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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 16, 2008 12:49:57 GMT -8
Hi. I am new here and just rescued an iguana last night. Here is a copy/paste of a message on another forum. It seems a bit dead over there so found this site and thought I would give it a shot. Any and ALL help would be great! He was covered in red mites. Living off of baby red and green romaine lettuce, red and green oak leaf, red and green chard, mizuna, arugula, manche, frisee, radicchio with Rep-cal Herptivite with beta carotene supplements. His/her UVB light I was told came form the closed glass sliding door his cage was in front of. His cage is eh ok for tonight I guess.. it is 5’x4’x2/12’ (HxWxD) and is 2x4’s and hail screen wire. With one small heat lamp..and as stated NO UVB light. The floor was covered in a dirt/gravel mix. So we brought him home. Gave him a good soak in warm water to wash off most of the mites. Whats a good mite med?? Was given some Jurassi mite spray with him/her is it any good?? Any tips to get him to eat good food and not lettuce?? I fed him some salad tonight which consists of Collard greens, yellow squash, green beans, yucca root and for color and or treat I tossed in a few tiny pieces of cantaloupe. He did eat a few bites but gave it the ol’stink eye and looked at me like I was trying to poison him. Any thoughts on the vitamin supplement he came with good or bad?? I plan to get him into the vet this week as soon as they have an open appointment. But until then any tips health wise? I believe he may have the starting symptoms of MBD because he seems to drag his back legs a bit and has soft spots on the ridges above his eyes. What will the vet do if this is the case? I keep reading the right temps/humidity and proper light will be key if he dose have MBD but can’t seem to find anywhere what else is involved in curing it?? I reworked the cage as much as I could tonight. Have set him up another heat lamp and he now has a nice basking spot that is sitting at 93F is that ok? Am using red light bulbs as to not disturb his sleep. His cage temps are ranging form about 80F on the cool side up to 90 on the warm side with the basking temp I mentioned. I wrapped the cage in order to keep the heat humidity in as well. Oh he/she is about 2 1/2 feet long and will have photos tomorrow. So any advice you can give to help out until his vet appointment would be great. I did research Iggy’s for a long time but decided to go with a Sav monitor instead and love him. But I COULD NOT leave this poor guy to die a slow death at the hands of people that did not know what they were doing. Guess I was meant to have an Igg. So now how do I get him well.
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Post by prism_wolf on Jun 16, 2008 15:05:27 GMT -8
You sure have taken on a hard case. Kudos to you for taking it in! This poor thing is emaciated along with your description of having MBD.
The Jurassic Park mite remedy has been used pretty successfully, but the cage will also be infested. If you can't get it gone from the grooves, nooks and crannies of the wood - you will have repeat infestations. I would suggest enclosing it totally in plastic outside of the house and seal it with a bomb set off inside for the suggested 4 hours.
As bad as this baby is...it's great to see you've already got an appt. The vet may diagnose MBD (which I don't doubt it is for a minute) and may want to give it a calcium and possibly a B12 injection.
In the meantime you sound like you're doing the right things. Outside time will be better than any UVB source. 20 mins a day can work many wonders! The eye ridges are soft anyway. What you want to feel is the jaw. This will be soft and rubbery depending on the advancement of the MBD.
With the lettuce conversion - if it was healthier I would say quit cold turkey and just go with the good stuff...but this guy needs food. Just wean him slowly. By the end of two weeks you should be adding more greens than lettuce, but at the start add mostly lettuce and small amounts of greens. Slowly change that distribution. You know you're going to fast when he stops eating the salad. Add some mustard and turnip greens and some parsnips to the current menu you listed and it will be well rounded. It sounds like one of those prepackaged spring mixes what they were feeding him.
The Rep-Cal vitamins are great. Just sprinkle a tiny bit on everyday. Do you have any calcium, too? You will need this along with the vitamins. Rep-Cal (no additives) is the one you want. Sprinkle it the same way.
