Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I adopted Ichabod last Saturday and he has yet to eat. He
has discovered his hide and will not bask. Even if I haul
him out and put him there he runs back underneath. He is
in a very quiet location and has a large cage. He has been
drinking freely from his water dish but not food.

Do I need to step in and force feed or is this normal behavior?
How long can he go without eating? I have covered the front
of his cage so he cannot see my iguana thinking it might be
stress. Obviously it hasn't helped.

Somehow I don't think not basking is normal even for these
guys. My iguanas bask all day long only to roam a little to
cool off.

Please help, I am really starting to worry.

It's not at all unusual for them to be reclusive after an abrupt change of environment. If he was in good health when you got him, I wouldn't worry too much about him not eating. Uro's, being desert critters, are tough animals & can go long periods w/o eating. The fact that he's drinking is a very good sign. Is he hiding on the hot side? Sometimes they'll be less apt to bask if their heating needs are being met under the rock. Whatever, don't force feed him, not at this juncture. That's a last resort measure. Give him his space & be patient. Try a wide variety of veggies, some bee pollen. Double check your temps & UV. And, as you're doing, don't let him see the iguana.
Again, if he was in good health when you adopted him I'm sure he'll be fine. Just needs to adjust.

Thanks, I needed some reassurance!. He is hiding under
the basking area. The reason I am inclined to force feed
is because when I adopted my female iguana she was in bad
shape and I syringe fed for a year before she starting eating
on her own. He does seem to be in much better shape though than
she was.

My active UVB bulb should be here anyday. Maybe that will
spark him. I have tried many different things but I will
be picking up bee pollen today. He has even refused fresh
Hibiscus.

Hopefully, he will begin eating soon. This is harder on
me than I am sure it is on him

Thanks again, Linda

Do you have him in an open top? Maybe his hide is little closed top. What are your temps???? How do you measure the temps????
If he is not warm enough he won't eat if you give him a slice of pizza- you can make a buffet of everything everyone suggests but if he is not warm enough he won't eat it.

I still say no force feeding is necessary. And I doubt an iguana could go nearly as long w/o food as can a Uro, so apples & oranges. Do you have access to Dandelion flowers? Uros, even finiky ones, can hardly say no to them. This late in the year, our guys will hardly even look at a hibiscus flower but will break glass to devour a dandelion.

I completely agree. My Meatloaf didn't come out from his hide for about a week when I first got him. He gradually became more comfortable with his surroundings, came out, and started eating and basking. I would say don't take your uro out of their hide. They go in there to feel secure and if you pull them out it just makes them feel that much less secure and comfortable with their environment. It took a long time and a lot of patience, but Meatloaf will now let me reach in and pick him up with no resistance. Just give your baby some time, they'll come around.
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Ethans Den

120 on the basking area going down to about 84 on the cool
side. To my amazement I offered him some bird seed a little
while ago and he ate a few of them. He is on the basking
area now.

He is very friendly and seems to not be afraid at all
of people. His previous owner was a child who probably
held him quite a bit. I did get pictures of him already
and I need to get them formated to get posted on here.

Thanks for everyone's help
Linda

Great! I asked about temps because i recently started winding my uros down a bit and the eating dropped right off. I have 2 that I decided to keep the temps up a little longer for and the eating resumed the day the temps went back up. Seeds and the dry stuff are still getting eaten by the others. My adult female wc Mali will rarely eat greens from fall until spring for the last 3 years I had her. If you read the Wilms book on Uromastyx he recommends increasing seeds and dry lentils,etc. late summer and around this time of year. I thought he might be dehydrated(drinking everyday-rescue) so I didn't mention it. Good sign, glad to hear it. Keep the water around just in case.