It's important to mention some training here. That's because you'll want to be able to bring your iguana home to a nice, ready home and allow him to get acclimated to the area. There are many things you'll want to take into consideration when it comes to training your iguana. First, realize that your iguana needs time to get adjusted to his home. It may take some time!
Allow your iguana to visit his hiding place without being bothered or pulled out of it. In addition, when you do pick him up and take him out of his habitat, watch for signs of stress. If he doesn't like what you are doing, he's stressed and he fears for his life. Place him near his hiding place and leave him alone.
The process of taming your iguana will take time and patience. Use smaller sessions at first to get them used to you. One way to help provide the right level of care to your iguana is to allow him to watch you. Start out by watching him watch you from a distance and for a short amount of time. Then, add onto this slowly until you are sitting near him and watching him.
After he's used to watching you, you can begin working with touching him. Don't pick him up yet! He's not ready for that. But, put your hand close enough to him. Don't touch his head or his tail. Touch for a second and then move away. Little by little, you'll be able to increase how long you can touch him. Don't push it because if he doesn't like being petted, it will take a lot of work to get him to allow it again.
Once your pet begins to allow you to pet him, including his head, you can begin to see that he's comfortable with you. It's advisable not to actually pick up your iguana for some time. He's just going to take a while to adjust to you. Once you've gotten to the point where he doesn't seem bothered at all by your petting, you can consider it. Never grab his tail! The tail can actually break off in order for them to escape.
By petting its underbelly, it may rise up and want to be petted there more so. When that happens, you'll be able to slowly pick him up. But, for these first few times, pick him up slowly and then put him back down. By doing this it will help to make the process easier and keep your iguana happier, longer. With lots of practice, you'll be able to pick him up for longer periods of time.
There is much to do to take care of your iguana, but you'll also want to learn how to keep it healthy. There are several things you'll need to do to provide for your iguana's health.
First, you'll always have to maintain the level of cleanliness with your iguana. Anything that can make you ill can do serious damage to your iguana. Therefore, the feeding bowls and anything that is used with your pet should be kept clean and sanitary. That goes for his food and water bowls, which should be washed every day. If you see that there are feces or waste in his habitat, clean it up. You'll want to do this daily, too. Don't wait!