 | mobile - desktop |
|
| mobile - desktop |
|
 |
 Contact Sales! |
News & Events:
|
Posted by Wes von Papineäu on April 01, 2002 at 06:56:51:
THE INDEPENDENT (Johannesburg, S Africa) 30 March 02 Lizards make lekker housepets (Megan Power)
Duke has the best seat in the house. From his corner of the lounge he can see the television screen clearly, and he certainly does not have to worry about getting under his owners' feet.
Not that they could miss him. Although bearing a dog's name, Duke is no hound. He's a South American iguana, one of a growing number now making themselves at home in suburbs around Durban.
From Westville to La Lucia, the Bluff to the Berea, the exotic emerald green creatures appear to be suddenly in vogue.
Demand for the exotic reptiles, with a pricetag of around R1 500, is growing.
In Durban eight iguanas have been snapped up in the past five weeks alone. Stock is in short supply. Eager customers are putting down deposits to secure the prehistoric-looking reptiles, while breeders say they're selling out before the eggs have even hatched.
"They make brilliant pets," said Durban North pet shop owner and reptile specialist Chris Harrison.
"A lot of people, including women from Umhlanga and Durban North, are buying them. They eat only fruit and vegetables, and that has attracted a lot of people."
One of them is Glen Anil mother of three Janet Norman. Two weeks ago she bought the last of Harrison's batch.
"In America iguanas are popular pets. We used to see a lot of them on our visits there. Now we've got one of our own and we love him," said Norman, 42, a karate teacher.
'If you drop a baby, you'll never catch it'
The family have named the reptile Gollum, after the little creature in Lord of the Rings.
"He'll eventually grow into a nice big monster. But we've got a four-bedroomed house, so we'll have enough space," she said.
Iguanas can grow to 1,5 metres in length, although those bred in South Africa generally reach just over one metre. Because of their speed and ability to climb, iguanas cannot be allowed to roam freely outdoors.
"They're like greased lightning, especially when they're small. If you drop a baby, you'll never catch it," said top iguana breeder Mr Harry Mattheys, of Northdene.
The 34-year-old former policeman - one of only two recognised breeders in KwaZulu-Natal - has sold more than 50 baby iguanas since January.
"I can't produce enough to keep up with demand," said Mattheys, who owns six adult blue diamond iguanas - the most popular species traded.
"If I deliver a batch of babies to a pet shop at the beginning of a week, they're all gone a few days later. People just love them," he said.
Iguanas, although not naturally tame, can be domesticated in less than four days, he says.
Despite their spiky comb and daunting "double chin" dewlaps, iguanas are not naturally aggressive and are said to pose less risk of attack than a dog.
"Putting an iguana baby on your lap while watching TV is one way of taming it. But you've got to be dedicated. I know iguanas that are so tame they travel in their owners' cars and sleep on the sofa,"says Mattheys
Duke is one such reptile. The sun-loving one-year-old regularly rides in owner Jason Arnold's car, perched either on the dashboard or on the headrest. At home, he claws his way up the diningroom curtains each evening, or relaxes among the leaves of an indoor pot plant in the lounge. Once a day he munches a delicious salad of carrots, apple, cucumber and broccoli - from a dog bowl.
Data capturer Tanya Veldsman, 24, and her fiance, who "didn't want a dog", have given the spare room in their Berea flat to their beloved Iggy.
"Initially our friends were adamant they wouldn't come to our home if we got an iguana - now they adore him," she says.
As do visitors to Judy Pretorius' Westville home, where siblings Rex and Buffy have the run of the house. In six months time, when they're large enough, they'll be fitted with harnesses and taken out for daily walks.
"They're such special creatures with such lovely characters. Keeping them as pets is going to get really big here. There's no doubt about it, they turn heads," says Pretorius.
One iguana was also not enough for La Lucia resident Celeste Sharp. Last month the 23-year-old bought Seth to keep one-year-old George company. Both sleep in a special indoor tank in her bedroom.
"It's a dream come true to own an iguana. Ever since I was little, I wanted one. I'd seen them in American movies, wearing diamante collars, and I knew I had to have one," she says.
Most local customers say they first spotted iguanas on holidays to America, where reptiles have become a multi-million dollar industry. Says Mattheys: "They come in boxes of 100 and cost just a few dollars each. It's ridiculous how big the trade is there."
Mattheys, whose home is shared by Australian bearded dragons, Pakistani leopard ghekoes, dwarf crocodiles and hundreds of snakes, is visited by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife at least twice a month.
Although owners do not require permits to keep iguanas, importation of exotic animals into the country or between provinces is forbidden.
Mattheys's initial iguanas were locally bred. "Because of the law, owners need to be able to explain where they got their iguanas from, if questioned," says Mattheys.
Amid high levels of illegal smuggling, the breeder leaves nothing to chance.
As well as keeping strict and detailed records of buyers, all sold iguanas are fitted with microchips - handled by specialist Durban North vet Tina Kaldenberg - and the corresponding numbers returned to Mattheys.
Mattheys' breeding iguanas produced 24 babies last month. This season the reptile expert is hoping for at least 30 more.
His phone, no doubt, is already ringing.
