Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Have any of you heard of this guy Henry Lizardlover (his legally changed name)? He says all of what Melissa Kaplan states on handling male iguanas is pretty much wrong and totally useless. He also says Melissa only raised one ig which died at six from blindness and kidney failure, any legitimacy? Check out his section on male aggression:

http://www.todaysplanet.com/pg/beta/lizardlover/page6.htm

Anyway this guy Henry has about 30 igs, has raised hundreds, and has taught some to sit in humanlike poses for hours on end while they are photographed. You guys HAVE to see this:

http://www.todaysplanet.com/pg/beta/lizardlover/index.htm

Anyway I don't know why this guy dislikes Melissa so much but if you read his whole site it really makes a lot of sense. After reading all his opinions I seriously hope my new lil' guy is a lil' girl!

i actually recall seeing a pbs special a few years back. it was on reptiles. one day it was snakes, the next turtles, and then lizards. on the lizard one it featured him. they followed him around interviewing him, which was fine but then they went to his house. his house is full of free-roaming lizards. water dragons, iguanas, knights and many others. he opened a dresser drawer that had a "family" of bts in it and a shower that had baby water dragons, i didnt see any lights anywhere but that didnt mean there werent any. he also was walking down the road with an ig that was 5-6 ft long. that just seems a little irresponsible to me. i love to educate the public but you have to realize that no matter how calm the ig is, some people just dont feel the same way about them as we(herpers and such) do. he also bought 2 pieces of pizza and fed one to the ig he was carrying. i think he has some good knowledge from observations but when it comes to common sense...well, i dont think i really have to say it. oh and one more thing, no matter how calm he says his lizards are i dont think it is right, ethically speaking, to pose them for pictures, that is one of the reasons little kids go, "mommy, mommy, buy me that lizard!" and then treat it like a toy and disgard it when they are done. wow thats a lot of ranting but i hope it helps you to interpret my opinion on him a wee bit better.
-----
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 black and gold tegu
1.0.0 knight anole
0.1.0 green anole
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

I've always wondered how he gets them to sit like that! I can hear mine saying "Oh, H** no!" if I ever tried that. *grin* JN

I haven't been to Henry's site in a while, but he did change his name. I don't know for sure if Melissa only raised 1 iguana from hatchling to death, but I know from her book that she wrote "Iguanas for Dummies" After her ig died from kidney failure. She was told wrong information about diet, and fed animal protien to her ig. When her ig died, she wrote the book to keep other people from inadventently killing their igs. She has had as many as 23 igs in her house as rescues, though. I don't entirely agree with either Melissa Kaplan's veiws on raising iguanas, or James Hatfeild's veiws, either. We have found that if you raise an iguana with love, just like a child, that they will turn out acting like a child, not you typical iguana. This is why our iguana has NEVER bit us, or tail-whipped us, and doesn't need a leash when we take her outside for her daily walks. She is good with strangers, and we take her with us when we go on vacations (pet friendly hotels, of course).

-----
Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

How many igs have you owned? JN

I dont agree with what MK says in her book about taming male iguanas.With me it didnt work at all.But i think her book has lots of good ideas and suggestions and the fact that i dont agree with 5% doesnt make "Iguanas for dummies" a bad book.On the contrary.I think its a great book. About taming iguanas i think like iggdaddy.Lots of love and patience is the best tatic.

Flavia

The guy is a bit of a freak, but no doubt he has an incredible bond with his animals.

Kaplan has helped many of us during the dark ages of iguana husbandry, so I think it's pretty rude of him to have said so.

Granted, not everyone agrees 100% with Melissa, but still, she is one of the best sources for care-keeping.

I saw him on PetStar. The celebrity judges and audience went wild.

-IJ

I wonder what is the mortality rate and the life average of his igs.

Flavia