iguana behavior

Question
Why does my iguana pretend not to like me?  When I go to pick her up or pet her she runs for her life and when I kiss her she turns away and closes her eyes.

But when I leave her alone for several hours she will come to me and sit on my leg.  When I don't get a chance to hold her for a day she comes out of her room into my room looking for me.  I always hold her in my room so if she didn't like me you'd think she'd stay far away from it.  

Answer
Dear Amanda,
This is a very refreshing question to receive. This is a very common relationship between an iguana and his or her owner. I have an iguana named Trogdor and I have held him everyday and given him kisses everyday since I got him over a year ago and he still runs to avoid me and shuts his eyes on me when I get him in a submissive position. I do firmly believe that this behavior stems from the fact that iguanas act very strongly on instinct. Iguanas are designed to be very defensive creatures to ensure survival in their natural habitats. Their anatomies are very specifically designed to appear dangerous and threatening with their long tails used for whipping, tall dorsal spikes to appear sharp, long dewlaps to appear thicker, long claws and sharp teeth, and the parietal eye to sense predators from above. Keeping this in mind, it is important to remember that their instincts tell them that anything approaching them or attempting to put their mouth near them appears to be a predator and even if they do like you, they cannot grow comfortable with the fact that they are in a position in which they could easily become lunch. The fact that your iguana actually finds you and approaches you is EXTREMELY flattering! I have no doubt your iguana loves you. There have been studies that show iguanas do develop strong attachments to their owners and some of them can even die of "broken hearts" if they are separated from their longtime owner(s). Also, oftentimes iguanas will calm down with age and if your girl is not quite into her adulthood, she may calm down even further as she gets older. If she is an adult and set in her ways, you should not take this personally, these are animals that were not designed to form any emotional bonds to other creatures, as they do not even stay with their eggs after laying to raise their hatchlings. With this in mind, just try to enjoy her and the fact that she goes looking for you and expresses interest in being around you; this is the pristine form of her showing affection toward you and also, one more thing: when they close their eyes, this doesn't necessarily mean they are trying to block you out, it can also be a sign that they are comfortable with you and are able to relax. Well, I hope this sheds some light onto your concern and I do hope you are reassured that she does not dislike you. Keep working with her and continuing to hold her, being slow in your movements and soft in your tone of voice so she feels extra relaxed near you. Good luck to you and your baby!

Sara