"So you want an iguana, do you?"
Salutations!
J'ai retrouvé ça en faisant une mise à jour de mon site web. Ca concerne plus les caméléons, mais ca s'étend facilement... j'avais trouvé ça tout à fait à propos à l'époque... Je suis sur que ca va en faire sourire plusieurs!
From: Steve Reecy
Subject: [CJ] So you want an iguana, do you?
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2001 13:07:11
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So, you think you want an iguana, do you? Just like that guy down the
street when you were kid that drove that old hippie van. Well you'd better
think long and hard about the path that you're leading yourself down. I
know. I've been there. Oh yeah, it starts innocently enough. You want an iguana because they are interesting, you say. They don't make noise, you say. They only eat vegetables, you say. No trouble at all, you say.
Right!
Well think again! These "innocent" iguanas are "gateway lizards". They
will lead you down a sad and tragic path of misery. They are the starting
gate for a long and downward spiral into reptile hell. Trust me. I've been
there.
It starts simply enough. First you need an aquarium. Then you need some lights. Then you need vitamin supplement. Before long, that cute little iguana has outgrown its tank, and then you need to build a cage. Cage after cage it goes through, getting bigger and bigger, like a festering boil that you try to ignore. it spends its time in the corner, growing. Consuming your time.
Then your attention turns elsewhere. You need a bigger challenge. A
bearded dragon. Right! We've all been there, my friend. But that bearded dragon needs insects. Now where are you? A slave to the schedule of the pet stores and bait shops. Then you start buying them in bulk to save some money. You don't worry about the way the mail man looks at you, just like you didn't notice when your friends stopped calling. By this time, you're in deep my friend. Real deep.
Then it happens. You move on to the hard stuff. Chameleons. You
rationalize that all this is just a hobby. How hard can they be? They may
look innocent enough, but don't be fooled my friend. Nay! You start by
buying one, and then you find out you need a bigger habitat, and the lights just keep getting more and more expensive. Variety of diet is oh so
important. And then you need another chameleon, and another. What about montane species? Now you're sliding down the path out of control. Sure. Its interesting. They seem fun enough. Then you hit rock bottom. You tell your spouse that the back room is off limits because you're running a breeding experiment. I "need" the garbage can because my female is laying eggs. I've got to run to the store right now to get some vermiculite...yes, I know its midnight. Finally, reality isn't important. You're lost in a world of arboreal lizards. Running around in your neighbors yard with a butterfly net catching field plankton. sneaking outside in your underwear to collect moths near the porch light. Finally you wake up one day, covered with minerall and crusting vermiculite in your hair wondering what you've done to your life. You've given up your lucrative career for a job in a pet store. Your friends have abandoned you. Who needs them? You have your reptiles. Thats all that matters.
I've been there, my friend. Oh yes. We've all been there. So, you think
twice before you buy that iguana little camper. You don't know what you're
doing...
