Growing up, I was a normal kid. I lived with my mother and father and my sister. We always had two dogs and two cats.
We were a normal family.
Then I got married.
There were no dogs and there were no cats. Zilch, nada, none!
But there was an iguana (actually two of them), a chinchilla, a hermit crab, some goldfish, and a beta fish. Of course, today there are rabbits.
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Meet our green iguana, Monster.
His name was appropriate for him. He was as large as a monster, and truthfully, he looked like one too! When friends and family came to visit you could see their eyes enlarge. You could espy them taking in a deep breath and pulling back away. For you see, Monster was allowed to “rome” the house when we were home. He sat on the back of the couch, he had a special “lizard door” so he could go outside and sun himself, and he went up and down the stairs.
It’s always fun to browse through those old treasured photos. And when I came across these, all I could do was wonder what in the world were we thinking?
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Wow! That was not at all expecting when you mentioned a treasured photo! Haha. Love it! Monster the iguana. WOW!!! Cool pictures and thanks for sharing that memory.
Cool pet .. and I love that he just roamed around, finding sunspots. Just like Duke, our dog!
Kevin
Wow! I never thought of a pet iguana. I think I would frame that picture and keep it out. How fun!
I would *love* a pug but my husband is allergic to cats and dogs.
I’m thinking wow and also yikes! An iguana is not something that comes to mind when I think “pet” – although your guy seems to have a certain prickly charm in those pictures.
He did hold a special place in our hearts and had quite a personality, believe it or not!
wow cool post
can they be house trained?
Monster actually had a habitat with a heating stone and a heating lamp. He stayed in it at night and when we went away. He always did his business in his cage…thank goodness!
I love those pictures! I will admit though…I would probably be one of those who backed away when I saw Monster. He looks a little bit like an alligator to me.
He was about 8 inches long when we bought him at the pet store. I mean, who knew he was going to live up to his name!
Great post today! Love your photos always, but these are precious. What happened to the iguanas?
My oldest son came home from college one year with an iguana. Our one dog and two cats were not pleased. Fortunately, he took it back with him in September. “I Wanna Iguana”
He lived a very happy life with us until he passed around age 7. I can’t imagine that Monster would have been very happy with a cat or a dog either.
I love the fact that you had all these different, wonderful creatures! The iguana, Monster, had a great home. The idea that he could go outside on the porch to sun himself and had a special spot on the couch is so cool! Thanks for posting the photos, too. How long did you keep the iguana and how big did he get?
My mom always said that I would bring home any stray – an elephant – if I could! I’ve always had dogs at home; and at one time, goldfish, turtles, and three chickens. As a young adult, I had ponies and horses at All Around Farms where I taught horseback riding.
Yes, we’ve had quite a menagerie! Our exotic pets and non-traditional pets always live a full life. We do take pet care seriously. Monster lived with us until he died at the age of seven. He was at least 5 feet long and boy was he strong! Believe it or not, he had a companion, Godzilla. Godzilla was about the same age when he passed right before my daughter was born.
I’m a bit obsessed with elephants myself and would love one as a pet. My daughter, on the other hand, bugs me constantly for a Corgi!
Not what I was expecting in the line of a picture or a pet. Although Monster looks friendly I am not sure I would want him crawling up my arm of curling around my neck.
Ah, yes, I caught you with the element of surprise. Looking back, I caught myself.
Whoa, Amy! That is one serious pet! I laughed aloud at your final question: What were we thinking? (When I look at an old photo and ask that question I’m usually looking at my glasses or my hair!) It’s funny to look at our past choices with a different perspective, isn’t it?
We really are normal people, although you would question that when you look at these photos! 😂
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