Family reunited with missing iguana | Pets

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Izzy, the pet iguana that escaped and put a northeast Grand Rapids neighborhood on alert, is now safely back in his terrarium.

Owner Mike Melcher found his lost reptile Tuesday afternoon hiding in bushes outside his house in the 500 block of Carrier St. NE.

The pet iguana escaped Monday when a friend of the Melcher family accidentally let him outside.

The owner and the neighbors searched and searched with no success. They were feeling discouraged until Izzy was finally found in the bushes.

"Izzy was missing for a night and a day," said Melcher after recovering his iguana. "He's ready to come home."

Because the reptile is fast, has sharp teeth and a whip-like tail, Kent County Animal Control sent out an alert warning people to leave it alone.

But Izzy is a legal pet, one of several exotic animals Melcher has in his home -- including a tarantula.