2 tailed Iguana

[BocaJan]

This iguana was eating vegetation around my patio this morning. Upon closer view we noticed that it had a split tail. I thought it would be interesting to show you all this oddity.

I put a few more pictures in my albums in my CP. Just click on my name to view those.

 

[Dankmeleon]

wow you should catch that , its prolly worth so much money to some freak

 

[Sage]

You should proballey catch him. Some unusual animal collectors would love to have him

 

[BocaJan]

How do you catch an iguana?

 

[Scott85]

Big leather gloves and nerves of steel .

Actually you can pick them up without gettin tore up too bad. Only if you put one hand at the base of the tail from the top, and the other under its chest. The rear legs are the ones to worry about and the tail, or tails in the case. By grabbing the top of the tail just behind the rear legs, both are ineffective for defense. The other hand under the chest is more of a comfort thing for them, they feel secure and calm down usually. Im right handed and usually go for the tail with the right hand as they are very strong back there. Of course that doesn't work if you can't get close enough to him.

And if you do, be careful. All the claws and tail can and will cut you open if given the chance. Also they are heavier than you would expect, and its all muscle. My 4 1/2' female is close to 16 pounds. Being that they weigh soo much you have to be careful to not grab too far back on the tail, or it may break off. Which it looks as tho that one already lost the tip and it regrew two new ones. The new tail growth will look black like that one does.

If ya can't get close to em and still want him try some cat food. For some reason mine runs to it everytime she gets out of the cage, just before pooping. Its not good for them, the proteins wreck their liver. But she seems to love it.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[wendysjungle]

You might have better luck using a large net, if you have one. I owned iguanas for many years, and they will bite HARD if threatened, as well as claw the heck out of you and lashing those tails like a bull whip. They are also very fast, so it would be hard to just go up and catch one. Also, if you have a garage or shed you could lure him/her into with food, and then shut the door, that might be an option. I've never seen one with a split tail like that, it's pretty amazing. Oh, and definitely do not grab the tail only, as they will just drop their tails and run off, and you are left with a (still squirming, ewwww!) tail in your hands.

Please do NOT feed cat food!!!! Yes, they will go after it, but animal protein destroys their kidneys and liver. Ichabod, my first rescue iguana, had been fed animal protein to "bulk him up" by his previous owners. That along with horrific caging conditions left him with barely functioning organs, deformed bones and back legs that were almost useless. Oh, but he was very bulked up, how nice. He only lived another couple of years after I rescued him before dying of massive organ failure at age 6 despite every effort the vet and I made for him. My next iguanas never ate animal protein in their lives, were still plenty "bulky" (4'6" females) though it actually took PATIENCE and good diet instead of a quick "steroid-fix" with killer animal protein, and both lived to be nearly 18 years old. No matter how much they may love it, it will kill them in the end, so don't do it!!

Most iguanas are pigs for fruit, even though the greens are better for them. If you lure him/her in with a big plate of leafy greens (mustard greens, collard greens) topped with berries, shredded apple, and even some shredded orange squash, you might be able to stage a capture. Also they love dandelions (the leaves and the yellow flowers), if you have access to any that are not sprayed with chemicals or polluted by proximity to a heavily traveled road (car exhaust and spilled oil).

Keep us posted if you decide to give it a try!

 

[BocaJan]

I have never been able to get close to them. Only time is when I am behind sliding glass doors and they come up on my patio. Can't say that makes me close, lol

 

[Dankmeleon]

maybe you should try to offer him some food and i'll be on the roof with a cast net and a ninja suit on and we can split the profit, if you can catch me after i deploy my ninja smoke screen

lol also that would prolly hurt to get lashed with a double whip, but how would i know

 

[Scott85]

I wasn't suggesting her feed it the cat food as a staple, nor do I feed it to mine. Mine gets mostly collards and dandelions with fruits thruout the week. Even still, she jumps out and runs to the cat dishes on the floor. Cant be there all the time, and she lets herself out. So she gets some here and there when we aren't around to stop it.... I never said I fed her cat food, only that she runs to it, and she is now 13 years old.

Secondly, the grabbing by the base of the tail is a very common way of holding them. Reptile certified vet taught me. Its right at the base of the tail behind the legs. They cannot shed the tail this far up. Your basically gripping them around the cloaca when its done right. And as I said it stops the bullwhip and the rear claws.

 

[Dankmeleon]

yea that would be a shame if she went to catch him and he simply dropped his tail, that would really suck, i wonder if it would grow back double?

 

[Scott85]

The twin tail sections look like regrowth. The dark black color and severe bends in them is a good indicator. Healthy tail won't bend like that. Its probably just a fluke, or the type of injury, that caused that to happen.

 

[wendysjungle]

I wasn't suggesting her feed it the cat food as a staple, nor do I feed it to mine. Mine gets mostly collards and dandelions with fruits thruout the week. Even still, she jumps out and runs to the cat dishes on the floor. Cant be there all the time, and she lets herself out. So she gets some here and there when we aren't around to stop it.... I never said I fed her cat food, only that she runs to it, and she is now 13 years old.

Secondly, the grabbing by the base of the tail is a very common way of holding them. Reptile certified vet taught me. Its right at the base of the tail behind the legs. They cannot shed the tail this far up. Your basically gripping them around the cloaca when its done right. And as I said it stops the bullwhip and the rear claws.

