How can i know that my iguana is male or female? Does he/she need another iguana? Or not?

Question

I have an baby iguana and i dont want it to feel lonely.

Answer 1

You can tell the sex of a green iguana (I assume you have a green iguana, as these are the kind most commonly kept as pets) by looking at the undersides of the hind legs. Males have highly developed pores in this area that secrete scent, and are often covered in a waxy substance. In addition, the spiny scales that run along an iguana's back are noticeably longer and thicker in males than they are in females. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

It's hard to tell when they're babies. Once they get older, males' spikes will become red every once in a while, around mating season. Females have smaller spikes and are less aggressive.

Don't get another iguana! They are solitary, and adding a cagemate could cause fighting, and territorial disputes, etc. Also, since your iguana is only a baby, you may not have had a lot of time to get used to having one. It may turn out that you don't like keeping an iguana as a pet, as I did. Even though I kept my iguana girl, I would never buy another. They are very difficult to care for, and have a lot of specific needs. The vetrinarian who answered earlier is right!

Answer 3

a male iguana is much brighter than a female. u can ask a vet or the petshop u brought him/her from. the iguana doen't need a friend. they r happy as it is.

Answer 4

Do NOT get it a cagemate!!!!!! Iguanas are solitary/territorial animals in the wild....except for when they are breeding.

Keeping 2 iguanas together is absolutely irresponsible herp husbandry. If you want 2, then you have to have 2 entirely SEPARATE caging setups. It's okay for them to see each other, as long as they can't get to each other and fight.

The gender of iguanas is easy to determine by secondary sex characteristics when they are mature. Your (experienced) herp veterinarian can tell earlier by doing a simple test in the office, called a rectal probe. Do NOT attempt to determine gender by a procedure called 'popping' the hemipenes, which ignoramous herp keepers might recommend. You should take it in to have a basic health check anyway, including a fecal check. Almost all iguanas sold from pet stores have internal parasites (usually Oxyurid sp.) that need to be treated. Many have skin mites.

You really need to do some research somewhere other than here. Books on iguanas are notoriously inaccurate, however. And veterinarians like me who are very familiar with iguanas are few and far between.

Surprisingly, one GOOD published source you can rely on is Reptiles magazine. Unlike many such publications, it is very well-written and contains CORRECT information (as long as you stick to the articles and SKIP the advertisements.) I know the veterinarian who writes frequent articles for them....I've heard him speak frequently....he is considered to be THE expert in reptile medicine and surgery, and has written the textbooks that are our 'bibles' of herp care (he even autographed my copy for me, lol.) It's a monthly magazine, but they also put out an annual edition called Reptiles USA, which often has summary articles on proper care of common/popular herps, and they often included very thorough ones about iguanas. You might need to inquire with the publisher for back issues, because people started complaining that they wanted more info about species other than iguanas.

Your biggest concern is not whether it's male or female or feels 'lonely'....it's how to properly feed it (do NOT follow the pet store's advice, or you'll be almost guaranteed to end up with a sick one) and house it...and whatever you do, never EVER give it iceberg lettuce...not even a little bit!!!! It has a seriously inverse calcium/phosphorus ratio, and will harm them....even in small amounts. Iguanas are one of our HIGHER MAINTANENCE herps, and not recommended for beginners. If the pet store told you otherwise, they lied to you just to make the sale. Iguanas have special requirements for lighting, humidity, and heat....but if the pet store sold you a plug-in "hot-rock"....TAKE IT BACK FOR A REFUND!!!! They are dangerous and cause burns due to the iguana's different mechanism of thermoregulation. The increased heat they need should be provided by ambient room temperature of around 90-95 degrees (be prepared for large electric bills) and under-the-tank heat pads. ONE good thing about some of the ads in Reptiles magazines....they show proper caging setup for iguanas, which is quite expensive. Properly cared for, they outgrow the standard starting glass aquarium very rapidly.

Improperly fed iguanas end up severely stunted and crippled with multiple bone deformities and fractures fairly quickly. That's how I ended up with all of my iguanas in the first place. Once the owners learned how much time/effort was involved with their care, they no longer wanted them and would want to euthanize them. So, they gave them to me when I offered to take them in instead. Zoos will no longer take them, and they should not be released into the wild....as most will die, and they do not belong in the United States in the first place.

Go here for another post I made, which has some links to the references you need to consult:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjhGMpO8SVq8ZTXZJu.KMRLsy6IX?qid=20061002165435AA9hm2S

Iguanas DO make pretty cool pets, IF you can make the commitment to care for them properly. I hope you are interested enough to do that. :-)

Answer 5

Drop a lipgloss in the terrarium. If the iguana tries to fight it, it;s male. (or gay) And when the iguana tries to wear it, it's female. (or gay)

Answer 6

get avet to look at it