Iguana aggression

Question
Hi Sara,

8 days ago, I purchased 2 young iguanas from a pet store. About two days later, we purchased another, which was slightly larger (only about 2 inches larger). Everything was going fine, until 6 days later, the larger iguana started chasing and bitting the other two, absolutely out of the blue. We are presently on vacation so we are keeping them in a small plastic tank, but at home we have a large aquarium for them. Is he maybe stressed with the size of the tank, or is it just aggression (but the iguana is very young). What can i do to stop this behavior?????

Thank you so much for your help!!!!

Answer
John,

You cannot stop that behavior because it is instinctive and normal. Iguanas are generally solitary creatures and like to have a territory to claim as their own. Anytime you house multiple iguanas together, you are going to get one that becomes dominant over the others, in this case, the larger one is exerting his/her dominance over the terrarium and trying to create a pecking order. This is going to happen when there is not enough room in there. They all want an area to claim as their own, and usually the biggest of them will be the bossiest and will eat more food, get the best basking spot under the lamp and intimidate the smaller ones into a less enjoyable life of sacrifice.

Anyhow, my suggestion to you is to separate all of them. It truly is the wisest choice. If you do not wish to do that, at least pull the bigger more aggressive one out and give him his own territory. The smaller ones should be fine for the first 6 months or so living together but eventually, one is going to dominate over the other and you may have to re-evaluate separating them.

Also, when you do keep two iguanas together, they really benefit from each having their own food dish, and hide-out area. You really want to have two of everything, that way there are no territorial disputes. I don't know what size you have them in, but it should be at least 50 gallons to accommodate 2 hatchlings.

Don't be mad at the aggressive one. Iguanas are very instinctive. They are not malicious creatures, they are just doing what nature has instilled into them. They have to be territorial and they have to be defensive. Some iguanas are harder to deal with than others, but that generally calms down with age and daily handling will make them more comfortable with humans.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Sara J. Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptorRescue.org

"UVB Light + Good Diet + Fixed Daily Routine = Happy, Healthy Iguana"