Hi All Just a quick question, we have a baby ig ~2.5 mnts old I am curious about the fact that he closes either one or both eyes when I "pamper" him by gently rubbing him just above the ear after a while of this pampering he does the eye thing. To me it seems that he is enjoying it very much, but I'v e read different articles some say that this indicates that its scared to "death" and other says that the ig is staring to trust you (will not close eyes if your'e seen as a predator?). So I am a bit confused on this, both arguments makes sense in some way or the other, what is your views on this? Thanx Kewlcat
Contact like that is sometimes stressful in a way. They will close their eyes if they feel you are too close. It's kind of a way of blocking out the activity around them. A lot of igs will do this when there is any sort of movement near or around their face. It doesn't necessarily mean they are scared, it just means they are "getting away" from the situation. If they saw you as a predator, they would become aggressive and attempt to run away so that train of thought doesn't really follow, but if they are wary of you, they will watch you intently, but still close their eyes if there is a lot of movement near their face. They essentially close their eyes because they are annoyed by the attention.
sorry to be a drivel but thats rubbish. my iggy loves her parietal eye (third eye on top) almost pacified her even after she has fallen off things or run off from a loud nose etc it always calms her. i tried to pick her u[p after she fell from the sofa and she whipped me. when she fell of her tankand i managed to rub her "eye" she almost went asleep. First hand knowledge proven from me. even after she did a run up and down her tank thrashing around. with a glove on and so she could see my hand i raised it to her head and rubbed away. hey presto purring like a puddy cat. by al means it may just be mine and maybe cos shes female.
it's not all rubbish. many animals will close their eyes when they are given too much attention and iguanas are no exception. they can be bothered by a lot of action or sensory input and may very well close their eyes to try to avoid some of the stimulation. it's more than likely *not* the pineal eye that your ig likes rubbed, but the top of her head in general. also, the pineal eye is light-sensitive and rubbing your finger over it may very well be a lot of stimulation - so much that she closes her eyes. rubbing the pineal eye also keeps it from detecting the light - this may be another reason she closes her eyes when you rub it. basically, kewlkat, you have to use the circumstances to determine why the iguana is closing it's eyes. if there are loud noises, motion in it's range of sight, more than a couple people in the room, etc then it is probably closing it's eyes to reduce the sensory overload. try to calm the situation down. if you are rubbing it and it closes it's eyes and leans into the rub, then it probably likes the attention.
You know mohik4n22...you could respond by simply saying "I disagree" or "I don't think that's why my ig responds that way"...that was unnecessarily snotty. My comments were not rubbish, nor incorrect, although they may not apply to your situation, experience has taught me that many lizards will close their eyes when you put your hands near their face. It's a completely natural response to that stimulus. It doesn't mean that they are afraid, or nervous, but it is a stressor to some degree for a lot of animals.
indeed but if u read on""" by al means it may just be mine and maybe cos shes female.""" NO disrespect intended
i am honestly confused here. are you implying that i called you kewlkat? because obviously i was referring my final comments to kewlcat and just misspelled his/her member name. also, we were all well aware that you said "it may just be my iguana or cos she's female". just because we didn't comment on it doesn't mean that we didn't read that part. *obviously* it could just be your iguana that acts that way.
i think it all depends on the iguana. some iguanas may do it because they like it a lot and makes them fall asleep or whatever, or like biochic said they could be annoyed by the attention. i think all iguanas have different personalities. saying that they only close their eyes when they are annoyed, is like saying everyones racist, but not that extreme and stuff. if he seems to like it then keep doing it but if he lookes like he doesnt want it then stop
I never meant that was the only reason possible. I was just explaining one reason. My exact words were "sometimes stressful", "a lot of igs" (not all), and "It doesn't necessarily mean they are scared". They asked our opinion on why they would close their eyes when touched, and I gave them my opinion on one reason. Let's get back on topic. If anyone has any other ideas for kewlkat please feel free to share.
My ig, who is the worlds biggest cuddle muffin to me, closes her eyes when somebody she doesn't like is near her, even my sister who pets and holds her almost as much as I do. I always assumed this meant she was trying to ignore them (if I can’t see you then you’re not there kind of thing) She closed her eye at me for the first couple of months that I had her but doesn’t now. Mohik4n22: When I run my ig’s (eye) she usually sneezes!!
Hi ya all Thanx for the opinions given by all, I realy appriciate it especialy the blokes with experince. It was just interesting and may be a bit confusing, I guess it depends on the ig's personality and situation (surroundings) given. Thanx
