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Please help Spot

jasonw Sep 14, 2004 11:55 PM

Hi. I dont know what happend but all of the sudden Spot got realy sick. We have been fighting a battle with mites ever sence I got her but she is normaly verry active climbing all over the encloser and at feeding time she readely eats everything it is verry rare for her to leave a spec of food on her plate. Recently all of the sudden she just stoped eating and she will not climb at all. She spends her days and nights on the flore of the enclosure just laying there. She wont eat wont drink wont do anything. She isnt nasty anymore iether. She use to whip and bite and claw you to death if you got to close but now she barly takes her head off the ground when you get to close. I am taking her to the vet in 6 days. I realy wish I could take her now but finances wont alow it untill Monday. Is there anything I can do for her untill then? She has been eating collard greens, mustard greens and spinich greens wil mango, banana, strawberrys and greaps with no ill afects for at least a year. Every so often we put some comercial food in there as well. She spends a lot of time in direct sunlight and has a 5.0 UV light. Any suggestions are greatly apreciated thanks a million. I have also posted a picture of her current state so you can see what I mean.
Image

Replies (15)

LLB Sep 15, 2004 12:42 AM

I am sorry to inform you that your iguana Spot will die within the week if you don't at least try to force some food down him. Can't really diagnose anything from a picture but what I can tell you is its very obvious your iguana isnt eating and by the looks of it hasnt in quite a long while.. at least 3 weeks in my opinion. Gotta get some calories in him fast or he will be lost.

jasonw Sep 15, 2004 01:06 AM

We nursed a babby back to health with store bought babby food once will that work? I thought about puting her regular food in a blender and feeding her with a serenge "No needle of course" My wife normaly prepares the food and as far as I know she has not eaten in maybe a week but has always been a rahter skinny lizard.

Linda G Sep 15, 2004 08:30 AM

You can syringe feed her. I did for a year on my rescue
iguana.

Put all her regular foods in a blender with some water
so it is not really thick. Add some regular old Ensure
which you can buy from any grocery store or Walmart. It
is designed for people but will not hurt the ig. Add equal
parts of the water and Ensure and blend well. Be very careful
when syringe feeding that you do not force it into her
lungs.

You really need to somehow get her to a vet. Keep her warm
also and keep her enclosure spotless. I would make sure the
vet checks a stool sample.

What state do you live in? Maybe someone here is close
to you who can help.

Linda

Linda G Sep 15, 2004 08:34 AM

You mentioned you had been treating for mites. Does she
still have them? If so, they could be causing her illness
by biting. She could be anemic. What are you using to
treat them? Instead of using any more chemicals just give
her some nice long warm soaks and this should help to drown
them. I would do this a couple times a day until she can be
seen by a vet.

Keep us updated please.

Roger Van Couwen Sep 15, 2004 11:16 AM

...can get her to a vet.

Roger

jasonw Sep 15, 2004 12:45 PM

Yes we have been fighting with mites and yes she still has them. We have been trying the mineral oil, soaking her as well as home remidys found online such as diluted mouth wash. Good news is my wife just informed me Spots vet visit has been bumped up to Saterday morning rather than Tuesday so thats good
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Linda G Sep 15, 2004 12:53 PM

I think your vet is being very unreasonable. If I called
my vet with the same problem, I would be seen either the
same day or the next. This is what is considered an emegency
and believe me if it were a dog or cat they would work them
in.

I would call back and tell them she CANNOT wait. That
she is critical. Please try for her sake!

Linda

jasonw Sep 15, 2004 12:57 PM

Just called them back and was told the vet is not in now anyway. She is supose to be calling us back when she gets in
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Linda G Sep 15, 2004 01:06 PM

n/p

jasonw Sep 16, 2004 12:33 PM

Well good news and bad news. Vet never called back. Apone a recall I found out the vet was out of town. My mother called me and told me about another exotic animal vet in the area and apone calling him his earlyest apointment was not untill like Monday so Spots visit will still have to wieght untill Saturday I guess. The good news is after her 3 several hour bathtub soakings yesterday she seems a lot spunkyer but its stilln ot my old spot. She still wont take food as well. I will keep everyone up todate. I am verry hopfull just in seeing as how much more active she is in the tub. Yesterday she darn neer just layed there and today she has been swiming around the deep end and walking around the showlow end.

P.S. With each soaking about a million mites floated away.
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Linda G Sep 16, 2004 12:54 PM

I wouldn't let her use to much energy swimming. If she
is anemic from the mites, that would do her more harm than
good.

Each time you have treated her for mites, have you treated
the enclosure as well? If you are soaking her and getting
off the mites, as it sounds like you are, I would setup
a temporary enclosure to house her in between soaks. Keep
it somewhat bare, not anything mites could hide in. No wood
especially. Use disposable paper towels, etc. After each
bath, empty the temporary enclosure outside. I think that
aquariums work well for this type of enclosure. Not many
places for mites to hide. You need to get the mites under
control. I suspect this is a huge part of her problem

Linda

Did she have them when you got her?

jasonw Sep 17, 2004 02:42 PM

I purchased her and let her run around the whole room. After my son was born some concerns arose and do to the fact that we had a million medical bills I could not give her the proper enclosure so I gave her to an good friend at work. He kept her for about 2 years in witch time he was given another one witch was infested. I got her back late last year with the infestation. We have been cleaning the entire enclosure out every day witch is no easy task since it is so darn big. Today I started treating her and the enclosure with Zoomeds Mite Off. Hopefully the vet will have good news tomorrow. I also purchased a bottle of 8 in 1 mite and lice pray for birds. I am told if the zoomed stuff fails that the 8 in 1 should do the trick. I will report tomorrow when I get back from the vets office.
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c&f Sep 15, 2004 07:25 PM

Jason,

Regarding the mites - try Provent-a-mite. I don't work for the company that makes it, and I'm not affiliated with them in any way whatsoever. Call every pet store you can and get it asap. Honestly, I can say that the product is a miracle. We adopted a full grown male Ig with both red and black mites, and we were mite free after two weeks. And I agree with everyone - soak your baby to drown the mites.

Good Luck!
Peace,
Christine

jasonw Sep 17, 2004 02:48 PM

The mite off I got by Zoomed is reported to get rid of the mites in 48 hours. I will look for that stuf you mentioned. She dos have both red and black mites
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Sam-N-Ella Sep 17, 2004 04:53 PM

I battled with mites on Ella when I first got her. I used prevent-o-mite and it took care of them and I haven't seen any since. That has been over a year. As long as you treat her and the encloser and follow the directions it will work. Ella still has scars on her tail that are finally clearing up. Her infestation was pretty bad as well. It only took a couple of days to completely get rid of them. Good luck.

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