SO Perfect!

I just dropped off Junie. I couldn't even cry because I was so impressed and overwhelmed by his new owner and home. 

Junie's first owner was a male and male iggies tend to prefer males since the smell of Estrogen drives them crazy. 

His new owner picked Junie up and told him how pretty he was. He was so impressed with how alert and curious he was. 

It is practically perfect! I've waited a year and a half to find a better home for Junie than I could give him. I found it. I expect Junie to thrive more than ever now. 

My heart is full.  

My goal has always been to keep rescues until I can find the best home. And I succeeded. 

Junie

In searching for someone to take Midnight, I unexpectedly found the most amazing home for Junie! 

:O 

I had no intention of rehoming Junie, but the way this fell in to place was rather miraculous. I tried to find someone to take him several times last year with no success. 

I feel very good about this decision even though I'm sad. I'm giving both of these iguanas a chance for a better situation and that's always been my goal with rescue: the best possible life available. 

Here's a quick pic of Junie posing as a "Little Old Lady." :) He came downstairs yesterday (to see if that other beast was gone, I think). I realized how big he's gotten. And gorgeous. 

I can't say yet if I'll have updates on either iguana. Possibly? If I do, I'll pass them on. 

Here's Junie on his pillow which will definitely go with him. He loves his pillow. 

A Sneaky Video of Junie

Lately, Junie has let me rub his head and his "love buttons" and he gives me kisses (flicks out his tongue at me). But I can't get close to him with my phone because he hates it. So I set it up away from him and started filming. It's not the greatest quality, but it shows that he can be nice-- well, at least until I start cutting his razor nails.

And yes, it shows that I do adore the little brat. ;) Especially when he gives me "kisses."

His side jowl buttons are so big and fluffy now! I love them! I tell him they are his "Love Buttons" and I give them a good rub down. He loves his head rubbed and his flap stroked and his buttons rubbed. But the moment I move to his back, his niceness is over.

Junie - Before & After

I found some of the first pics I took of Junie and matched them with the most recent pics I took of him. 

                   June 2015 

                   August 2016

                     June 2015

                    August 2016

I hadn't realized how much more "manly" he's gotten. He was pretty much a juvenile male when I got him. Now he's a man iguana with attitude and power. 

In June of 2015, Junie was left behind after a murder-suicide. He was given to a "rescue" (insert eye rolling) who kept him in a plastic crate for 2 weeks. When my friend rescued him from the "rescuer," she was told that Junie was angry because he had watched his whole family die. 

Um.... No. It's because you're a moron who shoved him in a plastic crate. 

I didn't want Junie, but I knew he'd die if he stayed in the crate with the other "rescuer."

Noises Upstairs

I had just gotten home and was putting groceries away when I heard a lot of thumping upstairs. Things kept crashing to the floor. 

My first thought- "ugh. Junie!" 

I walked upstairs to see what our resident demon was doing. 

I found him on top of my son's stereo, looking down at the things on the ground. The song words on the radio? "It's too late to apologize." 

Ha! I told Junie that it was too late to apologize. 

He didn't seem to care. 

At all. 

I moved him back to his "spot." 

Then he tried to tail whip my camera (which he hates more than anything). 

Welcome to my Crazy Life in the Zoo! 

Where do I see myself in a Year?

Ha ha ha! This will be me with Junie and/or Midnight! 

Bratty Cutie Junie

Junie has been the biggest BRAT ever!!! Even looking at him makes him angry. But he's super cute-- for an iguana. 

That's him wanting to tail whip me. 

But he's still adorable. 

A More Serious Door Sign

I took in two sweet female chameleons tonight and was trying to get their cages set up when there was a knock on my door. 

And then the doorbell. 

I stopped what I was doing and was going to answer it, but I could see through the glass that it was 2 salesman. 

Ugh!! 

Lately they are ignoring my "No Soliciting" sign and ringing my doorbell anyways. I hate it.

I decided to raise the stakes on the door-

Junie, the Evil Iguana, was in a bad mood today too. I'm sure he'd part from his vegetarian ways to eat a "dumb" salesman. 

PS. More details on the Chams in a later post. 

High "Sucurety"

I'm obligated to announce that my craft room is now designated as the "High Sucurety (security) Prison" in our house. And, as you can see, it's a thousand times worse than regular prison. ;) 

Yeah. We mean business about punishment at our house! You mess up? You go to high sucurety prison where Junie, the evil iguana, is the warden. 

Be afraid. Be very afraid. 

Ha ha ha! From the brain of my youngest. 

The Creepy Stare

My daughter used my sewing machine in my craft room on Saturday. That night she asked "How do you work up there with Junie staring at you all the time? It's SO creepy." 

That's Junie. He started incessantly. Sometimes it's a bored stare; sometimes it's a murder stare. When he sees my phone, it's a rage stare. See? He puts out his flap and bobs his head. He'd love to murder my phone! 

None of my pics are very clear because of the sunlight in the window. Plus, when I get close, he goes crazy. 

So that's me, sewing at my sewing machine and feeling the "heat of Junie's gaze" on my back. 

See the towel in the window? That's where he poops. It's very nice when it's on the towel because clean up is easier. Some days he unleashes his inner beast and pushes the towel off before pooping. Then he smears it on the wall and window. Those are the days I momentarily dream about shipping him somewhere warm. ;) 

Junie IS a pill! But he's MY pill. 

Grumpy Junie

There are two things I do that Junie actually likes. 

