Rare Iguanas, Tarantula Stolen In Lakewood Exotic Pet Burglary

LAKEWOOD, CO – Exotic pets were stolen Monday in a smash-and-grab attack at a Lakewood reptile store, the owner said.

Surveillance video from Scales 'N Tails, at 2099 Wadsworth Ave., showed two men smashing glass through the front door with a large rock around 11:20 p.m. Oct. 1.

Inside, the men grabbed three albino green iguana hatchlings valued at $1,100 each and an ornamental red slate tarantula for sale for $250, owner Rich Kensinger said.

John Romero, Lakewood police spokesperson, confirmed the burglary, saying the case is still under investigation.

Kensinger said he believed he recognized the animal thieves as customers, possibly from Colorado Springs, who had been in the store earlier Monday, asking to hold the baby iguanas. He said he even may have inadvertently purchased an animal from one of the suspected burglars that may have been stolen from another Scales 'N Tails location in Colorado.

Kensinger, a decades-long employee at the store, and owner for five years, said this is not the first smash-and-grab at the store. He said exotic animal thieves generally try to sell animals to other pet stores or on social media.

But he said he worries about the welfare of the animals.

"That is what I worry about most. I'm sure [the burglars] don't know how to take care of them. My wish is to just get my animals back," he said.

Image via Joyce Terlaje

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