Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
April 19, 2007
LuvSocks for Male Green Iguanas
Compiled by Melissa Kaplan
Jamie Wang developed this "toy" for males in the throes of breeding season. Their use of this or other surrogates helps a male harmlessly relieve much of the frustrations and aggressions of the season for this polygynous species. It also gives them a target other than their female keepers on which to vent their energies. Individual male iguana preferences can vary. Iguana keepers have reported the following as the objects of their iguanas' passion: baseball gloves, inflatable alligator pool toys, stuffed plush animals, pillows, blankets, shirts, and jackets. In other words, pretty much whatever can be grabbed, straddled and dragged around. )
LuvSocks also makes a nice pillow for iguanas to sleep on...though you may want to first wash the sock cover after breeding season.
Making
A LuvSock
by Jamie
Wang
What You Will Need
Two large men's socks (dark green seems to be preferred)
Uncooked rice
Thread/needle/sewing machine
Microwave
Instructions
Place one
sock inside the other sock, so they are double-layer thickness. Fill the
sock with the rice. Don't fill it all the way full, but leave enough room
so it is pliable, squishy, and has some give to it. Sew the opening several
times with strong thread, so it won't rip easily or come unraveled. Place
in microwave just long enough warm up.
Warning!
Use caution
when heating, as microwaves can get things too warm and can lead to thermal
burns. If you make that it is comfortably warm to the touch and no warmer,
then it's fine. Also, keep an eye on your iguana while he uses the LuvSock,
as sometimes males get a little over-enthusiastic and may rip the sock.
Uncooked rice, if swallowed, may lead to impaction. I've never had any
trouble with the microwaving or the rice, but it definitely pays to be
cautious. It seems the heat is what holds most of the appeal for the iguanas,
because my boys move on when it cools off.
LuvSock
Photos
To get an idea of what
one ig keeper did to help his iguana through breeding season, see Steve
Woodward's version of the LuvSock. If you have a photo of your iguana's
LuvSock you'd like others to see, please email the .jpg or .gif file to
me and let me know how you'd like it credited.
Related Articles
Dealing with Breeding Season Aggression
Male Iguanas in Breeding Season and Human Females
Introducing and Housing Multiple Iguanas Together
