"now he won't move more than 2 feet"...how nice.. arrghhh n/m

Subject:

Comments:
: : <i>Photo: Josh Hammers spends some quality time with Spike. The iquana is nearly as long as Josh is tall. The pair have been together since Josh was ten years old.</i> : : JOURNAL-ENTERPRISE (Providence, Kentucky) 03 April 02 Iguana... the gift that keeps growing and growing (Gwen Bolin) : : Josh Hammers spends some quality time with Spike. The iquana is nearly as long as Josh is tall. The pair have been together since Josh was ten years old. : : When Josh Hammers of Providence brought home a tiny green iguana, his parents Doug and Vicke Hammers had no qualms about letting him keep the unobtrusive reptile. : : At the time it was about five inches long, tail and all. Little did they know it would grow to be nearly six feet in length. : : During the Providence Coal Festival in May 1997, Josh’s younger brother Ryan won an iguana. So did one of Josh’s friends. Seeing how much fun Ryan had with his new pet, Josh was delighted when his friend offered him his small reptile. : : Both pets grew rapidly as iguanas tend to do in their first two to three years. But after a year, Ryan’s pet developed a disease and died. Josh’s spiked friend “Spike” continued to thrive. : : Now, five years later, Spike is like a member of the family. His cage is kept in a private room which offers the morning sun for basking. : : “He started off in a 10-gallon aquarium,” Josh said. “Then he went to a 40-gallon one. He kept growing so then we got a 55-gallon aquarium.” : : But the growth spurt showed no signs of slowing, so eventually a very large dog cage was purchased. : : ` “I didn’t expect him to get that big,” said Josh. “I guess if he gets any bigger, we’ll have to build him a room.” : : Experts say after three years, the growth rate for iguanas decrease dramatically. Typically, a healthy reptile will grow to about five-and-a-half to six feet, including the tail. : : In the wild, an iguana can live from 40 to 50 years. In captivity they generally live about 10 years. : : As far as reptiles go, iguanas have been declared the number one pet choice in the US. : : Josh feels like the iguana is a low-maintenance pet. : : “I just feed him stuff from the pet shop,” said Josh. “It kinda looks like dog food.” : : Cleaning Spike’s cage, keeping fresh food water available and making sure he has plenty of warmth, are about the only requirements. : : “They can’t live here because it doesn’t stay warm enough,” said Josh. “He has to have a heat rock so he can lay on there and digest his food.” : : If the weather is cooperative, Spike enjoys a trip outside. “When he was little he liked to climb the trees,” said Josh. “But now when he goes out he won’t move more than two feet all day.” : : Other things have changed since Spike was no bigger than a lizard as well. He doesn’t get handled nearly as much. This is due in part to his long claws. : : “We have to keep them trimmed because they get really long and are real sharp,” Josh said. : : In Spike’s earlier years, Josh would let him climb around on his shoulders. But once, after Spike’s mega-growth, Josh had Spike on his shoulders and he climbed atop Josh’s head. : : “He didn’t want to come down and he dug his claws into my head,” said Josh. “I had to have help getting him off.” : : Josh is much more leery now when Spike decides to head north while being held. : : : :

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

kingsnake.com | NRAAC.ORG | ReptileBusinessGuide.com | ReptileShowGuide.com | ReptileShows.mobi | Connected By Cars | DesertRunner.org AprilFirstBioEngineering | GunHobbyist.com | GunShowGuide.com | GunShows.mobi | GunBusinessGuide.com | club kingsnake | live stage magazine pool banner - advertise here advertise here advertise here kingsnake.com® is a registered trademark© 1997-     - this site optimized for 1024x768 resolution -