Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The girl who gave me Sugar (my adult, female iguana) did not take care of her at all. She kept her in a dog cage in a garae with little to eat and barely any heat. Let alone sun-light. Obviously that is no way to treat an animal.

So anyway- when I got her she didn't look good at all. The first thing I did was soak her in the tub with warm water in it. The poor thing was so thirsty that she was actually drinking the warm bath water. Her mouth had nasty red sores in it. Sores that still have failed to go away. I keep Sugar in the same dog cage, the size of my house doesn't allow me to build a custom-made cage for her. But the dog cage is about six feet in length, three feeth in width, and four feet in height. Because it is a dog cage, substrate is almost impossible to use. So I have a fleece blanket in half of the cage and towls on the other half where her water bowl and food are. Which she doesn't eat. I've been force feeding her baby food and greens for some time now but she still refuses to eat on her own. Her color has gotten really dark and she's constantly cold. I have to buy her a new heat lamp because the one she had fell and burnt a hole in one of the blankets she had in her cage. She has a UV light now, and I take her out in the sun as much as possible. At night I wrap her up in a blanket and she snuggles with me while i sleep.

I'm schedualing an appointment with a reptile vet in the very near future. The sores in her mouth are still there and her lack of appatite is really starting to take it's toll on her. I've heard that lack of appatite can be caused by stress and wanted to know if there was anything i could do to help her feel more comfortable? Like I said- I'm taking her to the vet, but any help at the present time would be greatly appreciated.

Actually it is good you didn't use substrate if you are talking about wood chips or some other particle substrate. They flick their tongue at everything in investigation and tend to ingest the wrong things. Particle substrate can cause impaction and dehydration. The best would be to go to Lowes or other home improvement store and get some linoleum. Then use newspaper or doggie pads.

The bathes is one thing that is recommended for dehydration due to the fact many iguanas will drink the water while soaking. Also she may drink if you mist her.

The sores in her mouth most likely is one of the reasons she is not eating.

She most likely has parasites. Make sure to take a fresh fecal sample to the vet if possible. If not the vet may be able to do a clocoa wash for one. The medication she will be taking will cause her gut flora get out of balance if it isn't already. I would give her a probiotic if the vet approves. It helps the good gut flora. You can put a very light dust on her food. Benebac was originally formulated for birds but has been approved for reptiles. You should be able to get it at your pet store. It may be in the bird section. NutriBAC df is specifically formulated for reptiles but can only be bought online I believe. I buy it at ReptileUV.com. I usually give it to mine on a weekly basis. It helps the appetite most times.

The natural sunlight is great.

Good thing you are taking her to the vet. The sooner the better though. Those sores need treated along with a fecal exam and blood test.
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Marie
Poyner Corner

I managed to force-feed Sugar some baby food yesterday (gerbers greenbeans) and mixed it with a fruit-based iguana food that contains vitamins and fruits, and mixed THAT with strawberries and some greens. I gave her a warm bath, as i do every day, which helped her get it all out of her system. She has an appointment with the vet tomorrow and I'll let everyone know what the vet has to say. Hopefully it's nothing too serious. She's such a sweetheart and I'm trying my best with such limited space. I'd build her an outdoor cage if i could but I live in jersey and the climate doesn't exactly permit me to have her out there.

Lack of appetite can also be related to illness, such as endo-parasites, and due to the lack of heat and light, which aid metabolism and synthesis of Vitamin D3 (which helps absorb calcium). And of course... stress, which this poor animal had quite a bit of.

The stress of being kept in deplorable conditions, change of owner, surrounding, and a cage that still (with all due respect of course) barely meets the requirements to keep an iguana "happy". I gotta hand it to you, you have guts and a big heart to take care of that poor little thing.

Recovery will take time, and less time as soon as it sees a vet.
The Heat and UV will help considerably. Offer it a hiding spot for it to feel more secure, and shield from the heat.

Being out in the natural sun is the best thing you can do for it, and if possible, an out-door enclosure it the best type of enclosure an iguana can have.

Make sure you add supplements of vitamins and calcium (the one that has D3 included) to help it recover strength. Use as directed, do not over-feed supplements or calcium.

Let it rest plenty, and adjust to its surrounding, which means handle the animal only when necessary. Scroll around this board for more topics that could help.

Best of luck, and let us know its progress!

-IJ

One of the problems could be the cage. There is no way to
hold heat in it. The temps are bound to be too cold for
a healthy appetite. I keep my igs at 85-90 degrees with
a basking spot of about 100. These temps are on the top
shelves of their enclosures (6' tall). It's good that
you are taking it to the vet but I would improve her
habitat now. In the proper habitat it will have a much
better chance of recuperating.

Keep us updated
Linda