Champ is an adult male iguana that was living in my daughters apt with her roomie. I came over to visit and when I saw the appalling condition this iggy was in I grabbed him up and took him home with me. He was literally being starved to death.
That was a month ago and since then I had to syringe feed him every 2 hours for over a week before he would allow me to hand feed him (he was too weak to eat on his own) and then another 2 weeks before he tried to feed himself. Long story a little shorter....he's completely eating on his own...in fact that's all he wants to do. I think he's making up for lost time. He easily eats 6-8 cups of salad daily and at night time is looking for more!!! He's becoming more strong and even confident. Sometimes I get the feeling that he wants whack me with his tail but he hasn't yet. Should I expect that until he gets to know me? What's the best way to bond with an iggy? And should I limit his constant intake of food or should I just follow his lead?

Let him eat as much as he wants, he'll stop once he's full.

What kind of salad are you feeding him?

Be mindful of the tail, even once he knows you he might take a swing. Iguanas are wild animals and you can't let your guard down like you can with a house cat.

Good job for rescuing him!

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Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Nice rescue.

"Sometimes I get the feeling that he wants whack me with his tail but he hasn't yet. Should I expect that until he gets to know me?"

-Even some of the better relationships with Green Iguanas have their fair share off tail whips.

"What's the best way to bond with an iggy?"

-Probable best bet is to trick them into feeling like they are making decisions that benefit you both. That isn't a very good explanation, but there was someone on the site (whom I can't recall) who had some very good suggestions. Hopefully they will stumble across this thread or one of the admins could point you in the right direction.

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Grammostola rosea 0.1.0
Pandinus imperator 2.0.0
Lampropeltis getula nigrita 0.1.0
Uromastyx maliensis 0.1.0
Rhacodactylus ciliatus 2.2.2
Uroplatus henkeli 0.0.1
Eublepharis macularius 1.0.0

Good job on the rescue....I have 2 baby ig's and they are pretty wild.I'm new to ig's.So i'm no expert by far.This is just what is working for me.I spend every minute I can just talking to my ig's,almost baby like.That has taken me a few weeks for one and longer for the other.It is paying off though,now they let me hold them.Not for a long period of time.Some time is better then no time.They are wonderful creatures,so just take your time and work with the ig everyday.In time it will pay off I do believe.Your ig just needs the time to build trust,and thats what i'm finding out with the 2 of mine.Hope all goes well for you,just hang in there.

Good for you for rescuing this poor ig!
I would let him eat all he wants! They will not over eat.
Just be aware that as he gets stronger and in better condition he may not be nearly as docile as he seems right now.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Congrats on the rescue.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

I commend you for taking him in...sounds like he needed you....I would say if he hasnt bonded with you feeding him every 2 hrs in the beginning, then he probably wont, but in time he can be tamed down...if he is comfy with hand feeding and petting, then he probably wont be an issue....except for breeding season time....best wishes and keep us posted....post a pic if you have one....

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Lyn's right. He may never bond with you, but the more certain he is that he is going to eat as much as he wants and have a clean cage and fresh water every day, the safer he's going to feel. The safer he feels, the less aggressive he'll be.

Take it from me, though, don't let your guard down. Even if he does bond with you, he's still a wild animal. He may at times still tail whip you or try to bite you. Just be careful and attentive to him, and you'll get along with him fine.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

nice rescue be sure to check out our iguana care sheet if you haven't already.

http://reptileguides.herpcenter.com/...-t39.html?t=39

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Great job with the rescue and best of luck.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan