For My Iguanas, Every Day is Eat What You Want Day by Elaine A. Powers, Author

May 11 has been designated Eat Want You Want Day as a respite from restricting our food choices, dieting, and general self-deprivation.  So, on this one day, feel free to eat want you want: Give in to that sweet tooth, eat those carbs, have cereal for supper. No one can tell you what you can’t eat on May 11! My iguanas embrace this philosophy, but not just one day a year.

One of my most outgoing iguanas was named Loa. He had had a rough time as a young iguana, but thrived once he reached my home.  He was interested in everything, especially food.  He had to try everything I ate.  If he didn’t like it, he would never bother me about it again. However, if he found a food he liked, he would harass me to get some for himself.  Fortunately, I didn’t mind sharing (unless it was cherry pie).

Green Iguana, Loa, on a tabletop
My Green Iguana, Loa, loved human foods.

Green iguanas are tree dwellers, so they are very good at climbing and jumping. If I was eating something Loa felt was tasty, soon he would leap onto the middle of the dining room table and join me. Often I would make a separate plate of my food for him to enjoy.  But when it came to cherry pie, neither of us wanted to share. It was all his! So, I’d take to the kitchen to eat my piece and leave him to eat his on the table!

My iguana, Algae, almost got me in trouble during a dinner party. She was enjoying a romp around the house before I had to confine her when my guests arrived (they weren’t as enthusiastic about iguanas as I am). I had made a lemon cake topped with mandarin oranges, a very refreshing dessert. I went to take a shower, only to return to Algae with her head buried in the cake, happily eating.  She turned to me with a look of innocence on her cake-covered face! Fortunately, my friends had a sense of humor and we enjoyed the part of the cake Algae hadn’t eaten.

Green Iguana, Algae, on an enclosure.
My Green Iguana, Algae, who loved lemon/mandarin orange cake.

And yes, I gave Algae and the other iguanas the remaining cake!

To learn more about these fascinating big lizards, see our 30-page downloadable Supplemental Workbook for Grades 2-4,  My Unit Study on Iguanas.  The  workbook includes Cyclura or Rock Iguana?, Iguana Facts, Iguana Puzzle, Iguana Lifecycle, Reptile Facts, Name the Reptile, Label the Parts, Compare Traits, Ecology Word Problems, Printing Letters,  Short i Sound, Counting, Cut and Paste, Cut and Classify, True or False; Mean, Median, Mode, Range; Using a Histogram, and Converting Grams to Pounds.

a white and light blue book cover with an image of an iguana's head

CURTIS CURLY-TAIL COMES ALIVE ON YOU TUBE!a curly tail lizard on a bahamian beach with blue sky and ocean, sand and green plants
Elaine A Powers Author Conservationalist Biologist
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