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Posted by Sharon on May 09, 2001 at 13:18:36:
I agree whole heartedly with the idea that baby iguanas do NOT need to be sold in every petshop to every person that says "oh how cute" - how big a tank will need and what does it eat?"
Unfortunately, I doubt we will see an end to this problem. Babies SHOULD be available to those of us who know about raising herps...and choose to rear our animals from a younger age to foster strong bonds.
So, yesterday we were at my local GOOD petstore. It is a bird/herp specialty store in which all the birds are bred there and hand fed by just a few people and they really CARE. A little kid came in with a half dead iguana in a 10 gallon tank (still only a few weeks old) with cedar shavings (geez) on the bottom, a regular 15 watt flourescent light aquarium type cover and a rotten bowl of water/food. He was asking the shop owners to help him clear out one eye - it was closed over with puss from what was obviously a severe infection.
The shop keeper took the animal in the back and cleaned out the eye, and I approached the (father?) of the boy and asked him what else they were doing with this animal and started to tell him some things about green iguanas...He had no clue about what they were supposed to eat (there was some iceberg lettuce in the water with carrot shreds and dead crickets) - wasn't aware they needed HEAT lighting. (duh) And When I got to the full-size part he nearly soiled himself. I explained that one of mine got to be over 5 foot long and when his son came back out they went to talk. Somehow I doubt it made a difference in the life of the animal. had I been the father I would have offered the creature to the shop for adoption immediately so it could be saved. But they left without buying appropriate materials with a half dead iguana in a tank.
How dense do you have to be, and who lets a 10 year old kid go to a petstore and buy any animal? The iguana had not been purchased at this petshop, as the shop keepers refuse sale of live animals to those under 18 without parental permission....
After the father/son left, I leaned over the counter and the keeper told me that the poor thing must have drank a ounce of water while in the back being cleaned up - dehydrated as well...
Sadly (but probably for the best) that animal will not live long enough to 'impose' its great size on those stupid people or survive to suffer for years with neglect abuse or inadequate care....
My heart breaks every time I hear about this stuff and though I always do what I can - I know it is hopeles sometimes. On the PLUS side, my "IGGY" was a hatchling petstore purchase and let me tell you - he has the most loving and supportive family in the world...So it is not all bad all the time. I just wish that shop owners would place restrictions on sales of these animals. A 10 year old should have like - oh i dunno - a hermit crab. NOT a green iguana.
