Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I p icked up a rhino iguana from a reptile shop when i was in NY last week.I had seen this particular rhino a few times over the past six months.Each time i went in the shop i handled him.I reached into the cage and picked him up.Except for some wiggling he was pretty calm.He would hang out and then crawl up my arm.He never tried to bite so i figured this animal would make a good pet.He's about 1.5 years old and almost 2 feet long.When i brought him home I put him in an outdoor cage for the summer.Every time i open the cage to feed him or fill the water bowl he goes ballistic running and bouncing all over the cage.He almost escaped a few times.I know he has to get used to his new surroundings but is this normal?Hes like a different animal.Does the natural sun make a difference?I hope he eventually calms down because I was hoping on having a pet i could handle.joe

was the cage in the petshop elevated? they are much calmer when they are at head hight.. and you are not standing over them..and yes they can often go berserk when the cage is changed.. but if totally unhandled they usually calm down within 2 years with no handling at all.. so dont worry he will come around sooner or later..
Good luck!

I will add, yes that is normal and the sun does make a difference. You are seeing a normal cornuta now. what you handled was a lizard not at optimal care or temp. Another way of thinking is, now you are seeing "normal" for them

jf

A couple of things that I could think of....at the pet store was he kept at the proper temps, if he was kept a little cooler, that might explain his "calmness". Also, he is new to his surroundings, so he could be freaked out a little and just needs time to adjust. Lastly...I call it Sun Rage, My guy is pretty tame, but when I put him out in his sun cage, he gets nice and warm and decides he is king and doesn't like me at all. thus the reason I call it sun rage ..lol. Hope this helps
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-Robert

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an egg-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Sometimes there can be a change in personality with many herps in the sun [Gila Monsters have a drastic one] but over time they usually calm down. My lizards are always in the sun and most are very tame...thanks
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

With our boy, he seems to maintain his chillness in the sun, LOL, until you bring him inside; then he's like "nnnnnooooo!!!!"
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des@ircf.org
http://desircf.blogspot.com
http://www.IRCF.org