# Iguana emergency



## Magician (Sep 7, 2005)

Hello all, 

I have obtained a iggy from an abonded apartment; the little guy looks rather bad off. It is a young iguana; he was left with pellets (as if you would give a rabbit) and no heat source. 
We have given him water which he takes with effort; he has much effort moveing at all; he has been given a heat source; and keeps gagging as if he as no breath and allowing his head to lay limp. 

Is anyone familar with these symptoms and could perhaps given info from their experince or point me to a resource(s) which would be of aid?


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## Fini (Sep 7, 2005)

It's possible he's dehydrated.  Does his skin appear very saggy?  I would offer up a fresh fruit and veggie buffet with vitamins and calcium.  

Is his spinal cord bent or wavy looking?

Chris


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## Magician (Sep 7, 2005)

*Yes*

He is takeing water regulary; his skin looks a bit saggy but his spine appears fine..

Here is a photo of the guy,
http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10004841ke.jpg
It's 4MP so 56K warning


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## Fini (Sep 7, 2005)

Its possible the ig has a respiratory infection.  If iggies are left too long in the cold they can develop respiratory issues as well as digestive problems.  I think they key right now is to get him warm and keep him that way for several days.  If he doesn't begin to improve you may need to take him into a vet where he can receive an injection of tetracycline or baytril.  This will help overcome the infection.

Try giving him a warm bath.  Make sure the water is in the upper 80's.  This should warm him quickly and could bring his digestive system back online.  Give this a shot anyway.


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## Magician (Sep 7, 2005)

*Thanks*

Will do, is it safe for iggys to eat apple sauce? Is there a similar food i could straw/spoon feed him? Hes to weak to move towards his food bowl, he barely moves.


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## Bigboy (Sep 7, 2005)

Keep him warm and shred some romain lettuce with carrots in a blender.  Dab it on his tongue and hope he swallows.  If he does then he should recover as long as you can keep him eatting and warm.


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## ilovebugs (Sep 10, 2005)

hmm, it's been a long time since I had an iguana, my first died of something called rickets I believe it was. 

do you know if he was able to be in a sufficient light? I think thats what causes rickets, not enough light.

My Iguana, Spike started acting funny, not moving, and barely breathing, then turned kinda pale and died.


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## Kid Dragon (Sep 10, 2005)

I'm no vet, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I have heard of people giving gatorade, ensure, banana, and mutlivitamines to dehydrated sick iguanas. 

I have never owned an iguana, however I have placed unwanted ones with iguana rescue from my connects with our local herp society. Not sure of your financial position, but it sounds like that iguana could use a reptile vet. Good luck.


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## ilovebugs (Sep 11, 2005)

Kid Dragon said:
			
		

> I'm no vet, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.


hahaha

I forgot about that commercial. 
I'm going to start saying that too haha.


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## Mandi (Sep 13, 2005)

if your iggy is sick, call your local vet, and ask for something called bene-bac, it helps with the intestinal flora, also, when I had a baby ig that got really sick, I was told to give her pedialyte from a syringe, and with my bigger iguana, to sprinkle it on his food, because he wasn't drinking/eating much after he had surgery.

if you're worried about dehydration, put him in a hot bath for a little while every day. Darker leafy greens are the best source of food for iggy's, kale is a good way to get calcium, but should only be given in small ammounts, Iguanas are suckers for romaine lettuce (even though they really need dark leafy greens romaine is okay if you offer other sources of nutrients) you can mix romaine and bok choi (sp?) and syringe feed him, but if you dab a little on his nose, he'll probably start licking it, and decide to eat.


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## Herps&Inverts (Sep 13, 2005)

Adding onto Mandi's post, there is a product out there called Critical Care (Carnivore Care might also be a good choice here). It's a messy mixture of all things good for animals not feeling well. It combines natural food with a high amount of protein, calcium and calories. I've seen animals bounce back from death's doorstep when placed on C.C. for just a few days. Amazing stuff. 

Sam


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## galeogirl (Sep 13, 2005)

You can give iguanas unflavored Pedialyte.  Definitely get him warm and get him to a vet.  Lots of UV lighting on a 12-hour cycle should help, too.  Forget the romaine, it's not very nutritious, use kale instead.  You may have to tube feed him if he's really weak, have the vet show you how, it's not that hard once you get the hang of it.


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## Lorgakor (Sep 13, 2005)

I second the trip to the vet. My big boy had pneumonia and had to be put down, he was also listless and weak.


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