Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just bought a baby green igauan at a pet shop, got it home and noticed one of its legs is dangling, is swollen, and seems useless to it. it just drags or hangs, it doesnt use it.i think its broken, what can i do? any ideas/suggestions please and thanks you

TAKE IT TO THE VET... NOT DOING SO IS PLAIN CRUEL!!! IT IS IN PAIN AND NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION. NOT GETTING IT HELP IS ANIMAL ABUSE!
-----
Heather, Vern, Andy, Router, April And OODLES of fish

Does your petstore have a healthy animal policy? Some petstores will reimburse you for taking a newly bought animal to the vet if you find out it's sick or something else is wrong with it. But you do have to take him SOON.

You need to take him soon, anyway. My ig had a broken leg last month, and we had to wait a couple days to get in to a good vet, and then we had to drive 3 hours. Get him in TODAY before the 4th of July weekend starts, or you'll have to pay more for emergency fees - we had to take Xander in on Memorial Day.

He needs an x-ray. You can't just splint it yourself, because you don't know where the bone is broken or how bad or old the break is.

In the meantime, don't let him climb. Take down everything in his cage that would allow him to climb higher than an inch or two off the ground. Lower your heat and UVB lamps if you have to. If he happens to have MBD and he falls again, he could break something else. Besides, and ig with a broken leg shouldn't be trying to climb with it.

But get to the vet ASAP.

Alika

Well think about this.. if you broke your leg what would you do

bring him to the vet and have it looked at..
-----
1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs

My Email

ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

well, i looked it up. three hundred and forty dollars canadian.250 american. im sorry, but i literally do not have the money for that. i sprung the 40 bucks(or the ig) for my son, but 340 is a stretch. if i were to pay 340 in bringing her to the vet, it would take away from my family. and thats something i cant do.i dont have the financial means to d0 that. as much as id love to and lord knows if i had teh money id do it. moneys a bit tighter than usual right now. weve had to eliminate some luxuries from our lives as it is, and 340 bucks could buy better things for us than an iguana's fixed leg.

Then why in god's name would you buy an animal in the first place???!!

Damn it, this makes me so angry. I don't care how much you spent on the animal; you cannot afford a pet if you cannot afford vet care.

This is a living feeling creature who is in pain right now, a creature who is your responsibility, and you have the NERVE to get snappy when we suggest taking it to a vet. What did you think we were going to say, put a bandaid on it?

excuse me, but my family comes before an iguana. you have some nerve to come on saying youre "so angry" because i have a FAMILY to support? you are by far one of the rudest people i have ever met. think twice before speaking, and put yourself in somebody else's shoes. what gives you the right top JUDGE me, because i have to spend every available dollar i have on my family? how dare you. im deeply offended by your actions.

If money is so tight, you should not have bought a pet... especially an iguana. What did you plan on doing when it got sick? I have to agree... this is ridiculous. It's complete disregard for the life of a living creature, and it's deplorable.

I'm sorry if Atomic's opinion offended you, but I think you'll find that your attitude offends and angers commited iguana owners, and that most if not all of us share the opnion Atomic expressed.

Things are tight for us, too. Our pets are our (my husband and I's) babies - they get taken care of before we do.

Alika

you deffinatley should of thought before you purchased the iguana.. talk to the vet they may be able to do a payment plan with you..

Next time just think before you buy.. just becasue it is cute doesnt eman you should buy it for your kids..

and sacrafices come with owning the pet.. do you know what some of us have given up to take care of our iguanas? some of us alot and some of us not so much..

i have given up on stuff for my car, going out with friends, playing paintball and alot of other stuff i enjoyed..a nd doing that to help my iguana makes me feel good.. you get atached after a while. and if making my iguana better meant giving up some stuff. i would do it in a heart beat..

and i think youll find out that alot of people in this forum feel this way about there iguana

Mike D
-----
1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs

My Email

ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

i suggest you talk to the pet store and see if they will pay for the bill. if the leg was broken when you got him they should. and will if you make a big stink about it and mention curt. if not you should search for a new home for your ig someone that can afford one. iguanas are a big responsibility and could get hurt at anytime beings they love to clime and get into things.
-----
brandy

If you arent going to take it to the vet then do the humane thing and put it out of its misery. The infection that will form from the broken bone will eventually kill the animal anyways so why prolong its pain? IF you are unwilling to do this then take it to the humane society and render it into their care.

