(I put this in the iguana forum because he is in the Iguanidae family!)
I picked up a chuckwalla a few weeks ago at the White Plain reptile expo. Not much detail was provided about where he came from, etc. They had a bunch for sale and said that they got them on trade and were told they were captive bred.
Anyway, it's been a few weeks now. All the chuckwalla does all day long is try to get at the screen lid on top and even ripped two nails off of himself. He has a rock outcropping set up in his cage and a background that covers 2/3 of the cage. I have him in a 40 gallon breeder as he is small.
I read that captive breds can live in 40 gallon breeders and such but that wild-caught need 70 gallons plus. Have you ever had a wild caught and if so, did increasing the cage size actually calm him down?
What if he is captive bred but won't calm down in this cage? Is there anything I can do? I'm out of ideas. He has hide boxes etc.
Additionally, I read that they eat essentially the same thing as iguanas. They are mainly herbivores but occasionally may eat insects. It doesn't appear that he's eating the vegetables that we give him. We've even tried hibiscus flowers as I read that was safe to feed them and the color attracts their eyes. He won't eat those. I can't get my hands on the brimblebush and other things that they eat in the native environments. Anyway, Idk what to do. We do force feed him occasionally but I want him to eat on his own.
He definitely is pooping normal after we force feed him. Also, he seems hydrated after we force feed him. Finally, he is full of p*ss and vinegar so to speak so he can't be hurting.
Any ideas/help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
I picked up a chuckwalla a few weeks ago at the White Plain reptile expo. Not much detail was provided about where he came from, etc. They had a bunch for sale and said that they got them on trade and were told they were captive bred.
Anyway, it's been a few weeks now. All the chuckwalla does all day long is try to get at the screen lid on top and even ripped two nails off of himself. He has a rock outcropping set up in his cage and a background that covers 2/3 of the cage. I have him in a 40 gallon breeder as he is small.
I read that captive breds can live in 40 gallon breeders and such but that wild-caught need 70 gallons plus. Have you ever had a wild caught and if so, did increasing the cage size actually calm him down?
What if he is captive bred but won't calm down in this cage? Is there anything I can do? I'm out of ideas. He has hide boxes etc.
Additionally, I read that they eat essentially the same thing as iguanas. They are mainly herbivores but occasionally may eat insects. It doesn't appear that he's eating the vegetables that we give him. We've even tried hibiscus flowers as I read that was safe to feed them and the color attracts their eyes. He won't eat those. I can't get my hands on the brimblebush and other things that they eat in the native environments. Anyway, Idk what to do. We do force feed him occasionally but I want him to eat on his own.
He definitely is pooping normal after we force feed him. Also, he seems hydrated after we force feed him. Finally, he is full of p*ss and vinegar so to speak so he can't be hurting.
Any ideas/help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated!