So like any typical
college aged girl, I was spending my day on Instagram - but unlike your typical
college aged girls, I was spending it looking at reptiles. I wanted to see what
awesome reptiles people kept as pets, and from there I was making my “Reptiles
I want Wishlist”. One of the reptiles I came across was an iguana. I had never
really thought about owning an iguana, but the more I looked at these women on Instagram with theirs, the more I wanted one! Little did I know barely a week
later I would become an iguana mom to Arcadius, my precious little snuggle bug.
The Back Story
Once there was a man who
wanted a lizard. One day his buddy showed up with a cute little blue iguana and
said “I got you this lizard! I got one for myself too!”. Needless to say, this
story is already off to a bad start.
I will give him credit,
he did some research on iguanas once his buddy dropped little Arcadius off. He
built him a nice big enclosure, and gave him fresh veggies (However I don’t
know exactly what excet for broccoli). He provided Arcadius with heat and
lights - but failed to provide perhaps the most important part of an iguanas
needs….the source of UVB.
Iguana For Adoption
The man who was the
original gifter of the iguana ended up rehoming his shortly after buying it,
but the man who had Arcadius tried to make things work out. Finally he decided
that he didn't have the time and commitment to put into his little blue friend.
Knowing that without love and attention they can become aggressive when they
are older, he wanted the iggy to go to a good home.
Because the man was
someone my dad knew, word got back to us about the rehoming. At the time I was
5 hours away in the stock room of the Zoo gift shop where I work while I’m at
school. I received a text from my dad about it and one from my mom which
stated: “I can't believe I am even sending you this”.
My Iggy Baby
$50 and 24 hours later,
the guy dropped my early birthday present (as my parents called him) off at my
house and my mom became a temporary iggy mom until I came home 2 weeks later. I
wish I had a penny for everytime she said “If you had told me a year ago I
would be babysitting an iguana for you, I would have told you you're a liar”.
He also told us that Arcadius would be fine in the little blue storage bin he was being dropped off in until I came home (with the 55 gallon I impulsively bought on my way back from Easter break...It was $25 on craigslist because it had a leak. It was like the find of a life time for a young and broke reptile keeper!). But yea, talk about animal husbandry red flags! Luckily, on my way home for Easter break I stopped at a Petco and they were having their $1 per gallon sale. Needless to say, I impulsively bought a 20 gallon that ended up saving Arcadius from weeks in little storage bin (I couldn't have asked for a better way to get out of getting yelled at for buying it!).
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| Arcadius on his gotcha day (in his blue storage bin) |
7 Months Later
The first 2 months of
having Arcadius were spent dealing with his severe case of metabolic bone
disease. It was definitely hard for me, because he is such a sweetheart and we
had a connection right from the first moment I came home and met him. Luckily, we
never gave up on him and after what seemed like forever, he pulled through and
has been showing signs of getting stronger and healthier everyday.
Now he lives like a king
in his handicap accessible enclosure, complete with his high quality Mega-Ray
UVB, among other things. I never thought I would be a crazy iguana mom, but
here I am, with an iguana for a child, and it was the best decision I ever
made. I love him, injuries, deformities, and all!
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| Arcadius' first moments in his new homemade enclosure. |
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