I'm not sure why you took anything I said as personally directed at you, since I specifically stated I was referring to the original owners of Ichabod, who deliberately fed him animal protein.

And I told her don't JUST grab the tail as a means of trying to catch the iguana if she chooses to do so, as they will drop their tail off, again not referring to you or your post in any way. A lot of people will try to catch lizards by their tails because they saw Steve Irwin do it with snakes for so many years, not realizing that many, like iguanas, will drop their tails.

If I am ever personally speaking to you I will have the courtesy to address you by name and quote any parts of your post I am addressing. I was offering advice to the original poster. Please realize that this is a forum and we are all allowed to speak to one another, and if my post contains different advice from your post it is not some personal assault on you.

 

[Scott85]

Reason I thought you were refering to mine was, I said.

"My 4 1/2' female is close to 16 pounds."

"If ya can't get close to em and still want him try some cat food. For some reason mine runs to it everytime she gets out of the cage, just before pooping. Its not good for them, the proteins wreck their liver. But she seems to love it."

My next iguanas never ate animal protein in their lives, were still plenty "bulky" (4'6" females) though it actually took PATIENCE and good diet instead of a quick "steroid-fix" with killer animal protein, and both lived to be nearly 18 years old. No matter how much they may love it, it will kill them in the end, so don't do it!!

After rereading mine original post it wasn't all to well composed as I had reworded it several times. I was just trying to clarify things.

 

[wendysjungle]

Reason I thought you were refering to mine was, I said.


"If ya can't get close to em and still want him try some cat food. For some reason mine runs to it everytime she gets out of the cage, just before pooping. Its not good for them, the proteins wreck their liver. But she seems to love it."



After rereading mine original post it wasn't all to well composed as I had reworded it several times. I was just trying to clarify things.

Thanks, I appreciate the clarification. Mine used to make a run for the cat dish too. I always picked it up before letting them out, but they knew where it HAD been! One of my cats still has a little dent in his nose where he got bullwhipped by an ig tail when he tried to defend his "food territory". I finally put up a baby gate across the kitchen doorway, then the igs climed THAT, so I had to get another baby gate that was smooth and had no footholds to climb. Then the cats didn't have to have their dishes picked up when the igs were out, and there were no more rumbles over the food area.

They also used to fight my cats for their heated kitty bed, just climbing in and shoving the cat out, and once ripped my screen door off the hinges because they wanted out on the deck. When they want something, there is NO stopping them!

 

[Scott85]

Our kitchen, and cat's food, is on the way to the bathroom. Luckily our ig is potty trained, well kinda, she goes into the bathroom and poops on the paper. She recognizes its the room with the fold up seat I think, if only she would use it.... And she does the same thing with the cats' beds lol.

Back to the catching the two tailed freak. If you get a cold morning, like low to mid 60's and you see him, he will be much slower, and less responsive. This would probably be your best chance at catching it. With either a net or by gloved hand.

Ours absolutely hates me, I mean with a passion. Only time I like to pick her up is in the morning when she is stranded away from the heat lamp in her enclosure. She usually hardly notices me come close to her in the morning. And will allow me to pick her up and move her really easily. Any time when she is warmed up and at full operating speed she puffs up and stares me down whenever I come in the living room. When I have to move her for some reason during the day she is two big squirming handfuls of claw, tooth and tail. I avoid picking her up when its hot at all costs.

Also if you try a net, they do the same "death roll" as an alligator, not for the same purpose though. Mine when it was small, and so was I, had a leash with a little poncho and sombraro for a few days. Thanks petsmart. It would roll the leash all up on his body every time we put it on, so we stopped trying. It may get so entagled that it would be very hard to get out.

*edit* Maybe a very large rubbermaid tote thing set up like those rabbit traps baited with some fruit...? Their tails are big and clumbsy, when they aren't attacking with them.

 

[wendysjungle]

I was looking online to see if anybody listed a successful means of catching a wild iguana. One guy described the rabbit-box method listed above as successful (and then he tells how to kills and eat them! Ewwww!!), and another said he sneaks up on them while they are eating and throws a blanket or big beach towel over them. He claims they are surprisingly easy to sneak up on.

Yeah, if you used any kind of net, it would have to be really fine mesh like a butterfly net, as a wide-mesh net would be hard to untangle after the death-roll starts!

 

[jejton]

How about just leaving it along and letting it live free? I mean its already survived one encounter with who knows what so maybe it deserves not to be captured for a freak show.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

How about just leaving it along and letting it live free? I mean its already survived one encounter with who knows what so maybe it deserves not to be captured for a freak show.

I will add my vote here.
Enjoy him outside your window and let him be.
He is really fascinating.

-Brad

 

[BocaJan]

I second that motion about leaving him alone. I saw this same iguana last year and thought maybe he was shedding since I wasn't very close to him. We have a big bunch of vegetation in our yard that we keep wild, just to attract our animal friends. I take a personal satisfaction on seeing "my" ducks have ducklings, iguana's living up in the tree and eating my plants, and lots of little lizzards running around. I was being facetious when I asked how to catch it. LOL They are pretty quick and will jump, and I mean JUMP into the pond if danger approaches. I do post a lot of pictures of not only my chams but our wildlife. It is more fun to see them outside then try to nuture them inside. All except for my chameleons of course.

 

[wendysjungle]

That's great that you are just going to let him be. I didn't realize you were kidding, thought you actually wanted to catch the guy! He's really cool, lucky you that he comes around where you get to see him!