Press Item: Leapin' lizards!

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Posted by Desiree on July 23, 2001 at 22:02:26:

Leapin' lizards!

By Diane Cochran, of The Montana Standard

Meet Dan Shaw. He's the guy walking around Uptown Butte with the iguana on his head. Seriously.
Shaw, 30, can be seen strolling the streets almost any day the sun is shining with Louie, his 3-year-old iguana, happily perched on his head or shoulder.
Some days, Shaw has three iguanas clutching his shirt and baseball cap. On those occasions, Louie is joined by Frankie and Scooter, each not yet a year old.
`` I bring them out about once a day,'' said Shaw, a Butte native.
The reptiles enjoy the sun, and Shaw enjoys the reactions of passers-by.
`` Some people think they're fake,'' he said. `` Some people back off real quick ly.''
Lately, just Louie has been treated to daily excursions because Scooter -- the female -- fell victim to an overzealous little boy at the Farmer's Market. The boy tried to pick her up and accidentally pulled off about half her tail, Shaw said.
Scooter took off running after the incident.
`` I had to climb up a tree just to get her,'' Shaw said.
Shaw does allow people to touch the iguanas because he wants to accustom them to humans. He said reptiles that are not regularly handled become aggressive.
`` Basically, they have short tempers,'' Shaw said.
Louie was that way when Shaw bought him for $150 last November from an acquaintance.
`` It took me four months to get to where I could hold him,'' he said.
He bought Frankie and Scooter from for $35 apiece from a pet store, and has handled them every day to ensure they are comfortable around humans.
Even so, Scooter lost her temper one day and lashed out at Shaw.
`` She bit me right on the lip,'' he said.
Iguana bites are serious enough to draw blood, he said.
Despite that risk, Frankie and Louie -- named after the beer commercial fea turing two iguanas -- and Scooter are easy pets to care for because they don't have to be vaccinated or have regular visits to the veterinarian, Shaw said.
The trio lives in one cage, but Louie is allowed to roam around Shaw's home as he pleases.
`` He'll climb around on the furniture, on my fans and on the bed,'' he said. `` That's where he sleeps most of the time. He has his own pillow.''
The reptiles eat fresh fruits and veg etables and have a fluorescent light in their cage to keep it above 70 degrees. Shaw expects Louie and Frankie to grow to about 5 feet long, and Scooter should get a little larger.
Shaw hopes Frankie and Scooter will reproduce so he can sell their offspring. He also plans to save money to buy a mate for Louie.
`` I've already had people wanting to buy these from me,'' he said.
So far, he has refused to part with his pets.
`` These guys and I have a pretty good understanding,'' he said.

-- Reporter Diane Cochran may be reached via e-mail at diane.cochran(at)(at)mtstandard.com.

Leapin' lizards!

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i read this...and couldnt help but think... raven.... 07/23/01 (0)

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: Leapin' lizards! : By Diane Cochran, of The Montana Standard : Meet Dan Shaw. He's the guy walking around Uptown Butte with the iguana on his head. Seriously. : Shaw, 30, can be seen strolling the streets almost any day the sun is shining with Louie, his 3-year-old iguana, happily perched on his head or shoulder. : Some days, Shaw has three iguanas clutching his shirt and baseball cap. On those occasions, Louie is joined by Frankie and Scooter, each not yet a year old. : `` I bring them out about once a day,'' said Shaw, a Butte native. : The reptiles enjoy the sun, and Shaw enjoys the reactions of passers-by. : `` Some people think they're fake,'' he said. `` Some people back off real quick ly.'' : Lately, just Louie has been treated to daily excursions because Scooter -- the female -- fell victim to an overzealous little boy at the Farmer's Market. The boy tried to pick her up and accidentally pulled off about half her tail, Shaw said. : Scooter took off running after the incident. : `` I had to climb up a tree just to get her,'' Shaw said. : Shaw does allow people to touch the iguanas because he wants to accustom them to humans. He said reptiles that are not regularly handled become aggressive. : `` Basically, they have short tempers,'' Shaw said. : Louie was that way when Shaw bought him for $150 last November from an acquaintance. : `` It took me four months to get to where I could hold him,'' he said. : He bought Frankie and Scooter from for $35 apiece from a pet store, and has handled them every day to ensure they are comfortable around humans. : Even so, Scooter lost her temper one day and lashed out at Shaw. : `` She bit me right on the lip,'' he said. : Iguana bites are serious enough to draw blood, he said. : Despite that risk, Frankie and Louie -- named after the beer commercial fea turing two iguanas -- and Scooter are easy pets to care for because they don't have to be vaccinated or have regular visits to the veterinarian, Shaw said. : The trio lives in one cage, but Louie is allowed to roam around Shaw's home as he pleases. : `` He'll climb around on the furniture, on my fans and on the bed,'' he said. `` That's where he sleeps most of the time. He has his own pillow.'' : The reptiles eat fresh fruits and veg etables and have a fluorescent light in their cage to keep it above 70 degrees. Shaw expects Louie and Frankie to grow to about 5 feet long, and Scooter should get a little larger. : Shaw hopes Frankie and Scooter will reproduce so he can sell their offspring. He also plans to save money to buy a mate for Louie. : `` I've already had people wanting to buy these from me,'' he said. : So far, he has refused to part with his pets. : `` These guys and I have a pretty good understanding,'' he said. : -- Reporter Diane Cochran may be reached via e-mail at diane.cochran(at)(at)mtstandard.com.

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