Firstly I want to say that I am not an expert in this field. However, I have some useful information, since I once owned an iguana myself. I hope you will find my info useful ! When you first bring your iguana home, allow it a week or so to become used to its surroundings. Then you can start getting it used to being handled and picked up. Start slowly, by first picking your iguana up, and holding it for brief (brief = important!) periods every day. Pretty soon, it will become much calmer. I have found that talking softly to the lizard with a soothing, gentle tone while stroking its neck and sides helps to calm it also. How tame your iguana will become depends on how much time you are willing to spend taming it. I think that some iguanas will remain wary and aggressive all their lives. That is why you really need to take care in selecting a reasonably calm lizard to begin with. Many pet stores now sell harnesses specifically for iguanas. Start out by putting the harness on your iguana indoors without the leash for brief periods at a time to get them used to it. You can then start attaching the leash and attempting to walk around(indoors) with them. Be prepared if it starts to freak out and try to avoid entangling your lizard in the leash when this happens. After some time of working with it indoors, if it seems to be much calmer when on the leash, you can then bring the ig outdoors... goodluck !!

Dear Friend; I have one 11 yr male and had a 16 lb 5 ft iguana, one of 10 largest on vet record usa 2004. I can speak from experience; several inflences will determine your answer. Housing, Health, Diet, Ambient factors and Stressors. PLEASE remember Reptiles are wild animals they actually can only be " tolertable" of Human Interactions. It will take YEARS to accomplish your feat. BUT well worth it. :) I urge you to bookmark a VERY trusted source of info. http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html Handling Reptiles http://www.anapsid.org/handlingreptiles.html Can reptiles become tame? Short answer: YES. Long answer: Most will, some won't. Reptiles have not been bred for gentle temperament, even though some heavily captive bred species, like corn snakes, seem mellower than wild caught specimens. Some species/individuals are more likely to get used to than others. Some species/individuals will get non-shy and eat from your hand but will never let you touch them. Some species/individuals will tolerate handling in return for food, others will hate it. Some species/individuals will run, others will bite...and some will be really tame and develop a taste for having their neck scratched. When buying a reptile, if you want it to become tame, buy and animal that seems calm and friendly. Unless you are prepared to invest a lot of time and effort without promise of success, don't go for the more 'challenging' animal. Some species start out friendly as babies and will develop a rotten temper when they get older. Reticulated Pythons have that reputation. But several people state, that some reticulated pythons are very well tempered, and that maybe they become less mellow not so much as a character trait, but because they are handled less when they get large. Some species, no matter how tame, can become dangerous when they get bigger. They can hurt you, when the get angry or scared. And they can potentially kill you, if they mistake you for food. No matter how tame your animal gets, expect to get bitten or scratched, occasionally, if the animal is upset or scared. Use tongs for biters, and gloves. Remember: ALL REPTILES ARE WILD ANIMALS. Treat them as such, and you can avoid trouble. Do reptiles like to be petted? Some do, some don't. I know several boas who love to be petted, even on their head, after they develop a taste for it. And that is the key: many reptiles don't take naturally to being petted. But once they get used to it, they often start to like it. Many snakes will like to cuddle in warm, dark places, like T-shirts. If your idea of petting is an animal curled up on your stomach inside your shirt while you are reading a book, then a snake is a good pet for you. Turtles and tortoises are not cuddly, but many like their belly scratched, i.e. the bottom of their plastron, and they will definitely express their pleasure. "I had a chance to pet some young Galapagos tortoises in June. They go off to Never-Never Land if you scratch the jaws and neck." How do I know, my animal likes to be petted? Your animal likes to be petted if: * it does not run away given the option * does not try to avoid your touch * goes to sleep in your arms * stays around for more if you stop * visibly relaxes as you go * doesn't hiss or bite http://anapsid.org/iguana/