Florida woman surprised by iguana in her toilet

HOLLYWOOD — A Florida woman interrupted an uninvited guest in her bathroom on Saturday night.

Michelle Reynolds told WSVN that she went downstairs to make herself a snack. After putting her popcorn in the microwave she went to use the bathroom and “opened the door and did a quick turnaround because I saw this thing in there and quickly shut the door!” she said.

The thing? An iguana.

The reptile was unable to find its way out the commode so Reynolds had to enlist Harold Rondon of Iguana Lifestyles, a wildlife removal service, to rescue the little fella.

Rondon said he has removed several iguanas from South Florida properties this year already.

“This is the second one this week already,” he said.

Iguanas are known to get into sewer systems and are strong swimmers. It’s not uncommon that if they are looking to escape from the sewer, they wind up in someone’s toilet.

Rondon said he removed a Mexican spiny tail iguana from Reynolds’ toilet.

Males can get up to 18 inches long, with tails that can also get up to 18 inches long, he said.

“He took up most of the toilet bowl,” Reynolds said.

Although they are not native, iguanas have become common in South Florida, WSVN reports.

It is believed that they were brought to the area as pets in the 1960s, and some may have escaped or been released.

While they are not dangerous to people, some iguanas can transmit salmonella.