AGGRESSION IN GREEN IGUANAS

As a rule most iguanas who are obtained as young juveniles and are handled correctly do not tend to become aggressive, however there are a few exceptions to this rule. One of the biggest exceptions is the tendency for adult alpha male iguanas becoming aggressive in a home where the primary human handler is a female. Dr. Fredric L. Frye has associated this to a pheromone that is produced by the human female during her menstral cycle. Dr. Frye suggests that this pheromone is very similar to that produced by an adult female iguana during the mating season. Providing a surrogate mate during this period such as a stuffed animal or a rubber glove may curb this behavior.

It has also been suggested that neutering an aggressive male iguana will help to change his aggressive behavior. This has NOT been proven through research and in fact many post surgical cases followed by Dr. Douglas Mader have shown little or no change in their aggressive behavior. In the case of the neutered adult male iguana post surgical follow-ups would seem to indicate that once an aggressive adult male iguana, always an aggressive adult male iguana. Since this behavior has been linked to sexual behavior and is commonly noted by the aggression of the male iguana toward the female during mating the ideal time, if any, to even consider neutering your iguana is to do so before it reaches sexual maturity. The only draw back to this concept is that it will have a profound effect on the iguanas' development. Such as the lack of development of large jowls and spinal spikes as a direct result of lowered levels of hormones. More research in this area is currently under study and may come up with more definitive answers on this subject, but for now the general belief in the scientific and veterinary communities is that neutering of male iguanas is not a good solution to aggression and has its side effects if performed on young juveniles.

Aggression by one iguana towards another is usually witnessed in alpha male iguanas that are very intolerant of other iguanas, particularly other alpha males and even beta males that are not capable of reproduction. Beta males are usually much more tolerant of alpha males, females and other beta males and therefore make the best captives. Aggression in females is seldom seen because females are tolerant of other females as a result of the fact that one alpha male will mate with a small group of females. Iguanas who become aggressive may often times be "tamed down" through gentle handling in a non-aggressive or threatening manner such as approaching the iguana from the front allowing it to see you approaching it and holding it by its belly allowing it to rest on your hands and arm like the branch of a tree rather than grabbing it by its back like a predator. Iguanas have a type of third eye located on the top of their head, which plays a role in thyroid production, but also sees shadows. This "third eye" allows the iguana to detect predators such as birds as they approach from above and when you reach in and grab your iguana from above by its back you become the bird and cause the iguana to become aggressive by eliciting a fight or flight response every time you reach into its enclosure.

Return to Main Page