nice to see a publication get it right - np

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Posted by Joan on July 23, 1999 at 00:19:52:

In Reply to: Escaped Canadian Iguana - Press Item posted by Wes von Papine�u on July 22, 1999 at 10:37:34:

: THE OTTAWA CITIZEN (Ontario) 22 July 99 Escapee lizard safe at home: Beloved iguana escaped by darting out owner's back door (Kate Jaimet)
: The escapade of Quincey the iguana came to a happy ending yesterday when he was returned to his rightful home.
: "I'm so happy. I didn't sleep last night, I was so upset,'' said Quincey's owner, Lisa Schraenkler.
: Quincey, who was found on the loose in the parking lot of Nepean's EDS Systemhouse Tuesday, had escaped from Ms. Schraenkler's home by darting out the back door when her back was turned. The 27-year-old teacher, who lives close to EDS Systemhouse, scoured the nearby trees for her errant reptile, but did not discover his whereabouts until she saw his picture in yesterday's Citizen.
: His apparently broken jaw was an old injury that never healed properly, Ms. Schraenkler said. Quincey is doing well and was not hurt in Tuesday's jaunt.
: A sizeable yet affectionate iguana, the eight-year-old Quincey has lived with Ms. Schraenkler since young lizard-hood. He has the run of the house, climbing in her potted trees and sunning himself on her windowledges. Ms. Schraenkler said she researched before buying Quincey, a necessary step for anyone contemplating such a pet.
: Iguanas, which start out as cute little lizards about a 30 centimetres long, grow into two-meter-long mini-dragons with sharp claws, powerful tails and, sometimes, nasty temperaments. They also need a pen the size of a walk-in closet.
: "They need a very specific diet, temperature and lighting conditions or they will not grow and they will die,'' said Paul Goulet, a reptile specialist who owns Little Ray's Reptile Adventure. "If you do not socialize with them on a regular basis, you will end up with a big lizard that will bite.''
: Although it was not the case with Quincey, there are many instances of iguanas and other reptilian pets being abandoned or starved to death by their owners. Mr. Goulet once picked up an alligator abandoned on a balcony in a Laurier Street apartment building, and also recalls a Burmese python left in a basement when its owner went to jail. He said he receives half a dozen calls a week from people wanting to get rid of their iguanas.
: "A lot of people get these animals when they're tiny, and when they get big, they just dump them; they put them in a garbage bin or in a park,'' said Stephanie Fawcett, manager of the Little Farm pet store in the Rideau Centre.
: Sales of iguanas are actually going down as pet store owners and lizard lovers realize the difficulty of keeping them, reports the latest issue of PIJAC News, the newsletter for Canada's pet industry. Instead, reptile fans are turning to smaller and easier-to-keep lizards like leopard geckos and bearded dragons, which can be housed in 30-gallon tanks.
: "Consider your obligation when you buy a reptile to be the same as when you buy a dog or a cat,'' Mr. Goulet said. "It's a lifetime commitment to the animal.''

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: : THE OTTAWA CITIZEN (Ontario) 22 July 99 Escapee lizard safe at home: Beloved iguana escaped by darting out owner's back door (Kate Jaimet) : : The escapade of Quincey the iguana came to a happy ending yesterday when he was returned to his rightful home. : : "I'm so happy. I didn't sleep last night, I was so upset,'' said Quincey's owner, Lisa Schraenkler. : : Quincey, who was found on the loose in the parking lot of Nepean's EDS Systemhouse Tuesday, had escaped from Ms. Schraenkler's home by darting out the back door when her back was turned. The 27-year-old teacher, who lives close to EDS Systemhouse, scoured the nearby trees for her errant reptile, but did not discover his whereabouts until she saw his picture in yesterday's Citizen. : : His apparently broken jaw was an old injury that never healed properly, Ms. Schraenkler said. Quincey is doing well and was not hurt in Tuesday's jaunt. : : A sizeable yet affectionate iguana, the eight-year-old Quincey has lived with Ms. Schraenkler since young lizard-hood. He has the run of the house, climbing in her potted trees and sunning himself on her windowledges. Ms. Schraenkler said she researched before buying Quincey, a necessary step for anyone contemplating such a pet. : : Iguanas, which start out as cute little lizards about a 30 centimetres long, grow into two-meter-long mini-dragons with sharp claws, powerful tails and, sometimes, nasty temperaments. They also need a pen the size of a walk-in closet. : : "They need a very specific diet, temperature and lighting conditions or they will not grow and they will die,'' said Paul Goulet, a reptile specialist who owns Little Ray's Reptile Adventure. "If you do not socialize with them on a regular basis, you will end up with a big lizard that will bite.'' : : Although it was not the case with Quincey, there are many instances of iguanas and other reptilian pets being abandoned or starved to death by their owners. Mr. Goulet once picked up an alligator abandoned on a balcony in a Laurier Street apartment building, and also recalls a Burmese python left in a basement when its owner went to jail. He said he receives half a dozen calls a week from people wanting to get rid of their iguanas. : : "A lot of people get these animals when they're tiny, and when they get big, they just dump them; they put them in a garbage bin or in a park,'' said Stephanie Fawcett, manager of the Little Farm pet store in the Rideau Centre. : : Sales of iguanas are actually going down as pet store owners and lizard lovers realize the difficulty of keeping them, reports the latest issue of PIJAC News, the newsletter for Canada's pet industry. Instead, reptile fans are turning to smaller and easier-to-keep lizards like leopard geckos and bearded dragons, which can be housed in 30-gallon tanks. : : "Consider your obligation when you buy a reptile to be the same as when you buy a dog or a cat,'' Mr. Goulet said. "It's a lifetime commitment to the animal.''

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