When I walked out the front door an iguana was sunning himself on the edge of the pool. As soon as he saw me, he quietly flipped over and dropped into the water. I hadn't approached him or threatened him. Why did he do that? He could have just walked away. Maybe he was just hot and wanted to cool off. He went to the deepest corner and lay there without moving.
I wanted to get him out so I took the pool brush and poked him with it. Then he quickly swam up to the surface and seemed to be scrambling to get out. He didn't manage to get a grip on the edge, so went back to the bottom and lay there. I left him alone for a while, but was concerned that he had exhausted himself and would never get out. I went on the internet and read that green iguanas are good swimmers and can close their nostrils and hold their breath for 30 minutes. Then what?
After about an hour I poked him again. He swam a little then stopped and seemed to be sitting up on his tail in a meditational pose for a while. He was in the pool for almost 3 hours - mostly underwater. Finally my husband came home and I said you have to help me get the iguana out of the pool. He pushed the iguana towards the shallow end of the pool with the long-handled brush and then I got the kayak paddle under him and flipped him out onto the lawn. He seemed cold and dazed, but slowly crept off into the bushes.
