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Post by Edicius on Oct 16, 2004 17:31:23 GMT -8
iggy my iguana is having issues , she dosent use her back legs, she has a signifigant color change, she is usally blue green but now she is slightly yello. we have been trying to feed her, we can only get any thing in her when she trys to bit . My dad is worried about her. Iggy was fine untill a couple of weeks ago. She has these trimer fits, where her upper bodie shakes.. i think my sister may have fed her somthing or done somthing to her... i am so scared i need help.... i have looked every where and none of my vets know much about iguanas... .. i dont know what to do.. she didnt start acting weird till after my sister came to stay...
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 16, 2004 17:46:35 GMT -8
OK. I understand that you are scared, but try to calm down a little and tell us what you have been feeding Iggy.
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Post by Edicius on Oct 16, 2004 17:54:40 GMT -8
We have been feeding her some fruit, umm.. letus, and green beans, reptial food , iguanna food, grapes..
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 16, 2004 18:38:02 GMT -8
OK. Fruit is generally not a good food to feed your iguana. Lettuce is DEFINITELY NOT GOOD, lettuce is really nothing more than water and empty fiber. Green beans are OK, but they should only be a very small portion of Iggy's diet. Grapes are another food that should be considered evil, especially when dealing with a sick iguana, they're fine as an occasional treat, but they should NEVER be fed to your iguana regularly. What Iggy needs are GREENS, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens. The tremors, or fits, you describe are caused by a Calcium deficiency. Calcium is a necessary mineral for strong bones, but it is also necessary for proper function of muscles and other organs. When the muscles and organs don't get this critical nutrient, constant myoclonic spasms (muscle spasms) will show themselves in your iguana. How does an iguana make use of Calcium? They manufacture Vitamin D3 with the pigmentation in their skin when they are exposed to the UVB rays from the sun, in much the same way PEOPLE manufacture this Calcium-friendly vitamin in their own skin due to natural sunlight. Iggy needs UVB light and/or natural sunlight in order to make the CRUCIAL MINERAL Calcium available for use by her body. She needs good food, good lighting, and heat that will give her her own opportunities to maintain a body temperature between 75 degrees F at night, and 95-100 degrees F during the day. Her lack of use of her back legs is indicative of long-standing poor nutrition and poor care, it has nothing to do with your sister. Please read through the "Diet" and "Light & Heating" sections on this forum. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you have an iguana who is very close to death due to neglect...please do the right thing and take it upon yourself to utilize the knowledge this website has to offer...ONLY YOU have the power to reverse Iggy's condition and keep her alive and healthy.
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Post by Edicius on Oct 16, 2004 18:52:26 GMT -8
I am not trying to neglect her.. i have had many iguanas , and due to moving gave them away... but that is off subject.. We have spent alot of money to get her a decent cage when we got her she was negelected to the exstint of starving.. she was quit healty till just a week or so ago.. we have had her for several years.... she is very beautiful in her normal coloration.. and wel she is quite fat and happy.. untill lately... when we got iggy she had a broken jaw and was rather skinny... .. but i was wondering why she would be yellow, with trimmers and not using her back legs... she has a heat pad on the bottome of her cage, under the glass, she has a heat lamp.. and this blue light lame... a few branches to climb,
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 16, 2004 19:17:24 GMT -8
Nobody tries to neglect an iguana, at least I would hope they wouldn't. It is obvious from what you have posted as Iggy's diet that you have not done much research on this subject...WHAT YOU ARE FEEDING HER IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE IF YOU EXPECT HER TO LIVE. Iguanas are fragile creatures, but they are also extremely resilient, visible problems indicate long-standing neglect, iguanas hide medical problems extremely well. When a problem becomes easily visible, it means...quite frankly...that your iguana is VERY NEAR death.
I'm sorry, I realize that I am being an a**hole about this, but please...take my previous suggestions and READ to save your baby. Making excuses will only further endanger her. Thanks for coming here BTW, it shows you care for her, I just get a little miffed when someone comes here asking for advice without acknowledging they might not have done the right thing. We were ALL newbies to iguanas once, please do the reading I suggested. Iguanas are my life, they are ALL human to me, I can't stand to see them suffer if their parents don't acknowledge they need to change something to end/reverse their suffering.
OK, now I'm done ranting. What are Iggy's cage temps, and what kind of UVB lighting does she have?
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Post by Edicius on Oct 16, 2004 19:34:25 GMT -8
hmm........the temperature in her cage vaires.... from about 89.2 .... to 103.1.... i dont know what light it is because my dad bought it...i shall ask him though..
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Post by Edicius on Oct 16, 2004 19:51:26 GMT -8
P.s.I was just reading... that iqunas can have some of the foods i have been feeding iggy... not to be snide.. but i have been reading about iquanas.. i do realize it takes a lot to care for them....