One is that I leave him alone a lot. He really likes it when I don't make eye contact, don't talk to him, don't touch him, don't feed him, and don't come within 10 feet of him. 

Two is he likes it (85% of the time) when I spray him down. 

He stands up and leans into the spray. Then he moves his head and body so I can get more spots on him. 

When he's satisfied with the spray, he will attempt to bite me or he will stay in his "I am content right this moment so don't ruin it" pose. 

My job is to then back off slowly so he can continue to pretend that I do not exist and have no impact on his life. 

He's such a diva! 

My Pretty Little Demon

It's always the first thing people say about Junie-- "He's so pretty!"

Yep. He is. Until he makes you bleed or run for your life or terrified. 

Here's some pretty pics I took today. 

Look! No Blood!

I had to move Junie's set up today and he let me hold him. No flailing or hissing or whipping or biting. He was calm! 

He is a pretty iguana. This pic shows off his overbite. That makes me think the meme below is his motto: 

And he obviously thinks everyone is "thupid" including me. ;) 

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my Junie gave to me.....

Lots of smeared poop everywhere. 

Oy Vay! 

On the chair, on the floor, on the wall. 

Stinker Junie. 

Junie and the Snow Day

Yesterday, we got 2 years worth of snow in 24 hours. Oh boy!! 

During the middle of the morning, the electricity in our house went out for about 2 hours. Of all my critters, I was worried most about Junie who is currently shedding. 

After 30 minutes without his light, he started looking darker & darker. I activated a heating pack and put it in a fleece pouch. 

I managed to slip it under his belly and wanted to take a pic of it. Just at the moment I snapped the pic, he tail whipped me. This is how the pic turned out: 

Ha! I laughed so hard. What a stinker! 

I took a big step back and retook the pic. 

He's a brat, but he's my brat. ;) 

Helpers in my Etsy room

One was cute and soft and one was a brat! But they both made a mess. 

A Banana of Sadness

My heart has felt less heavy today (thankfully) and I've felt more normal. But while shopping in the produce section of my favorite grocery store, I saw the bananas and picked out a bunch. 

My first thought was how happy the bananas would make Turbo. 

And then I felt my eyes burn with tears. 

I decided to give Junie a banana instead. 

He was not happy with me. He still hasn't forgiven me for putting him downstairs on Tuesday. He stayed downstairs for several hours and kept freaking out. I put him back upstairs at dinner time and he instantly calmed down. 

Junie loves bananas, but not me. So I left it for him. Iguanas are very slow to adapt to change. They hate change. It may be awhile before Junie forgives me. I may need more bananas. 

And maybe some mangoes. 

Bittersweet

My head hurts and my eyes are swollen this morning. There are two less lights to turn on and two less iguanas to give kisses to. :( 

I did something important this morning-- I moved Junie downstairs to the corner cat tree where Sancho spent the last year and a half. 

I didn't want Junie and I didn't know what to do with him when he was brought to my front door. He had been left behind after a local young family was killed in their home in a murder-suicide. He was given to another reptile rescue who kept him in a plastic crate for two weeks and blamed his testiness on having watched his family die (ignoring the obvious fact of being locked in a crate. Ugh!) 

I wasn't technically supposed to have Junie and I had to keep it quiet for awhile. Since Turbo was free roaming in my room and Sancho was in the living room, the only safe place to put Junie was in my craft room upstairs. That's where he's been for the past 4 months. 

Junie seemed to be happy enough (if you can tell if an iguana is happy) and was becoming nicer and calmer. But he didn't get much interaction and he was locked away all the time. 

Now he can be downstairs with the family. I expect him to be a terror for awhile once he discovers his new freedom and all the sunny windows. Over time, I hope he settles in and enjoys the tree to climb and the windows to bask in. I don't think he'll ever be as sweet as Turbo & Sancho were, but I hope he's at least happier than he has been. 

Such a Brat!!

Junie, the naughty iguana who tried to start a fire in my craft room last week, is a brat!! 

But then he has his nice moments when I forget he's a brat. 

He loves his head and dew flap rubbed. I can imagine him purring. 

He gives me little "kisses" with his tongue as I'm petting him. He flicks his tongue out quickly to let me know he's happy. 

He burnt his nose a few months ago and it finally shed. Hopefully the white scar will fade over time. 

He's discovered two soft blankies at the top of a closet and so everyday he likes to climb up there to go to sleep. It's very cute! (For a brat!) 

Sad Sicklies & Bad Junie

No real change for my 3 sicklies. :( Dory will go in next week for another check. 

Mooshy is hanging on but I keep finding him in awkward positions where his body is half off the hammock. He got his 2nd saline shot today. 

 Peanut hardly moves and won't eat at all. I force feed him daily. He is gaining weight though; I guess that's a good thing. 

I did give Mooshy & Peanut a mixture of baby food mango mixed with Pedialyte today to give them something very digestible. I'll get some baby food squash next time I go to the store too. 

So we just keep plugging along. I check Mooshy several times a day to make sure he's alive. In the evening, he and Dory get kangaroo care with me (I wrap them in a blankie and tuck them in my shirt for a few hours). 

And in other news-- Junie tried to burn down my craft room today. :( He knocked his Mercury Vapor Bulb off and it burned the sheet under his "perch" area. I found the room filled with smoke as he sat calmly on the curtain rod. Bad Junie. 

This was around 11 this morning. I was supposed to leave the house at 10 for a couple hours but didn't sleep well last night and was being pokey. I feel sick inside when I think of what could have happened had I not been here. :(