Gaylord the iguana found alive and well in west Edmonton

An exotic pet that walked away from his west Edmonton home nearly one month ago has been found alive and well.

Gaylord, the four-foot-long iguana, went missing from his home in the Webber Greens neighbourhood in early August. Over the weekend, after nearly a month fending for himself in the elements, the tropical reptile was found nestled under the deck of a neighbour’s home.

“I’m really happy to have my boy back. It’s been a long month, exhausting, searching every day pretty much,” Mary-Ann Holm, Gaylord’s owner, said.

Holm was on her way to her grandson’s football game when she received a call from her neighbour saying he had found the reptile. Holm said it took a bit of coaxing but she was finally able to free Gaylord from under the deck.

“When I picked him up he was like a block of ice, freezing cold. But otherwise looked fine. No injuries,” Holm said. “I was amazed, really. It’s been quite cold so I was starting to wonder if he’d survive and he did.”

READ MORE: Have you seen Gaylord? The 4-foot-long iguana went missing in west Edmonton

Gaylord ran away from home on Aug. 13. Holm and her seven other animals were in the backyard getting some fresh air when the doorbell rang. Holm went inside the house for 10 minutes and when she came back outside Gaylord was nowhere to be found.

Since then, Holm has been scouring the neighbourhood on a daily basis, hoping to find the iguana. Holm said she nearly gave up hope that he would be found alive.

“I knew that he could hibernate for a period of time… but I didn’t know how long,” she said.

“I’m amazed. He’s a lot tougher of a boy than I realized. I’m kind of proud of the guy for being able to fend for himself in the world.”

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In the time that Gaylord’s been away, Holm has adopted a new iguana. She now has three iguanas and hopes they will all get along; Gaylord can be aggressive at times.

“He’s a bit of a grump but so far he seems quite pleasant and I think he’s actually happy to be home,” Holm said. “We’ll slowly adapt him to the dog and to the new iguana that’s come into the house.

“Maybe he’ll just be so grateful to be home that he’ll just turn a corner.”

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