Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I have two adult iguanas, about 13 and 14 years old. I've had them their whole lives. Recently, they developed these weird scabs on their hind legs, starting on the upper "thigh" area and then spreading down further. it starts as a small blackish spot then grows out the and inside gets white and flaky. It's not a burn. I've seen two reptile vets. The bloodwork is normal and the igs are otherwise healthy. The other option I've been given is to put one under for a skin biopsy, but I'm hesitant to do this to a 14 year old iguana who is otherwise totally healthy and doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from this weird skin problem (confined to the legs). Any ideas? I can provide pictures if necessary.

Couldn't the vet scrape or remove a small part of one and do a biopsy? I mean, sure, at 14 the iguana is roughly living its golden years, but with iguanas today reaching the late 'teens and even surpassing 20, it would be a shame if it turns out to be something serious and life-threatening.

If you could post a picture it would make it easier for all of us, HOWEVER, and this has come up before in other threads, this website is mostly adapt to answer questions on husbandry, not veterinary/medical care, unless by chance one of the posters here is in fact a veterinarian.

Therefore, keep in mind that we are all limited in this particular topic to just give you an opinion, not a solution or an answer.

If both vets suggested a biopsy of the odd tissue, and if both iguanas are perfectly healthy and strong, then perhaps it might be better to perform at least one and see what the results are.

If you want, do some research on the Web on iguana-related websites, and see if they mention anything that is similar with what yours have on their legs.

Has this thing appeared over night? Or did it gradually spread?

Best of luck to you and your igs!
If you do choose to go ahead with the biopsy, let us know the results, since any medical finding/information from an iguana owner can prove helpful in the future.

-IJ

Hello!

My thought was that the vet would be able to do a skin scraping as well, to at least check for fungus or something like it, although I was told that fungus was rare in this part of the world. She told me, however, that she would need to get a fairly thick chunk of skin. These lesions have been around for probably close to 8 months now, and the iguanas appear to be perfectly healthy otherwise. I've scanned through websites and haven't found anything remotely resembling this. Both vets have looked at them and immediately said burns, but there is no way they could be getting burns from their lamps, and I don't use any chemicals to clean their cages.

When I get a hold of a camera, I'll take some pictures.

For now, they actually seem to be somewhat healing so maybe they'll just eventually close up and go away!

These spots gradually spread, rather than appearing overnight. They started as small spots that grew. However, they appear to have stopped growing at present.

Thank you for your response!