Your vet may be able to detect impaction through an exam also, which would allow them to feel anything in the gut that should not be there. Causes - Nose rubs are the outward sign of some sort of stress your iguana is experiencing. Nose rubs are most often seen in iguanas that are kept in enclosures that are too small or are inadequate in some other way. They persistently rub their faces on the cage walls or door in an attempt to get out. For more information on enclosures and proper habitat conditions, visit our Habitat page.
Nose rubs can also occur when an iguana is stressed for some other reason.
For instance, gravid females will sometimes relentlessly nose rub in a corner of a room or at a door when they are feeling the urge to explore, find a suitable nesting spot, and dig a nest. Males in breeding season may feel territorial restlessness, or may injure themselves by attacking another male that they see in a mirror. Sometimes, glass or plexiglass enclosure walls can become mirrors, depending on how light hits them. If there is something unpleasant in your iguana s environment that it wants to get away from, nose rubbing may result. Sometimes, things like other pets, children, or strangers can intimidate an iguana and make it want to escape its enclosure to hide.