But Parrella says he doesn't like to sell many of them. Recently, a customer came into the pet store seeking supplies for an iguana he'd been given. It was not an isolated case. Far too often, a passion for scaly creatures spells misery for the animals themselves. Poachers steal them from protected areas in the United States.
Importers drain populations overseas.
Millions of reptiles die in transit to pet stores, and ignorant owners starve, freeze, or fry to death millions more. A huge number of green iguanas, for example, perish as a result of improper care, and zoos and animal shelters are besieged with disenchanted owners eager to rid themselves of the lizards. But they're alive, and they deserve better. Don't sit down. In the 1950s, youngsters talked their parents into buying small turtles known as red-eared sliders.