Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
We are new to this list and new to the amazing world of cycluras. We are a mother & son(12yrs.) who have adopted an aprox. 1yr. old (8"SVL) cyclura cornuta who was rescued (along with 130 other animals in a pet store seizure) by our local rescue zoo. We did not take the adoption decision lightly and have read a lot and worked hard on creating a comfortable enviorment for our newest housemate. We are committed to making Cy's life as happy & healthy as possible.
We don't know much about his life at the pet store except that he was cages with 4 small green igs in a glass aquarium. He spent a month in the care of the zoo while we prepared his new home. He is a little skittish but not really aggressive. We are giving him lots of alone time and we spend time quietly talking to him but we are not trying to hold him yet (he's only been home two days).
We are hoping some of you can give us advice on aclimnating him to us & his new home. When should we begin to handle him?
He's not eating much yet (we're feeding him collards, ecarole, kale, grated squash, carrots & a little fruit).
Any suggestions, sage wisdom, advice would be welcome.
Thanks!
Cydney & Ari

So far sounds like you're on the right track. Just keep up with fresh food and water, and just be patient. I wouldn't try to start handling the little guy for a week or two. When you do start handling, patience is your best friend. He will probably squirm and fuss alot when you pick him up, but should settle down after a while. Try to handle him aprox 15min or so a couple times a day if you can. Until the age of around 2yrs, and he gets some size on him, the flee response is just going to be there. Good luck with your new Rhino, and there are alot of folks here to help if you have any questions.

Take Care,
John

Although you can handle him, two years of age is the magic number when they all of a sudden change and tame quite nice. These are long lived lizards, so two years is nothing over the span of time.