None other more colorful than Kiwi

Kiwi was my first pet reptile. He was a chameleon; a very cool (pun intended), stealthy, and colorful little friend who came into my life by accident. I was at work; someone brought in a very dehydrated, thin, pale-looking reptile they found and dropped him off at the clinic. I had never really seen a chameleon before, but those eyes don’t lie. As cold and terrified as he was when we pulled him out of the box he came in, he was curious about us all. He slowly warmed up, got a little more color, and when I went to check on him again, he grabbed my finger with his tiny little fingers and that was it… I texted my husband, “Guess what I’m bringing home?" He only said, “What is it and what’s its name?”

The person that found him appropriately called him Kiwi; in his best and happiest days he would turn bright green, turquoise, and with a streak of red around his eyes. I spent 6 months with him learning how to take care of an animal that barely shows expressions and that are normally scared of us humans. He taught me his dancing moves each time he grabbed an insect, and loved to sunbathe with me outside as I drank coffee in the afternoons.

Unfortunately, he came to me with severe metabolic bone disease; his little bones were weak, brittle, he had a fracture on one hip, he had a hard time grasping, and eventually he was not able to eat. With my heart broken, my husband and I decided to euthanize him. Even at the end of his days he would rush to the front of the cage when he saw me asking for more insects. To whomever found him and brought him into my life- THANK YOU. I learned a lot about myself in helping that sweet little creature eat and get back on his feet, and I am blessed to have had him in my life for those 6 months.

-Dr. Salazar