cat
Junior Member
Posts: 6
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Post by cat on Nov 26, 2005 13:42:03 GMT -8
Hello. I'm new here, and just acquired an iguana a couple of days ago, on thanksgiving. Actually I saved it. I will probably have lots of questions to ask. Lizzy is 43 inches long, nose to tail. A troublesome neighbor had her in a small cage outside (we live in Florida). However, it does get cold here in the evenings, and anyway it just wasn't good. Also she was sitting in a spot that was fully shaded all the time, so she never had any sun. The neighbor left her there unfed for quite some time. . Finally the police showed up for cruelty to animals, however the officer was to scared to reach his hand in the cage. I explained we had the mwans to care for her, and so she was given to us on Thanksgiving day. Good thing for Lizzy, seeing as how it's been a number of days and her previous owner still has not been home. My husband went to work on building a "cage" which turned out to be ceiling to floor(8 ft tall) almost 10 ft long, and very wide as well. Takes up 1/4 of the living room. She was a stone gray color when we got her, but has warmed up nicely since being brought in from outside. We feed her collard greens, mango, a little kale, and a little squash. I never saw an iguana attack food like that..poor thing must have been starved for a long time. She loves attention, and aside from a few missing claws and a very badly damaged nose (cage rubbing from her last home) she is doing well. Will the nose heal? Will the claws grow back? She has a hard time gripping the tree we put in for her to climb, and hasnt figured out the ladder hubby built for her either...any suggestions welcomed. Sorry for the long post.
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Post by IguanaKing on Nov 26, 2005 16:08:00 GMT -8
Hi Cat! Welcome to IZ! ;D It sounds like Lizzy is very lucky to have found you, and I am glad to read that the police in Florida treat cruelty to a reptile just like they do with any other pet, many places don't. Your habitat size is excellent, and will be just fine for Lizzy for the rest of her life. The diet looks good, but I suggest minimizing the kale or even eliminating it. You should add a few more items to the diet as well. Check out the diet section, especially the recent poll started by Prism Wolf, that has a pretty good picture of what we're feeding our igs on a daily basis. The claws may grow back eventually, but it will take a REALLY long time. The nose will heal just fine, but there will be some permanent scarring. Its OK though, LOTS of captive iguanas have facial scars, especially females. Just keep the wounds on the face and the claws clean and apply antibiotic ointment, like Neosporin, to any open wounds. It would be great to see some pics of Lizzy and her habitat.
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 26, 2005 17:23:09 GMT -8
Congrats on your new greenie! I've heard so much about how igs are treated in FL with a complete lack of compassion that it's nice to see a good... . You may know alot of the stuff I'm going to touch on, but I just want to make sure you got it... IK had some good diet tips. I don't even use kale. It robs the body of calcium by binding it with what's called oxalates. Feed her high calcium foods such as extra collard greens and rehydrated figs. These need to accompany a varied diet for total nutrition. Those alone won't work. Add a calcium supplement. You can get it from the pharmacy...straight calcium...no phosphorous or D3 added. Sprinkle a little on her food 3x a week...so little you can't even see the dust. She will no doubt be somewhat calcium deficient right now. Only a vet can tell you for sure though. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get her checked out by a vet. Get a fecal, and if possible, a blood panel and an x-ray. The blood panel will tell you where her calcium level is...and any other number of things..while the x-ray will show you what kind of shape her skeleton is. A ghostly one will say she has a large loss of bone mass from a calcium deficiency. One of the biggest concerns is dehydration in a rescue ig. Mist her foods well. Not so much that they swim and get mooshy, but enough so she gets some good internal moisture. Giving her baths will help, too. Fill the tub first with warm water of about 96 degrees. Then put her in it. She may freak out at first...especially if you have a white tub, but talk to her and pet her giving her reassurance that it's ok. Igs can also be tub trained for potty time. The cage size sounds awesome!! I am very, very jealous! Make sure you have the right lights for her. Not only does she need basking lights just for heat (which you can use a housebulb for), but she needs a UVB light also. She will heal. It will take awhile. It takes a little longer for reptiles to rehabilitate...though she should start putting on weight fairly quickly. She'll do that before any other significant changes happen...besides the color changes. Those are nearly immediate. Don't ever worry about long posts!!! We like them!
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cat
Junior Member
Posts: 6
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Post by cat on Nov 26, 2005 19:34:39 GMT -8
Thanks! I will be taking her to a good vet. I need to learn alot about her, and have tons of questions. She does drink from a dish readily, and from her excrement she seems fairly hydrated (lots of clear liquid, then white, then..well you know)..and she will only go in her kitty litter tray I have filled with water(about an inch deep). I will try to post my q's in the right areas...please if you can answer them, do so!! She has found a permanent home with us, and we like to spoil our pets..(I used to do rescues in NC before I moved to Florida). In the next few days I will post some pics...Cathy
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Post by Tesa on Dec 6, 2005 7:29:18 GMT -8
Hi cat! Wonderful to hear that someone so caring has taken Lizzy into their family! They are such interesting creatures and SO worth your effort. Welcome to IZ.
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