Roaming reptile finds creature comforts

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Roaming reptile finds creature comforts

http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m072404c.htm

Saturday, July 24, 2004

Couple's surprise guest is 4-foot-8-inch iguana

By KATIE GRASSO
Courier-Post Staff
EVESHAM


Township employee Jim Montelpare was cutting the thick grass behind his Marlton home last Thursday when he spotted what he thought was a snapping turtle.

He realized it was a 4-foot-8-inch iguana.

"It wasn't just a lizard," he said, spreading his arms out. "It was a dinosaur. It's something you only see on the Discovery Channel."

Montelpare, 48, grabbed the reptile by its tail and the iguana, which he named Dino after the Flintstones character, whipped its head around and hissed.

But he took it home anyway.

Jim's wife, Kate, is used to animals coming to their home to seek refuge. In the past, Jim nursed a partially blind deer, a baby Canada goose and baby squirrels back to health before giving them to a wildlife refuge.

"Maybe I'm Dr. Dolittle or something," Montelpare said.

Originally, the Montelpares placed Dino, who they thought may have escaped from a home during last week's floods, in a plastic barrel they had in their garage. The couple soon realized it needed more space.


"It was unfair to keep him in there," Montelpare said.

A neighbor donated fencing and he created a cage against his garage, complete with a climbing log, water and food bowl where they feed Dino lettuce, apples, strawberries and other vegetables. Montelpare rakes it clean every day.

"I just hope it can't dig and get out," he said.

Debbie Densten, manager of Paradise Pet Center in Woodbury, said most people don't realize how fast iguanas can move.

Iguanas can make good pets and are easier to handle if you get one when it is small, Densten said. If well-behaved, iguanas can be left free to roam around the house, she said.

"They like to climb so be careful they don't pull down the draperies," she said.

Iguanas are hunted by many animals and their instinct is to scratch or bite out of fear. Their main line of defense, however, is their long, whiplike tail.

Jim and Kate did not want Dino and their 130-pound Rottweiler, Buddy, to fight, so they've been keeping them separated, alternating time to enable both to roam about the house. They said Dino has already escaped once, running as fast as Buddy into their back yard.

The Montelpares said their house is not big enough to keep Dino, and even though they've already created a temporary cage and bought iguana pellet food, they hope Dino's owners will come forward.

Dino, who has thick, dark green bands on its underside and thick black bands on its tail, has legs and feet that are slightly orange.

"I just wish its rightful owners would take it," Kate said. "We contacted the zoo but they said they won't take it because it might have germs."

Jim thought Dino was the Philadelphia Zoo iguana "Chips" that went missing July 21, but zoo spokeswoman Jenette Meluso said the description did not match its missing iguana.

Still, the Montelpares want zoo personnel to come and take a look for themselves at their rare find.

"We've had our share of animals," Kate said. "But I don't want any more pets." IGUANA TIPS

Debbie Densten, manager at Paradise Pet Center in Woodbury, has these tips for looking after iguanas:

Do not use kennels or glass aquariums for larger iguanas because they are not strong enough to contain the animals. Homemade cages made out of wood and mesh are usually the most cost-effective.

Iguanas usually grow from 4 to 6 feet long.

Iguanas are herbivores; feed them Romaine lettuce, not celery or other vegetables. Green, orange or yellow-colored vegetables are the most nutritious for the creatures. They eat whole vegetables in the wild but do not feed them pureed vegetables.

Children under 15 should be supervised with iguanas.

Don't let an iguana run loose, because it likes to climb and will get away easily.

All reptiles carry salmonella in their digestive tract. To prevent salmonella poisoning, wash hands after handling the reptile.
 
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