Zorro the red nosed dragon

Rudolph is supposed to have a red nose, the iguana not so much.

Zorro's in mating season again and as a result has jumped against the glass a few times. He sees his reflection and thinks it's an intruder and as a result, he's ended up with a red, bruised, hopefully not inflamed nose.

 Quite good to see the pinkish colour. It needs to be monitored as iguanas are prone to abscesses when they repeatedly hit/rub their noses against hard things. It's a little swollen and also deformed from the abscess he had last year. Vet says, it's not going to be normal again.

Male iguanas tend to become very aggressive in mating season, especially towards female owners. He also jumps to attack me. Which means I have to be double observant around him. Mating season comes relatively sudden and I noticed he's less interested in food (greens), but still likes his treats (raspberries, blueberries and bananas).

 

Here, the nose from the front. The little dot at his mouth is a piece of blueberry. They shouldn't get too much of it, but I give him fruit so he's not loosing too much weight. He stopped eating wild rocked, would only nibble at coriander and turns his (red) nose up mint. Things he usually rips out of my hands. I spay more and also try to get him to drink while doing so.

Only do this if you are an experienced keeper. They are very fast and bendy and their bites can take off your finger. He's a very big boy and has massive jaws that are extraordinarily strong.

Here a few signs to recognise iguana's mating season:

More active

Displaying more aggression

Less appetite

Jumping against the glass

Jumping at you (yes, happened, I opened the vivarium to clean and he jumped straight into my arms.)

Often even more head-bobbing with attempt to jump at you.

Following your every move.

The signs of mating season go as sudden as they come.

I've got bubble wrap and newspapers from inside the glass now. So he won't see me or his reflection. I will have less to look at, but it's better than having him back to the vet. Saves both of us stress and me the money.

I'll watch him closely and hope the swelling will go down. Up to now, no signs of an abscess, but I can only hope it stays like this.

A quick word of caution: if your iguana displays these symptoms, but won't even touch treats, or he has a swollen mouth/nose. Please consult a vet if you're unsure, it might well be that he's in pain and will need urgent treatment, often surgery to remove the abscess. 

Iguanas are eating machines who can eat you alive. If they stop eating, it's serious, unless they are in mating/breeding season. (Carrying females will drink more and stop eating in their last couple of weeks, but getting bigger. They should be monitored, too, in case of laying complications.)

If you have any questions, please e-mail me or post it in the comment section, if I can help I will answer.