I recently received a rescue iguana who appears quite young (approx 16" stl) who had several problems. When it presented, it appeared to be unable to move its hind legs. However, the spine feels to be intact and there are no palpable obstructions of the bowel. It also showed some shaking of its limbs and (I can't give a better description than this) appeared to be high on Meth. Its pupils were pinned and it behaved very erratically, more so than any stressed iguana I have ever seen. Physically, the iguana appears fine with no broken bones, no puffy or swolen limbs or swollen or misaligned jaw. It has great color and does not even pale or darken to indicate stress.

I began syringe feeding baby food with vitamins and calcium mixed in and set it up directly under (few inches away from) a reptisun 10.0. The initial assumption was perhaps lack of calcium causing paralysis. Within a day it could move all limbs, but continues to shake or jitter as if it has a palsy whenever it moves. This seems most pronounced in the limbs, particularly the front limbs. Another hypothesis was lack of B vitamins and electrolytes causing faulty nervous functioning, however adding these has not produced much change. I have very little information about this iguana's previous care other than it ate nothing but mealworms and some lettuce. I do not know how long this has been a problem. Unfortunately, there are no exceptionally knowledgeable reptile vets in my area to ask.

So, my question is: has anyone seen this? Do you have suggestions as to causation and/or treatment?

Thanks,
nate.

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