Looking for an unusual pet? Although they look cool, reptiles need a lot of looking after
I HAVE recently lost my pet dog. She went missing about two weeks ago and I vowed never to own another pet, or at least one that needs to run free and play with others of its kind. But, the idea of the perfect pet came to me after I met a man who owns one. It’s green, can grow up to two metres long and loves the sun. An iguana! Although having seen Vasilis Papademetriou’s pet iguana up close and personal, I am having second thoughts.
Papademetriou lives opposite our offices in the heart of old Nicosia and has a refreshing and distinguishing habit. Regular as clockwork in the midday sun, he stands on his balcony with an iguana on his shoulder. You can imagine that after a hellish day in the office, seeing this guy hold his pet as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, I was curious. So, off I went to the flats opposite, notepad and photographer in tow. Vasilis and Koko (the iguana) gave me a warm welcome.
Slightly more welcome than I had anticipated from the latter if I’m honest.
Iguanas are exotic creatures but more and more people are showing an interest in owning one. They are pets that need heat and sun, something that Vasilis and other owners have to consider before adopting one as a pet. “We’ve got bulbs around the house that radiate heat in specific spots where Koko likes to sit,” said Vasilis “and in his cage there are USB lights that make up for heat and light.” Koko’s cage is 1.5 x 2.5 metres which still isn’t enough for him to feel free, so Vasilis and his children leave him to walk around in their apartment.
“Iguanas are not messy creatures,” explained Vasilis, “and they don’t really get into trouble.” That doesn’t mean that they are lazy and sit around all day. “He does run,” said Vasilis, “and he does jump”. You can take my word for that because while we were speaking, Koko was getting obviously frustrated, jumping from Vasilis’ shoulder on to the kitchen table. I jumped as well, desperately suppressing the urge to run out the flat screaming.
Although you might think of an iguana as slippery and creepy animals (they are somewhat reminiscent of snakes), Koko is quite charming. His chest has a cool green colour, his tail is patterned and his legs are orange. I won’t even start on the different kinds of skin and small horns he has on his head. Koko is a year and a half old but if he has a happy life and his owners take good care of him, he could live up to 20 years. But unfortunately that is quite difficult. “There are no vets in Cyprus who know about iguanas,” explained Vasilis, “and iguanas have a weak immune system.” So, what happens when they get ill? Well, apparently, there is a slim chance they could live.
“Koko has not yet been seriously ill,” Vasilis said, “but we do take good care of him.”
And he also has special medication and antibacterial soap to wash Koko, which again does not exist in Cyprus. “I order most things from the internet,” explained Vasilis “and everything I know is by researching a lot about my pet.”
Iguanas are dangerous and they do bite. “Until about six months ago, he did bite,” said Vasilis “but not hard enough for him to hurt me.” However, there have been cases in which people have been bitten and needed stitches. “They do scratch too,” said Vasilis wiping some blood off his hand where Koko had dug his nails, “but you can cut their nails if you want.” Then again, this is something a vet would do and it is somewhat dangerous for Vasilis to do it by himself. However, wounds would always be superficial as iguanas are vegetarians, so they won’t be eating you.
Whatever the case as to why someone would want a pet iguana, the truth is it is hard work and you need to do your homework before taking on such a responsibility.
Iguanas need love and they need to be handled everyday, so as not to become aggressive. If you haven’t got time to take care of it, don’t buy it. So, if I ever feel like owning a pet again, I’ll just nip upstairs and watch Vasilis and Koko from the first floor offices.