I feel good about this baby being in your hands. You sound very capable and hopefully it should be enough along with a good vet... ;D
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 16, 2008 16:56:01 GMT -8
Well just got back in. The vet called because there was a cancellation YAY!! He/she is malnourished dehydrated and in the early stages of MBD as I thought. The vet said that the Igg is still in what he calls a "fixable state" but just barley! One calcium injection and a ticked off Iggy later we left the office lol. Was told to keep doing the 2x a day soaks, and to offer gatorade 1:1 with water a few times a day as well as his fresh water bowl. He also said to get some human baby food and hand feed for a bit. I picked up green beans and squash. Dose that sound right? He did say it was not as good a fresh greens but differently better than the lettuce. Also the store did not have orange gatorade so I bought melon is that good?? Was also told to keep offering fresh greens a couple times a day in hopes he will perk up and start to eat them. Have to take him back next week for a follow up...
So if you guys have more tips keep the coming. This guy needs all the help and good thoughts he can get!
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Post by prism_wolf on Jun 17, 2008 8:33:56 GMT -8
Excellent news!! I'll have a little more time when I get off work today to offer a few more tips. There are others here that may chime in...but I'll be back for sure...:-D
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 17, 2008 14:35:58 GMT -8
A bit of an update:
I forgot to mention that the vet also gave him a vitamin shot to help his appetite! I had to hand feed him today but he ate GREENS!! Guess he figured it was better than having me force green bean soup down him!! He had been eating the lettuce on his own according to his last "owner". However due to the stress of a new environment and total change it diet he was not interested in eating. Normally the vet said he would recommend just giving it a few days for him to settle in but not when there as bad as this baby is. We decided it was vital he get some food in him every day even if I had to force feed. Glad he ate the greens today. 10 pretty good size pieces!!! He continues to drink like it is going out of style during his soaks and today he even drank a tiny bit form his water bowl!
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Post by Jen on Jun 17, 2008 17:11:44 GMT -8
Since he is in such bad shape, make sure you cut his food up pretty small, and mist it with water. The smaller the food the easier it is to digest. You can try getting him to drink from the spray bottle, Im not sure it will work since you are a stranger to him, but its worth a try.
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 17, 2008 18:41:57 GMT -8
We had POOP today!! Yay! Lot of white a lot but then there was also some green!! So we have green going in AND coming out. He ate a ton of the green bean mixture tonight for the hubby!! The green bean baby food has umm evolved now LOL. It now has squash baby food mixed in and I add in his vitamins then some high calcium insure drink to thin it out. Should I still add in his powdered calcium I picked up?? Got the pure calcium kind by the way..no additives. I am guessing his next poop is going to be nice and messy. Can't believe how much food he ate today! OH and his greens I did tear them up really small as that is the only way to get in his mouth. I had some pedielite here at he house so I dipped them in some of that before feeding them to him. I figure every little bit of liquid helps right?
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Post by prism_wolf on Jun 18, 2008 6:23:48 GMT -8
YAY for POOPING! ;D You're making good progress already!!
If this ig is eating on it's own I strongly suggest going to total salad. It's so much better than babyfood. Babyfood is very high in sodium. Look at the nutrient label on the jar.
Go with the good foods just chopped small. This will benefit him so much more. Adding red bell peppers will make the salad more appealing and add plenty of moisture. Here's what I would use:
collard greens turnip greens dandelion greens (do you have any around your house chemical-free?) parsnips (like white carrots) green beans squash red bell pepper
Those items along with the calcium and vitamins will do what needs to be done as far as adding nutrition and weight... ;D
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 18, 2008 7:31:03 GMT -8
Do you know of any thing I can do to help him get his back legs back in order? He dose move them a bit but still can't seem to get up on them and really walk around. Bless him we did just come in form our frist outside time of the day and he tried SO hard to get up and move around. He is so weak poor baby. But he REALLY likes outside. Turns his head and looks at every thing. Splays himself out and soaks up that sun like a real pro!! He is still not really eating on his own. Hard to explain but to get him to eat the greens I had to tear into small bits and get them inside his mouth and get my fingers out of the way before he gets to them.. which I did not do this morning. He has teeth (yay) and they HURT (boo-hiss)!!! How long do you think it will take once he gets to eating well for him to get to a healthy weight? Dumb question about the bell pepper but seeds or no seeds?? And last thing for right now I promise: THANK YOU FOR YOUR WELLINGNESS TO HELP AND OFFER ADVICE!!!
