IGUANA IN THE YARD! Bella, Don't Chase the Iguana!

Iguana on the Roof!

     We hadn’t been home in Sayulita for a week before we had a ruckus in the yard that left me screaming. Yes, I still scream when I encounter something new and startling. The neighbors are probably so accustomed to my shrill shrieks that if I was really crying out for help, no one would come check on me.

     It started with a crashing sound in the yard outside our living room where I was working at my computer. I looked over my shoulder, thinking, oh, another brown palm frond must have just fallen out of the tree onto the patio.     

Only One Brown Palm Frond Down

     But I didn’t see any new brown fronds on the ground, just the one I hadn't picked up yet.

Bella Hunting for a Critter in the Garden

     Suddenly I heard Bella, our doxy, barking loudly and running through the garden, the way she does when she’s found a critter to chase. It couldn’t be a land crab—we haven’t had any in our yard for at least a year. The neighbor’s cats aren’t brave enough to jump off the garden wall into our yard—it couldn’t be that. I didn’t hear any squawking so it couldn’t have been a chicken. What was our little hunter so excited about?

Bella Pointing at a Critter

     By the time I reached the yard, Bella was standing at attention in front of our utility area, whining and pointing with her nose up toward our little 6-gallon hot water heater, which sits on a concrete shelf about four feet above ground level. She wanted me to see what she had cornered. I peeked behind the hot water heater, knowing if Bella says there’s a critter somewhere, there is. And who knows what I might find—a frog, a lizard, one time a Téjon (a type of racoon that looks a little like a possum).

     As she started jumping up on the empty buckets, barking, and trying to climb the shelving unit to get up to the water heater, I edged closer to see what she was after. I glimpsed sharp, wicked claws on the wall and a tan and charcoal-gray ringed reptilian tail curled around the base of the hot water heater. It was an iguana and looked to be 18 to 24 inches long!

     That’s when I shrieked, “No, Bella! Bella, Bella, Bella, no!” I scrambled to try and catch her while she was dodging my hands, knowing I was going to scoop her up and eliminate her hunting fun. I finally grabbed her and dashed for the house.

     That’s when it dawned on me that it wasn’t a palm frond I’d heard dropping from our tree—it had been an iguana! I’ve seen them drop 8 to 10 feet from a tree onto a sidewalk downtown and stroll across a busy street. We’ve watched them as we walk by the protected “Iguana Tree” in centro, giving the overhead monsters a wide berth to avoid getting a nasty splat of their dung on our heads. But we’ve never seen an iguana in our yard!

     I've heard stories from the locals and read articles that say iguanas can do some serious damage to a dog with their teeth. Bella is tough but only 9 ½ pounds, and she doesn’t seem to know she’s small. I’m guessing if Bella got close enough to threaten an iguana, the iguana would probably win the fight with its razor-sharp, serrated front teeth.

     So, I rescued Bella from the iguana. Or maybe I rescued the iguana from Bella. I took Bella into the house and shut all the doors. I told Jon to go look at the iguana and see if he could encourage the reptile to leave our yard. Jon poked a broom handle toward the creature several times, but it didn’t budge. He said, “Let’s just leave him for a while and he’ll probably climb a tree and go. I don’t think he liked Bella chasing him.”

     An hour later, I crept back outside, leaving Bella inside, of course, to check on the iguana. It appeared he was gone. I let Bella out to verify, and she agreed that he was nowhere to be found.

     Two days later, Bella had the iguana cornered again, barking furiously. By the time I ran out to the utility area, the iguana was on top of the utility shelf, scrambling around, knocking cans of spray paint and insect repellent onto the concrete patio. This time I didn’t even scream! I sternly said, “No, Bella,” then scooped her up and went to ask Jon to deal with the iguana. Jon tried squirting him with water from the hose, but the iguana didn’t budge. We went back in the house, taking Bella, and closed all the doors again. An hour later we let Bella confirm that the iguana was gone. I hope he left for good this time.

     I surmise that while we had been gone to Oregon for three months, that iguana must have moved into our yard and claimed it for his own. It was probably a peaceful sanctuary with no dogs harassing him. I hope Bella has convinced that iguana to find a new home. Bella keeps the critters flushed and gone when we are here—she loves to have something to chase. I just don’t want her chasing iguanas, snakes, or Téjones, though it is nice that she lets us know when a critter is in the yard. I really don’t want any wild animals coming into our house!

     Life in Mexico—never a dull moment!

Life in Mexico: Never a Dull Moment

(Healthy Living in Mexico #4)

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