Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I raised THOR, my gorgeous male iguana, since he was born (he is now 4 years and a half)and i pampered and spoilt him a lot!Unfortunately i m obliged to adopt him out. I chose a PET ZOO where i thought he would be very well treated and where he would even get a huge new cage!Three weeks ago i took him to his new home.He was very healthy and eating like a cow!I thought he would be happy there but apparently he liked me too much to be happy in another home. The PET ZOO owner called me several times saying THOR was not eating!Last week i went there to visit him and i noticed he was much thinner, his mouth and nose were injured because he was always trying to escape his new and huge cage and he was too weak to climb his tree.He looked lethargic and sad laying on the floor like an old shoe!When he saw me he jumped on my lap,he put his 2 arms around my neck and pressed his face against my shoulder! He stayed like that without moving for several minutes and if i had left him i suppose he would still be in the same position!!I started crying and i took him back.I put him in his old cage, in the same balcony where he grew up but he didnt get any better!He still is not eating and he still is not able to climb his cage walls.If i dont lift him and put him on the higher platforms he will stay on the bottom of his cage. He doesnt seem any happier and keep staring at me with very sad eyes!Im very sad to see my beautiful iguana so stressed and now im afraid he will die!

Who said iguanas dont love their owners?
What can i do?

He has a broken heart and maybe he is scared you will take him away again. Poor baby. Give him time to adjust and he will come around once he figures out you arent going to abandon him again Extra cuddles are needed!!
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Heather, Vern, Andy, Router, April And OODLES of fish

just goes to show that iguanas have feelings as well.... i dont know what you can do.. maybe try putting a light lower in teh cage so he doesnt have to climb to get heat and maybe he will come around..

please keep us updated!!!
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs

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ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

Your ig may certainly have a broken heart, but he also could have some hidden injury or illness picked up at the petting zoo. Get him to the vet ASAP.

A lot of TLC can go far. Just wondering why you were "obligated" to find him another home since you took him back. Maybe you will find other means to keep him since he is attached to you. Keep us posted.

That is so sad. Poor guy. He seems to be very attatched to you. I hope you don't have to adopt him out, and there is some way you could keep him. Like the other post said...he may have picked something up at the zoo. I'd have him checked, and if there isn't anything wrong maybe they can offer some supplements to make up for him not eating. At least until he comes around. I feel so bad. Good luck and keep us all posted.

that is such a sad story. i had tears in my eyes reading it. it proves iguanas have feelings and get attached to us just like we do to them. im so glad you took him back. he might just need awhile to realize he is staying with you now. maybe a vet check. i hope he comes around. seems like a sweet little guy.
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brandy

Chances are he will eventually return to his normal self. As I'm sure you know, iguanas are creatures of habit. Any change to their normal routine stresses them out, and some worse than others. I'm sure that he was VERY stressed, and therefore didn't eat, and spent a lot of time trying to escape. The fact that he jumped on you when you went to see him shows that he sees you as something familiar, something that he is comfortable with. Now that you have him home, it will take some time for him to get back to normal. You will have to work him back into his normal eating schedule. Spend some time hand feeding him some of his favorite foods. You might want to take him to the vet to make sure there is nothing else going on. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a parasite issue after being stressed like that (digestive tract issues aren't uncommon after their system has been knocked out of whack).

I know my ig took about two months to return to his normal behavior and eating after I moved - and he was still living in the same enclosure! Dexter is not the type of ig I get a sense of affection from (it more like he tolerates me - he is after all the king of the house...), but he does trust me and will turn to me if he is scared. He wanted more attention than normal during his "adjustment" to the new apartment. I can only imagine how much more difficult the situation you mentioned would be.

I hope everything goes well!

Thor was just like your ig!Very independent, self confident, the king of the house! Now he looks like a broken toy!I adopted him out because i have another ig, another 4 years and a half male and both were always fighting!Besides that im leaving Malaysia where i lived for 3 years to go to India.Arriving in New Delhi ill have to live in a hotel until i find another house.I could not imagine myself living in a hotel with 2 HUGE fighting igs!
Well he is back and he starts to eat a little.Around 1/10 of what he used to eat before but at least he is eating.Today i found out he got black spots in the PET Zoo.I am giving him baths with Betadine.
Dont think because Dexter acts very self confident he doesnt like you!He acts like that because he is happy!Happy igs are the ones that miss us most!
I intend now to take THOR with me when i go to India.Ill find a way to keep both in a tiny hotel room without fights.