I am very aware that this post will get me flamed but death is a much more humane option than letting it suffer for weeks.

I do not believe if money is so tight that you have the money to properly feed the iguana as well as provide it with adequate lighting and heating. I trust you will do the HUMANE thing.
-----
Heather, Vern, Andy, Router, April And OODLES of fish

HI,
This is brians wife ( sam-n-ella)
i couldnt help but reply to this message.....

If you really cant afford the vet bill or just plain dont want the responsibility, then take him to a vet anyway, hand him over , and they will care for him at no charge to you, but dont ask for him back because they wont give him to you,

and please next time you decide to shell out money you had to scrape together, please think again, if you couldnt afford to purchase this animal then chances are you cant afford to take care of it, also take the time out to educate yourself on the needs and care of the iguana, they are pretty high maintnance, and vet bills can be expensive, trust me i know, we have 4 , and i can assure you that while we have to make financial choices and sacrifices, thier health isnt something we chose to let go,

sometimes the iguanas are better fed than we are, but WE CHOSE to get them and care for them, therefore its our responsibility to make sure they are healthy and happy and thrive,

on a lighter note,,,,,,,,,goldfish are cheaper and easier to care for and require no sacrifices,

but please take this iguana to the vet and hand him over, they will care for him, but please dont ever get an iguana again,

Angel

Hey Angel, I agree with you, but I had to reply to the goldfish comment..

An adult comet/common goldfish will reach 8-13" long and require a large, filtered aquarium. Ive got 5 goldfish in a 75g tank, a large filter, etc. We have spent hundreds on the goldfish, which started as $.10 fair prizes. My 2 oldest goldies are about 6 or 7 years old and 13" snout to end of tail long, and I wouldnt be suprised if they out-lived Zephyr. There is a pic of Moe (oldest) in my photo gallery on kingsnake.

I guess the point is..ANY animal requires research, period. Even if its a tiny fish that grows into a larger fish, or a tiny lizard that grows into a larger lizard. There will be expenses, etc. If you cant afford it, then do yourself and the critter a favor, and wait until you can.

To the original poster-
Have you called around and tried to find a cheaper vet, or a vet who takes payment plans? I am sorry to say, but it will be hard finding somebody to take in a sick, broken-leg baby iguana and pay for its treatment and care for it well. If the choice comes to letting the animal suffer or putting it to sleep, I hope you do what is best. However, keep in mind that the iguana didnt want to be put in that situation, and it all boils down to human interferance. Ive been in your situation, so please realize I am speaking from experience. Also please learn from this and dont repeat such a situation again.

Without medical care the iguana will suffer.
Sarah
-----
Sarah

If you bought the iguana on a whim I HATE to know what the poor animal is living in. Also, what are you feeding it? What is keeping it warm? Have you even HEARD of a UVB light? I have been researching and building a custom iguana cage to ADOPT an iguana give to my local Herp society for almost 6 months now. So far I have shelled out $300 for the cage materials with more to be bought. Do you know how the iguana I am going to save got with the Herp society in the first place? PEOPLE LIKE YOU! That animal is like your children and needs to be cared for. You need to find a herp society or a vet to take that animal ASAP. I can't even type anymore I am SO mad. You may have a family, I do to (2 year old and a husband), but you had NO RIGHT to buy ANY ANMIAL if you are having trouble with money for your family. One last thing, if you couldn't pay for the vet, why did you post that on here?! Why did you think that people who LOVE their animals wanted to hear of a poor animals suffering? I HOPE you do something for that animal.