do iguanas hibernate in captivity and in the wild?

Question

my green iguana has started eating a little less and tends to disapear into his hide box about 4pm now as opposed to about 10pm normally is this normal behavouir?

Answer 1

Many captive reptiles begin hibernating simply because it is biological instinct- it's getting dark and cold, and when a reptile is dark and cold, it sleeps. In the wild, they live in bright, tropical climates, so they are less likely to hibernate. If you want to allow him to hibernate, look up brumating reptiles and find out what to do for him. If you're trying to prevent him from hibernating (most captive reptiles don't actually need to, I never hibernate my animals), raise his temperatures in his cage. Make sure he has a basking spot of at least 100 degrees, and try to keep the ambient cage temperature at 80-85. Keep his lights on from about 7am to 9pm, which will simulate the day-length and heat he is more accustomed to. If it's warm, and there is ample food and water, he will probably not hibernate after all.

Answer 2

As green iguanas come from hot tropical regions, they do not hibernate. The only iguanas that hibernate are desert iguanas which can be found in the desert regions of the southwest. There can be several reasons why your iguana chooses to hide in his box but the most obvious explanation would be temperature. The ambient temperature in the cage probably isn't sufficient for your iguana which would also explain why he isn't eating a much. Proper heating and lighting aids in the digestion of food for your iguana, and with the temperature being low the iguana isn't digesting all his food and thus is not feeling the need to eat. I would suggest you read up more on green iguanas at kingsnake.com or better yet purchas a book on their care.
I also provided you a link to a pretty decent care sheet about green iguanas, please read it well.

Answer 3

Three excellent websites to help you on your iguana husbandry can be found with the links provided. Concentrate on on temperatures, UVB, and diet.