Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey,
just last night i bought a nice green iguana. He was really blue actually with the blue color beating the green by far which i thought was pretty cool. He seemed the most active running around bobbing his head at every iguana in his path. He also has the neatest eyes theyre really different then the others. So he got home and laid down on his branch and I decided that just for one night i'd give him an extra hour of UVB lighting since when we got home it was bed time. I wake up this morning and check on him and he's in there ok. So I give him some food but he laid there and just tasted it. I hung out in my room and he did watch me like a hawk the whole time but no activity. Does this mean anything that I should be worried about it or is it a normal behavior for the first few days?

thnx! tito

First off, newly-purchased/adopted iguanas must have privacy for the first few days once brought home. They have to adjust, get used to their new enclosure (better be a big one!) etc.

Secondly, you can't expect him to eat his first meal with you walking about or "hanging out". It's a good thing he tasted it, but you should leave him alone for a few hours to make sure he eats it. Eventually he will recognize you as his feeder, not his predator. Remember, he's small and green, you're huge.

Check out Melissa Kaplan's website for some tips as well.

Keep us posted, and welcome to the forum!

-IJ