Iggy Guana

This is my (not so) new pet, Iggy Guana. Iggy loves to lay out in the sun all day. Special attention is given to the tanning of the legs......

The frogs took off during the rainy season and they had served their purpose.... to desensitize my dogs to them. Toad frogs secrete this milky substance on the base of their head that can kill a dog. Word has it that dogs know they can get high by just licking a toad frog. The trick is - not too much, most dogs get a foamy mouth and die of the poison. This type of iguana is mean and dangerous if you catch it. Macha caught one the other day and the iguana reached around and bit her eye and cheek, drawing blood. I was glad. Unfortunately, he died giving Macha this lesson. I scolded Macha severely but her brain is pit bull/chow. I am trying to teach her to NOT CHASE IGUANAS! It's a hard lesson for her to learn since she can catch them nearly every time. There's one iguana running around here that got away from Macha's clutches recently. I was happy to see him scamper up the tree yesterday sporting a new three inch stump for a tail, I call him Chinga (no tail). Actually there are several with regrown tails, I call them all Chinga (aka - Macha survivors).

Now that I have Iggy set up at my front gate and sleeping peacefully in a pipe, I want Macha to see on a daily basis that iguanas are for looking (and feeding) not killing!! Iggy waits ever morning for banana pieces, lettuce, papaya, or whatever I have on hand (actually, I now buy fruit for Iggy and his friends/foes). It's amazing what iguanas will eat (birds, too). They love my gringo gallo pinto! (in Southern Spanish that's, Gringa Galla Pinta). It's a local dish.

There have been other iguanas that have wanted to take over Iggy's set-up but he is defending his turf. I am hoping my dogs seeing Iggy on a daily basis will desensitize them to iguanas and there will be no more bolting out the door to chase down iguanas in the yard. ESPECIALLY IGGY!! I can't count the number of iguanas I have had to pick up and rescue from my yard. I NEVER dreamed I could catch and hold an iguana in my hands!!!!
This is the iguana that lives at the river. The battle is coming for Iggy's spot. Iggy is on the left.


I tried to break it up with the water hose but they were determined to duke it out. Lots of scuffling and arm biting but no damage. The river iguana went back to his domain and Iggy to his throne (that rock). In the photo below, you can see Iggy's house (the tube with barrel tile on top for insulation).
In the photo above, you can see Iggy is NOT HAPPY the bird is taking his banana!

I have alerted the yardman for the neighboring property about my "mascote" because he trims my hedge and I don't want Iggy to end up on someone's dinner plate... like what happened to my last "pet" iguana that lived in the water drainage pipe. I watched their dogs chase him down and them take the iguana to the house. I had to just turn and walk back inside my house without saying a word. They did not know he was my pet and eating iguana meat is a common practice for some. Pura vida.
Macha checking on Iggy's location. Iggy likes the grass on HER SIDE of the fence!! why is that??.......