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Post by Jen on Jun 18, 2008 12:46:12 GMT -8
If he is attempting to move his legs, thats a good sign. It may be days before he starts moving them more, or it could take weeks or even months, as he grows stronger and his body heals. Just keep doing what your doing.
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Post by khaosinc on Jun 19, 2008 6:28:22 GMT -8
Congrads on rescuing the poor guy.. Let him relearn to walk and then climb slowly. He is going to need to relearn to use those legs, then build the muscles. In my opinion, design his cage with low slopes at first, and make sure that if he falls, he can't fall far. Instinct takes over when looking for the highest perch
I took on a similar neglected iguana about a year ago (I'm guessing he's a few years old), and while for a couple of months it was an uphill battle that was almost painful to watch (check those toenails, from the sounds of it, no one has looked at him closely) With alot of attention, proper nutrition and lighting, I saw Spike learn to walk with 4 legs, then climb (most likley for the first time), and now he is a grumpy, but pretty healthy 4' long iguana with only a couple weird toes and a few battle scars to show for his ordeal. He isn't the most social of critter, but the smile I imagine he gives me, when he's basking on his branch looking out over the living room is so worth it..
Also a side note, you might want to look in to how the bottom portion of that cage is sealed. It looks to me like an exploring iggy might find a way out. Also, just a personal opinion, but I usually try and avoid the metal mesh. Your local home improvement store sells a pvc version that is safer, won't rust, and can stand up to almost anything thrown at it. You can also get enough to redo that cage for about $5...
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Post by darkluvr on Jun 19, 2008 9:08:15 GMT -8
i applaud you for taking him/her on! i hope he/she is willing to bond with you
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 19, 2008 22:06:06 GMT -8
Well good news and bad news. Bad news frist. We had to head back to the vets this morning. I got him out for his breakfast and heard the tell tell "popping" of an URI. I was so worried I did not even call the vet first just took him in. Luck they were able to see us as they were not to busy today!! So now the poor baby is on antibotics on top of everything else. Why oh why did I not insist on antibiotics during the first visit just to be safe grrrr!! Here's hopping we caught it quick enough and even in his current state he can shake it fast!! Ok on to the good or better news. We are off baby food and eating REAL food..still have to put it in his mouth but he is show more interest in it every day! He LOVES the watermelon. He is not to found of me using it to "bait" and "switch" though lol. He is also really starting to perk up quite a bit in the last 24 hours! I sat and talked quietly to him yesterday and he raised his head and titled it over and over and gave me some strange looks. He is trying to use those back legs a bit more each day especially in the bath. Also while during one of our outdoor times today he was very active and kept trying to climb as high up me as he could! Got to the top of my shoulder and out of no where laid his face against my cheek. It was actually really sweet... guess I will take that as his way of saying thanks. So that is the update so far. Any tips or advice on the URI issues? Bless his hearth he just should not have to deal with all this crap. It really hurts me to see the poor baby be so sick. I just want him to grow fat and happy and sassy and be WELL already! But I know that the reality of it is we have a long road ahead. Oh also the vet visit today made me aware that I don't really know much about medications that are safe for reptiles so anyone able to list some so I know and don't end up with something that could be a bad ideal?
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Post by Merlin on Jun 20, 2008 4:32:09 GMT -8
Even if you had insisted, a responsible vet is not going to administer antibiotics, "just because". They have realized that over use of antibiotics results in the mutation of new strains of disease that are resistant to the antibiotics.
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Post by debcat76135 on Jun 20, 2008 19:18:29 GMT -8
You are of course right about that. Generally I am a big believer in using antibiotics very sparingly for just that reason. I just feel so guilty about the URI. I mean I knew that stress could bring one on and just feel I should have been able to do something to stop it. The poor baby has had nothing but stress this week. New home, new food, vet visits, shots, baths and of course new people. He should not have to deal with anything else! His life has been hard enough and he should just get to be well and enjoy living a good life for now on and instead he get to deal with a URI on top of everything.
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