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Post by EsotericComposer on Oct 16, 2004 20:00:59 GMT -8
Lettuce has no nutritional value. They need Collards, clinatro, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens. NO LETTUCE EVER.. and Fruit is OCCASIONAL, NOT HEAVY DIET. I'd suggest reading more indepth on food.
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Post by IguanaKing on Oct 16, 2004 20:23:18 GMT -8
P.s.I was just reading... that iqunas can have some of the foods i have been feeding iggy... not to be snide.. but i have been reading about iquanas.. i do realize it takes a lot to care for them.... True, iguanas CAN have the foods you are talking about...only on occasion. Iguanas can eat pizza too, a rare pizza-eating episode will not harm an iguana, but, my point is that the foods you mentioned should not be a regular part of Iggy's diet. The lighting is also EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, please let us know what type of lighting she has as soon as possible. Your cage temps look good, but she needs better food and better lighting. If its still warm enough where you live, take her outside at least 30 minutes every day...she NEEDS sunlight or UVB from a good, artificial source. Also, be extremely careful when you handle her now, her bones are extremely delicate at this point and will break VERY easily.
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Post by prism_wolf on Oct 17, 2004 5:32:32 GMT -8
How long have you had her? Your iguana sounds like she's in the advanced stages of MBD. The tremors, yellow skin, lost function in rear legs. All classic symptoms. Diet is less than good. Follow the others' advice on diet. Lighting needs to have UVB. You need at the very least, two 48" Reptisun 5.0 flourescent tubes made by Zoo Med. Temps are good only if the gradients are in the right places. The temps should not really go over 96 in the basking spot as a general rule. SOME igs prefer it warmer, but they overheat faster and move out from under the UVB sooner than if the temps were lower.70-75 on the cooler end. Though she is in the advanced stages...she can get better with very aggressive treatment. A vet would be preferable to aid in this. What state and town do you live in? We might be able to help you there. Here's another place to find one on your own. www.herpvetconnection.com. You may not be able to find one locally. Many of us have to travel for some distance to get to our herp vet. I travel 1 1/2 hours one way for mine. That's the price we pay for owning an exotic animal. Change you diet now...get the ig in the sun if you can. I know cold weather is setting in fast, but use what you can if you can.
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Post by Edicius on Oct 17, 2004 17:05:45 GMT -8
I have had iggy for almost 3 years.... we have been giving her lately pasted greens.. we buy them fresh then shreded the to nothing because she isnt strong enought to eat on her own.... she is about 4' 1/2 foot long.. ummers we tryed paging the vet that could help near us but they never called.. ... she is getting worse it seems.. to day we went ot and looked for some stuff to help but the vet is closed till tomrrow and the petstore is closed till tuesday
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Nanshe
Senior
I am owned by Elvis & Angel :)
Posts: 167
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Post by Nanshe on Oct 17, 2004 21:23:28 GMT -8
Even until the vet is available, and the pet store is open, there are things you can do that Iguana King and Prism have suggested - If you do not act RIGHT AWAY - like right this minute, your Iguana WILL DIE. I honestly don't think you understand how serious this is. Your Iguana is in the advanced stages of the #1 killer of Iguanas!
Iguanas are "masters" at hiding their illnesses until they are just about ready to die. It's a form of survival. On my email group, I read a story about a lady whose Iguana was doing fantastic! When she came home from work, she found her in the bottom of the cage, in the coldest spot - nearly dead. 2 days later, the Iguana died. That Iguana had the best care available for the last year of its life - however the first 5 years she was in a neglectful home and it caught up with her - I hope this shows you just how quickly an illness can move, once an Iguana shows outward signs.
CHANGE THE DIET[/b][/u] - period - Buy the foods suggested above - collard greens, dandilion, turnip greens, arugula etc.... Don't feed ANYTHING ELSE until she's better. Cut it up as small or mushy as it needs to be for her to be able to eat it. If she is unable to eat it - let us know!
GIVE HER WATER[/b][/u] - period - Make sure she's hydrated. Mist her food WELL just before you feed it to her, offer her water from a dish several times daily, etc... I'm sure others will have more suggestions - but hydration is very important!
TAKE HER OUT IN THE DIRECT SUNLIGHT[/b][/u] - period - if it's cold outside, then take a basking light out there, put her in something so she can't get away, but will also get warmth from the basking lamp AND direct sunlight. SHE NEEDS UVB DESPERATLY! The lack of UVB is one of the main reasons she's in this condition to begin with.
BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN MOVING/TOUCHING HER![/b][/u] Her bones are VERY VERY weak right now and will snap like a twig, causing an injury that will be difficult to heal in her current condition.
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I'm just not sensing the urgency in your posts that really should be there. Your Iguana is not sick because of anything your sister did. Your Iguana started getting sick 3 years ago, when she didn't have the proper diet and UVB lighting - that's the bottom line.
Please do come back to this forum and keep giving us updates, ask advice etc... You coming here was a very good thing, and shows the love you have for your green buddy.
Best of luck to you!
~Nan
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