Hey all...
I made a trip to a local pet/aquarium store to pick up some mysis shrimp for my clownfish. I got there a bit late and they had closed, but I did see a cardboard box by the front door. (I had worked in pet stores in college, so I was pretty sure there was going to be an unwanted pet of some kind in the box). We used to call them "midnight deliveries" and unfortunately it was a pretty common thing.
Anyway, I picked up the box, and there was a small iguana inside. I live in Tampa and the temp was supposed to drop into the low 40's/high 30's that night, so I decided to take him home and call the pet store in the morning. I got him home and looked him over, and he wasn't in the best shape. He is missing a toe tip, was pretty thin, and his front arm was a bit swollen.
Instead of calling the pet store, I made an appointment and took him to the vet to have him checked out. I also brought a fecal sample in to have that looked at as well. The vet wanted to give him parasite meds just incase before the fecal results came in. Does that sound right to you guys? I went ahead and let them do it, but was thinking that I may have been sold on an unnecessary treatment. (It's not so much the money thing, but am a little concerned about health issues if an animal is treated for parasites without any evidence of such)
I went and bought a 55 gallon aquarium that I will use to keep the temp and humidity at the right levels (I will later use it for fish, so it won't go to waste when he outgrows it) while I can either build, or have built a custom enclosure within 3-4 mos. I am using a 175 watt, 10,000 degree K metal halide pendant for light (and a little heat) along with a ceramic heating element and UVB strip light. I found some driftwood at the beach and baked it in the oven for a while to give him basking areas and places to climb. I built him a small mesh enclosure to go on our balcony so he can get natural sunlight as well. For humidity I mist the enclosure a couple times a day, and have a heating pad underneath the part of the tank where the litter box filled with water is sitting.
As far as diet goes, I put a small hibiscus tree in his cage, and feed dandelion greens, clover, mustard greens, turnip greens, a little black kale, squash, and a small amount of random fruit. (will also pick up a variety of greens at the market each time I go) I also add a calcium supplement once per day, and a multivitamin once a week.
He was pretty crazed when I first brought him home, but what can you expect from a little animal who has known nothing but fear and pain his whole life. I did notice in the past couple of weeks, he has started to calm down, and now allows me to pick him up without lashing his tail.
I apologize for the long message, but I wanted to ask if I might be missing anything, or if there is anything that I should do to make sure he is well cared for, and recovers from his rough start.
Thanks!
