Lizard Lovers

Well, I whined and cried again. I feel so stupid when I write such a depressing post...but every couple of days something new happens and it drags me down. The need to vent is just overwhelming. Today, I'm going to write about Iggy. He's been a loyal friend for almost three years and it seems like a good topic because today the kids and I went shopping for him. He also had a bath for a change, I heard that iguanas like their baths, but Iggy didn't seem to happy about it.

I never dreamed that I would own, and really LIKE, a reptile. I guess I never thought a reptile would have much of a personality, but he really does! I first obtained Iggy when my mom's friend asked her if she knew anyone that would like to have an Iguana. Of course, for God knows what reason, my mom thought of me. She knows that the boys LOVE any kind of animal, especially reptiles. So, I said sure. I had no clue. None. I got him some Iguana staples at the local pet shop, asked some questions about an Iguana's needs...and proceeded to listen to a story about a woman who received 7 stitches in the face after her long time friend bit her. Nice. THAT didn't make me paranoid. I met Iggy at this woman's house, and he kind of freaked me out. He has never been contained, so cool. Her instructions were that you have to talk babytalk to him before you approach him, let him run free, and feed him an egg once a week with his fruits and veggies. So I took him with a "here we go wittle iggy wiggy, good wittle boy", and put him in the car. I put him between my mom and I in front seat of the car. The kids were in the back, and Dalton was a little nervous about this weird looking creature as well. We're driving along, and Iggy wants to wander. He did...up my arm and onto my shoulder. I looked at him through my peripheral vision as I was driving, and guess what I saw? Teeth. Big Iguana teeth that would mar my face forever. And his mouth wasn't even open. Then he began to travel further upward, I guess for a better view, onto the top of my head. He has these nice long skinny toes that got tangled in my hair so much so that I had to stop along the road for my mom to detangle him. That was the beginning. It took a long time to get used to this creature in my house. He has always had free reign. For awhile, the kids and I played "find the leezard" every morning. I would walk around the corner from the kitchen and he would scare the crap out of me, because I forgot a scaly crawler was on the loose. But he has wormed his way into our hearts. And he has survived a crazy household.

About Iggy. When he's hungry he sits in front of the refridgerator. When he gets the chance, he crawls into it. A babysitter had to call her dad one night because she couldn't/wouldnt' get him out. When I feed him, he doesn't look at the pile of food in front of him, he goes right for my hand, not viciously, but because he's spoiled and it so much easier to have the food put in front of your mouth than to bend over that 1/2 inch. In the summer he runs toward an open door to get out. I let him out pretty freely, I check on him every so often. He comes back and waits at the door at dusk. When he's in a bad mood and doesn't want affection, he'll swat at you with his front leg. When he does want attention, he'll come into the living room while you're watching t.v. and crawl up your back, and scare the shit out of you. He will close his eyes, put his head up and lean into you as you stroke him. If he doesn't like something, like an offer of unwanted food, he'll turn his head and close his eyes as though he refuses to acknowledge your presence.

You have to be a special person to stroke a rough, scaly creature and find pleasure in it! So, I'm hooked. The kids and I went to a pet store today to look around, and you'll never guess! We came home with two more reptiles, anoles. Derek has claimed them as his very own, and Dalton got his favorite...a hermit crab he named Coco. Coco is a wild one, he's actually in a bird cage at the moment and seems to think that hanging from the top is the ticket to freedom. He's on his third trip up. The anoles are adorable, very small and friendly to handle. Tonight, instead of sleeping, Derek asked me about getting more. He wants the black and yellow monitor and some tree frogs. The child is ecstatic about his pets. Finally when he settled down, he asked me if I would take care of them while he was at his dad's. As I left him to sleep, I told him, "sweet dreams...dream of playing in the rainforest with lots of beautiful reptiles!" He smiled and nodded.