Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Where to begin, well, I went to work after my classes on Thursday. During my work times the boss got isck of the phone ringing so much so he unplugged it. I plugged it in and called hom about 7:30 only to find out that my largest Iguana, Ziggy, had bitten my two year old son. Ziggy has been in breeding season mode and so has been in his cage alot lately. We let him out on the pourch that afternoon and my husband got busy and didn't see my son wander out there. I was not there, but I know what my son does. He likes to stare at the Ig until he starts to bob his head cause he thinks the Ig is telling him yes, well, Ziggy took that as a challenge this time and bit the arch of his foot. All my and my husbands fault and we felt horrible for it. Well that happened at 5:30 and I didn't call until 7:30. I rushed home nad we went to the emergency room where the wound was cleaned and bandaged, and x-rayed. The doctor thought thre ig might have broken a litte foot bone or something. Well, to the main point, my sons foot is doing ok, but the Doc got really concerned and called Child Protective services. They told me I had to get rd of all 3 iggs in 30 days or they would take my son. That was the LAST thing I wanted to hear.

I thought I had found a home for the large male, but that fell thorough and THANK GOD!! cause I hired a lawyer and we went and saw the family court judge today. We explaind how hard it is to place Iggs and how they need specialized care and how it was my son's and not the iggs fault he got bit and hte judge decided to let me keep the iggs. I have to move them and their cages to the basment and put a lock on the basment door. I now also have to buy more heatbulbs and biuld climbing trees, but I have 30 days from today to do all that until the CPS woman comes to make sure the court orders were followed.

Everyone relives that iggs can be dangerous, especially in breeding season, and I always knew their was a risk keeping this big male with my son, but I never thought that this sweet igg would bite. I am so glad I get to keep them though, I didn't know what I was going to do! Hope you all have had a better week then me!

Amanda

wow, you did have a hard week. im so sorry to hear what you had to go through. but i am glad that you are aloud to keep your iggs. i diddnt know they could take your kids away from you just because he got bit by an iguana. i really dont think thats right. i mean ive seen kids get the crap beat out of them by their parents and the courts diddnt do a thing about it. but they will threaten to take your kid away for an accident? i dont know how everyone else feels about this but it kinda ticks me off. i am so sorry that you had to go through that.
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brandy

Should have clarified a bit, they were not taking him for the bite, that is what got them in there, they were going to take my son because of the risk of salmonile infection to a child under 5 years old.

That's bull. Like Brandy said kids get the ---- beat out of them and nothing but for this bye bye son. Peaple are just scared of exotic (SP) animals think they are all dangerous. I'm happy you can keep them and what the court told you is not to bad. Good luck with the set up and relax this weekend. Give you son a hug and you should feel better (that always works for me )

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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny

Ok, a couple Corrections, the bite was wednesday. On thursday we went to a school to do a pet presentation and I relized Ziggy was limping. Today it is so swollen he won't walk on it and it is hot. After paying the hospital for my son on Wednesday I have NO money left and I am almost sure it is broken. I called every vet that I could possibly dirve to with my last 10 gallons of gas and not one will work with me until I get paid on the 11th. I tried to get a payday loan, I tried getting more money on my credit cards. I even tried getting a human association to take him and get him care and nothing. I feel SO horrible about my iguana. I don't know what to do. I am currently looking for a detailed anatomy of bone structure. I am a pre-vet and I might be able to set it and brace it until I can get to a vet. My mom is a nurse and if I had a picture I am sure I could do it. I just don't have much left in the way of options. Anything you guys think i can do to make him more comfortable would help. I am not usually this short on money, but a visit to the emergency room for an uninsured 2 year old isn't cheap. Thanks for all your time.
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Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.0.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig, Chuck Norris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsk)
0.6.0 Leo (Princess Pickle, Kitty, Buttercup, Velvet, Tang & Snowy)
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

IMO your child needs every dime of ig $ to pay for a medical insurance policy.

But, you don't need to set and cast an ig's broken leg, when you're totally out of $ as you are. God devised a plan for broken bones to heal on their own. First there is swelling, then a "callus" (rubbery coating) forms around the broken ends, and it hardens to bone-strength. Then (I forget the term) but "sculpting" happens where the misplaced ends of the bones are smoothed off. It's miraculous. I know about it because I had a trauma with one of my sons.

My advice: leave your ig totally alone. He pobably does not feel like walking anyway. Remove any climbing apparatus he has access to. Give no meds not prescribed by a herp vet, especially anti-inflammatories which retard healing. And give him several weeks of peaceful slow-motion healing. He'll get through it. (The treatment for a broken bone is the same as for fractured soft tissue: holding-still time.)

Keep us posted.

Roger

That is funny, cause actually, we sat down and worked it out, and we would pay more if we had medical insurance for my son. If we don't have any then the hospital puts us on a sliding scale and we pay about 1/3 the amout the cheapest medical coverage would cost us for him. The problem is that I , being under 25, still have medical under my mom's insurance ans same for my husband. SO we would be paying a lot just for him when the hospital will just make their treatments cheaper and work with us. I can get people to work with me on human medical bills. It is all the greedy vets out there I am having a problem with.

I would NEVER give my iguana any drugs that were not given to me by a vet, so that is taken care of. He is in a room by himself with nothing to climb on and all his lights and some borrowed lights from work and just sleeps all day and gets hot soaks at night. I did slint it though so he would not get a burst of feel good energy and try to move around a ton and hurt it again. nothing major just some gauze wrap and strips of medical tape. It is keeping it straight. He dosen't mind it. I just hope he gets better soon. My son is doing great, I am really just worried about him now.

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Amanda
1.0.0 Ball Python (Sin)
1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python (Monty)
3.0.0 Green Iguana (Ziggy, Glenn Danzig, Chuck Norris)
0.0.1 Green Tree Forg (Starsk)
0.6.0 Leo (Princess Pickle, Kitty, Buttercup, Velvet, Tang & Snowy)
1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink (Stubs)
arb@ksu.edu

Oh, my! I can't believe they gave you that ultimatum: your igs or your son. I'm glad that you did call a lawyer and had the matter resolved. That's a good lesson for all of us.

My husband and I have birds and an iguana, and we were wondering if one of our animals bit one of our *future* human kids, if they'd take the kid away from us. His vote was yes, and mine was no... so this really shocked me. Again, thanks for bringing some awareness to that issue.

Alika

Welcome to Amerika, as Spyderbytes would say.

Good luck with the social worker. They need like a BA and be willing to be underpaid to get a job like that.

Roger