One of our pet iguanas died last Thursday. =( The hubby and I were really sad about it. I’m usually not a reptile person but if you’ve been in the same roof, caring for two enthusiastic iguanas, two scaredy water turtles and a four-foot long python for more than a year, you will grow fond of these critters. The fondness may not be the same as with regular pets like cats and dogs. But you take pride in having them and caring for them like any other pet animals.
The hubby and I always keep tabs of what they eat, how they eat and if their respective shelters are comfortable enough. We get worried if we forget to feet them on time. And like regular pets, their food and care are part of our family budget. The iguanas, for instance, have their own budget of romaine lettuce and other vegetables for a week. For the turtles, we set aside money for feeder fish and for the snake, live rats.
So like any other pet parents, we are saddened by the loss of one of our iguanas, the female one. We noticed that its tummy has bloated early in the week and the hubby said it probably got eggs. We feed them the usual veggies and then the next time we checked on her she had drastically lost weight and muscle mass. I told hubby she was probably not eating at all. So he took to force-feeding her vegetables we put in a blender and turned to paste. She began eating bit by bit and were happy with the progress because her green color was coming back.
Hubby was pretty optimistic about her recovery, but I was in doubt. She still looked pale and thin. I had the feeling that the bloating in her tummy may not be eggs but stomach tumors or something. I told him she needed a vet. He agreed. So we called a veterinary hospital and scheduled an appointment this Saturday. But alas, our poor pet didn’t last very long. She expired Thursday night, leaving our male iguana with a puzzled look on its face.
Instead of cancelling our vet appointment, we took the male iguana for a regular check-up. We wanted to make sure he’s healthy and safe from any infection/diseases that may have affected the female one. But the vet gave him a clean bill of health, which was a relief. The vet explained that the female might have kept the eggs inside her for more than she should so her body’s strength and nutrition deteriorated.
You see, the hubby has had the iguanas for more than 10 years. And during all those years, he had never experienced any illness with his pets. Only the male had a mouth surgery a few years back since he had a throat infection and it was preventing him to eat well. Other than that, they were a healthy pair of critters.
Now we were faced with the dilemma of disposing the remains of our pet. We live in an in-law apartment where the yard is strictly for the owners of the house. If we have our own house, we would have buried the poor dear in our own backyard and probably make a tombstone for her. But sadly, this is not the case. We decided against putting her in a dumpster. For one thing, it will stink, for the other, she deserved more than that from us.
So we had the idea of burying her somewhere near the beach or on a hill today. The beach was ruled out because it was too far away and we didn’t have much time to get there. We chose a hill in a hiking trail we are familiar with. It was just 45 minutes away from our place.
We started our hike just before sunset. We carried mini-shovels and a paper bag where the remains of our pet was tightly wrapped in plastic. We had to do it quick before the sun goes down and leave us groping our way back. Hubby said he knows exactly where we would bury her. And it wasn’t too far on the trail. We found it soon enough and began digging. I know this may sound Mafia-like to you…haha. Two people in a nature park burying a body wrapped in a black garbage bag at dusk?!! Call the police…hehe.
But seriously, we just don’t want to throw her body away like that. If this was in the Philippines, I know some people would probably throw their dead pets in the trash or worse, throw them in a creek or river along with other people’s garbage and refuse. It shouldn’t be the way to go for a once living, breathing thing that served as a companion for years, right?
So there we were shoveling dirt to give our pet a proper burial. We found a big rock for a tombstone and I placed a couple of yellow mustard plant flowers on it, which the hubby said the iguanas loved eating. We said our goodbyes and went home feeling a little bit more cheerful. After all, that iguana had come a long way - from being a hatchling the size of a regular ballpoint pen from a boat from Columbia, to a full grown female almost three-foot in length from its mouth to the tip of its tail - the hubby recalled. Indeed, I think she had lived a full life.
POSTSCRIPT:
This entry may seem funny. But wouldn’t you want the same courtesy if you passed away? Thought so.
