Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm not sure how this post will turn out because this post comes from my heart...not my brain(LOL). But, what would it be like to be an iguana? Picture this, you were just hatched on an iguana farm. Then ugly creatures grab you by your tail and throw you into a box to be shipped to some place far away. When you get there kids are tapping on the glass to your cage. Then one of them buys you. You are mocked and made fun of for a month, then the kid ignores you all toghether.
Finally, you are taken back to the store but they don't want you! So you are taken to a shelter where another human takes you. Puts you in another cage and tries to HOLD you (tame you). And some people wonder why they can be such grumpy babies.
But that makes ME want to try harder to get to know that poor baby iguana that was hurt emotionally when it was still a baby, not just act like one.
I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, but maybe it doesn't make sense to that iguana.I just want you to understand a little more of what you baby might have been through.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^Wild Thing from Iowa...and the human

When I first joined on the different reptile forums I was told several times not to anthropomorphize (sorry sp may be wrong) anyway it kind of made me mad because several people were very snotty about it!. While I agree that they would not have the same thoughts, feelings etc as a human per se I still figure they have their own "reptile feelings". If nothing else then at least the memories and feelings of discomfort and mistreatment they have been put through. I for one treat mine as my little babies, talk to them, handle them etc and LOVE every one of them!! While I am sure they would rather be in the wild where they belong I try to make them as comfortable as possible in a non wild environment! By the way I have been studying iguanas for over 10 years have taken several veterinary courses to help with their care and I now run an iguana rescue/sanctuary! So even though I still don't consider myself an expert I do think I do a good job with them. I'm still learning all the time though!

Stephanie

I agree, it is important to try to get inside their little heads and know that they may be afraid, angry, etc. If nothing else, it helps us to keep our compassion even in the face of a good tail whipping!

Stephanie, as a rescuer, would you mind sharing some of your experience. I just took an iguana as a rescue, and he is supposedly just over a year old. He looks pretty small to me, body (snout to vent) only about 7 or 8 inches long. He was VERY thin when I took him in, and the people said they fed him "about once a week" on what sounded like a pretty questionable diet, and kept him at about room temperature most of the time. I got him into an appropriately heated habitat and started him off on the MK diet, and over the past month he has put on some weight. he still seems too thin though, with a "bony butt" for lack of a better description. In your experience, do these little guys rebound and grow appropriately after such a bad start as babies? And is there anything more I can do to help this? I really want to do right by this little guy!

Wendy

Well I have to say first, we have lost in the past two igs. One was when we first started and got one at a pet store the other was an older rescue. The one we got at the pet store was very thin, muddy brown and did not eat well. The vet said it was badly infested with parasites (this was before I had a high enough powered microscope to do fecals)! Anyway he had so many different types of parasites/worms etc that they couldn't even begin to identify them all. We were given two different types of medicine to start besides giving liquid food through an eyedropper. "He" started to look a little better and put on a little weight (we had correct lighting etc) but he never recovered fully and just finally he gave up. The older one we got was badly dehydrated, underfed, bony etc. He was extremely wild for a few seconds and then seemed to loose all strength each time you picked him up. He had MBD and he never recovered. He was only with us about 8 days before he died. Now then on the survivors. We have only had three under a year. One was 8inches and supposed to be around 9mths. We used a yogurt mixed in with his food a couple times a week and also I think it's called Jump Start I can't remember don't have any here right now. After treating for parasites he actually seemed to get worse for a little while but the yogurt seemed to replenish the "good" bacteria and he seemed to start growing. He is now adopted out, very tame except in breeding season according to his owners and he's around 2 1/2 feet long. Still small for his age he's about 4 but he seems healthy at his checkups, eats well and is really active with no signs of MBD. So yes It is definitely possible for them to recover and grow well but it takes "lots" of work and caring! We love it and as I am a stay at home homeschooling Mom I can usually create the time when needed.

Stephanie

Well it's definitely encouraging to know he has a chance to grow. No signs of MBD at this point, and his color is excellent. He is eating very well now, and if I don't fill his dish with new food on time each day, he expresses his displeasure by flinging it off his shelf and onto the cage floor. LOL!

Stephanie, I think you are correct in the way you feel about your igs, and treat them. When we bought our iguana, Iggi, we didn't know how to raise an iguana. We had pretty good luck with our son, so we raised Iggi like she was a daughter. Two years later, as far as human daughters go, she still looks like a giant green iguana. As far as iguanas go, however, she acts like a human daughter. She has never bit us, never tail whipped us. She does not require a leash when we go outside, for her daily fresh air and sunshine. She is comfortable around strangers, except screaming kids. After her morning bath, she crawls up onto my shoulder, and gives me kisses on my ear. Here is a picture of her and "ig_mommy".

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Here's Mari, catching up on posts here on the forum, with me.

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God Bless, Beardie Dreams, & Peace!
Pogoniacs