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Post by mar on Apr 25, 2004 14:11:53 GMT -8
Well I was out walking Bob again. Passed a couple with a little kid in a play pen and continued down the road. Few minutes later as I am talking to some others on the block he walked up to me and started asking me questions about how I keep him so healthy and what I feed him. I walk back to his house and find that he has a small ig outside almost walking around in the sun. Man this little guy was in bad shape -- MBD and mites were quickly apparent. I found out that they were feeding dog food and had no UV light. I asked them a few times about the cage and they kept answering its big/huge -- later found out that it was a fifty gallon tank.
I handed Bob to someone that said she knew how to handle igs as I started to look over he ig. She was handling Bob well so I walked inside to wash my hands and when I walked out a few seconds later Bob had chomped down on her cheek and would not let go. I have to hand it to her that she stayed calm. I was able to open Bob's mouth enough to get her cheek out of it by sticking my finger in his mouth and opening it. That was his first bite in the time that I have had him, 8.5 years.
There ig was in bad shape tough. I showed them to feed dandelions and once I got a flower into its mouth it started eating anything green in front of it. I gave them some of the food that I had prepared for Bob and a basic food list as well as my vet's name. It sounded like they were ready to get help and start reading up on them, I just hope that they get help soon as the ig was straining to walk to the grass.
Mark
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Post by mar on Apr 25, 2004 14:41:13 GMT -8
Now I am worried about Bob having gotten mites. I just hit IgDen and looked at the pics I am no longer sure that the ig had mites but it had dark blotches that looked like scaring. I will be watching Bob very close for the next week. Not to mention that I will be the only one holding him for a long time.
Mark
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Post by prism_wolf on Apr 25, 2004 18:23:15 GMT -8
Mites you can usually see moving around on the ig. If it's a thermal burn, bruising, or a fungal or bacterial infection, these can show up black. Thermal burns are usually accompanied by the white scarring. A heavy mite infestation can also cause serious scarring. I've never had to deal with mites before...and I sure don't want to. It's a herp keepers nightmare...  |
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Post by dominick on Apr 26, 2004 3:27:40 GMT -8
Oh Mark, that's terrible!
First, that you may have a cross-infestation of mites. And secondly, that Bob decided to hold on to the handler until you returned.
Must have been a frightful experience!
I never allow anyone to handle Rex for any reason. I understand your situation here, but even though Rex has never bitten, I still don't trust him with others. THAT would be the time he chose to bite. The poor woman! Good for her for staying so calm. Would have only made the bite damage worse if she resisted. Was she damaged much from the bite? Any blood, marks? I'm very concerned about liability here. Hope it all turns out well.
Well, you know what to do, so no sense in re-iterating it.
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Post by mar on Apr 26, 2004 8:07:44 GMT -8
I looked Bob over very carefully last night. I woke up around 11pm and was using a 3 D-cell maglight looking over his body as he slept. I did not see anything.
Normally I don't let anyone else hold Bob nor do I handle strange igs but I felt a need to yesterday. I felt I had to get some better food in that ig -- dandelions that were growing next to the house -- then. It looked like that ig had serious MBD and was lethargic until I put some green in front of it. He perked up as soon as I got green and flowers for him. The people there had never seen that poor little ig eat so readily and quickly.
I am not worried about liability. He only had a hold of her with the very front of his mouth you could see where each tooth was (kind of like you can see where each LEGO peice was when you put weight on top of it) but there was no blood evident. The status quo allows every dog one bite so I don't see why an ig is much different. I wonder if I would have to put "Beware of the Iguana" signs up?
Mark
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Post by Lyn on Apr 26, 2004 9:45:27 GMT -8
Wow Mark, that could cause problems if that person ever decided to turn you in...with an ig that big, it could have been worse that a couple of teeth in her cheek...she could have needed plastic surgery and that would have been terrible...My igs are caged whenever anyone is over at my house and I willl let them pet, but I watch body language first and I always enter the cage first so if anything would happen, it happens to me...and I usually get the "zone out" eyes closed situation so strangers can pet and "feel" the coold llizards... Most occasions, I dont have to give out info about them, but I show my 2 books Igs for Dummies and Hatfields to suggest reading "before" they get one....
and the fact that you could have mites...what a pain in the butt that could be as well...hopefully nothing will come of it but you really have to be careful in public places...bad press means more probs and more states going to the books with bans on our pets....Please be more careful in the future and hope all is well with the mite problem.....and the bite victim......Lyn
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Post by Tesa on Apr 26, 2004 10:11:24 GMT -8
What a horror story!  Thank God it didn't turn out as bad as it could have! It's great that you were trying to help this other iguana, but boy that could have turned into a terribly expensive ordeal! (monetarily for you and healthwise for the bite victim) Might have turned out bad for the little ig too had there been pesticides on the lawn! I never let strangers hold Thrasher, even when she is on her best behavior. She is only about a third the size of Bob and can deliver a nasty little bite. I will let them touch her back and legs(while I have my hand up by her head in case she decides to get nippy) and I make it clear that sanitizing the hands afterward is necessary. by the way, status quo may allow every dog one bite, but that's before they consider it to be a vicious animal and put it down. The owner still is liable for whatever damage the dog was responsible for the FIRST time. Well, hopefully all works out well and you can chalk it up as a lesson learned. |
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Post by Merlin on Apr 26, 2004 10:26:51 GMT -8
I'm sorry but that is a widely believed myth! If your dog bites someone you can and will be held liable. This may, depending on the severity of the bite, result in your dog being destroyed and you having the pants sued off of yourself.
Futhermore dogs are a domestic animal while iguanas are a wild animal. This fact in itself places upon an iguana owner a greater level of responsibility and a greater level of negligence in the event that the iguana injures someone. You must at all times be very careful with anyone else interacting with your iguana. Just because you can get away with doing something with them doesn't mean that someone else can.
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Apr 26, 2004 23:32:35 GMT -8
Mark, I have to agree with what everyone else has already said. And I have to add that even though this woman used to own an ig doesn't mean that she should have been allowed to hold Bob. He's been having a different/difficult breeding season, and you had no way of knowing if she was at the point in her monthly cycle that would cause him to "act out." I do commend you for making this unhealthy ig a priority... I just think it would have been wiser to take Bob home and return to care for the other ig. Please don't feel like we're all down on you... remember that we care about YOU too. We'd hate for you to get sued and to see Bob put down. |
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Post by mar on Apr 27, 2004 7:50:23 GMT -8
Well Bob has been out of season for over a week now, or has showed no signs of being in season.
I was back over there yesterday afternoon. She is fine and was glad to see Bob again. I dropped off the GIS care sheet and spoke with them further about their ig.
I knew that I screwed up within minutes of getting near the other ig with Bob. That is something I won't be doing again. Bob has only been in contact with one other ig previously and that was only through cage glass or mesh -- and that ig was owned by my uncle as well as being equal in size and health to Bob.
I know that you all aren't down on be but I do deserve the slap in the face for not thinking.
Mark
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Apr 28, 2004 0:05:00 GMT -8
Feedback is how we ALL learn. Glad to hear the "bitten" is OK with it. Also glad that you had the chance to follow up with the other ig.
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Thank God it didn't turn out as bad as it could have!
