The Winking Lizard is a great restaurant, but still a noisy and sad place for these lizards to live their lives. People and objects are constantly around the cage, sometimes banging into it. In some stores, the lizard cages are simply not big enough - the lizards are only able to climb and walk around a couple feet. Many customers have seen the lizards "bobbing" or "nodding" their heads when people come to observe them in their cages. This looks like a cute or funny action, however iguanas do this when they are feeling territorial. When an iguana does this head bob, they are expressing dominance and trying to signal that this is their territory, and to back off. 

The lizards are not able to be cared for while customers are in the restaurant, in case they were to get loose. So if someone forgets to feed the lizard, it will go all day long without food and without getting misted with water. Misting an iguana is very important and needs to be done once a day to help with their skin shedding process, keeping them hydrated, and keeping their environment comfortable. If they get misted Tuesday morning, but someone forgets on Wednesday morning, that lizard has to wait until late Wednesday night before they can get this necessary misting. 

In the summer, the lizards are covered in flies. It's normal for lizards to encounter flies, but when they are inside a cage for 12+ hours and the flies have nowhere to go, the inside of the cages are absolutely swarming in the enclosure. Additionally, iguanas should usually be a greenish color. Many of the iguanas kept by the winking lizard are brown or tan, meaning that their environment isn't the right temperature. 

To summarize, the lizards aren't being taken care of in the best manner, despite the efforts of the company and staff. Living things simply aren't meant to be kept in a loud, hectic restaurant. The Winking Lizard can continue to be a great restaurant, but the lizards aren't necessary, and taking them away wouldn't hurt the business. Please sign this petition if you believe in giving these lizards a shot at a better life!