How to tell the difference between a male and female Iguana

This is a very pretty young female Iguana

With a little understanding of reptilian anatomy it may possible for you to be able to determine if your Iguana is a male or a female.

This can be difficult in smaller animals but if you follow the advice below you should be able to tell with an animal that is about a two feet long.

Things You'll Need

• good eyes
• willing iguana
• perhaps a second person to help
• A towel may be needed to restrain aggressive or large Iguanas

Instructions

1. 

   It may be nearly impossible to determine if a young or baby Iguana is a male or a female. Pseudo females do occur. This means that a male may appear for all practical evaluation to be a female when in fact it is a male. The reason for this is simple. If a young male appears to be a female a large dominant male will allow it to remain in the larger iguanas territory. Mature males DO NOT allow rival males in their territory!

2. 

   You can usually house 2 or more female iguanas together but Mature Adult Males can not even be allowed to see each other! Many an owner has been injured by their adult hormonal male during rut simply because they allow 2 males to see each other. It is also not a good idea to house a male and female together during rut because the male will repeatedly attack the female during normal courtship behavior. A female in a cage with an aggressive male can not escape and can be seriously injured or even killed!

3. 

   If you look at the face of an adult Iguana you will notice a very large round scale. In females the scale is flattish, in males this develops fatty deposits and begins to look like Jowls. Also fat deposits will develop over the top of the head , females heads look smooth and rounded, males develop 2 distinctive bumps on top of the head.

4. 

   Next you will need an assistant to help you. Look at the underside of your Iguana' s hind legs in the upper Thigh area. You will see a row of pores on each leg. In females this row of pores is very tiny, almost pin-pricks. In makes the pores can become quite obvious almost looking like a comb with it's thick waxy exudates.

Tips & Warnings

• Young Iguanas can be very difficult to tell if it is a male or a female.

• You may need to look at several different Iguanas before you feel comfortable determining gender.

• If the Iguana is aggressive you will want someone to wrap the Iguana in a towel and hold him or her securely before you can get a good look.

• Always handle Iguanas in a secure area to prevent accidental escapes.

Resources

• Iguana Caare