A fundraising page has been set up for a wandering iguana found thin and thirsty in Gorleston.

Eddie, named after Edinburgh Avenue where he was picked up, has been in the care of Zoe Brown who has a menagerie of pets including another iguana, Rango.

The 24-year-old teaching assistant says Eddie has come on in leaps and bounds but will soon need a custom-built vivarium complete with heating bulbs.

And because so many people were asking about the exotic reptile and wanting to know if he was on the mend she thought well-wishers might like to chip in and help.

The enclosure, she said, was likely to cost around £150.

She estimated Eddie was just a few months old, and while he was only about 40cm long now he could grow to be as big as 1.8m, around 6ft.

She said: “He was quite skinny, dehydrated and terrified, but I have given him a bath and he is nice and warm and has put on weight.

“He looked as if he had been out on his own for a while by the state of him.”

Miss Brown speculated that he may have been abandoned because he was “a bit feisty”, trying to bite and whipping his tail.

Nobody has come forward to claim him.

At home in Bells Road Miss Brown and her partner Ben Manning care for some many animals they have acquired from people who can no longer look after them.

The collection of waifs and strays is something that came from not being able to say no to an animal looking for a home, she said.

The animal was initially picked up by Lisa Bowles of Edinburgh Avenue who managed to capture it and put it in a storage box.

Realising it needed specialist care she appealed to friends on Facebook to help trace its owner.

Despite her post being shared over 300 times no-one came forward - but she did reach Miss Brown who said she would look after it.

She said she was grateful for the rallying response on Facebook that had showed concern.

Iguanas are one of the most popular reptiles to be kept as pets

In captivity they eat lettuce, turnips and bananas.

To support Eddie’s new home click the link here.