iguana (update w/pics)

[reptastic]

the iguana that i was adopting came today and i have to say i am not impressed at all. it is evidently clear he was not kept in a good environment he jaw is a little crooked his snout is deformed he has old food stuck to his face area his nails are atrocious they look like they havnt been clipped in years some are curved under the toe. he has some gunk in his mouth not sure of it is mouth rot and im pretty sure he hasmbd . i found out he was kept in a 55 gal. aquarium not sure about uvb i doubt he had any and he was kept on corn cob substrate seriously??? he has stuck stuck shed in spots and what looks like a healed burn close by his dorsal spikes. im going to contact my herp vet in the morning, although i will wait a few weeks and let him first settle in and get acclimated to me first. he is 15"svl and 49" stl so he is a big boy and i plan on getting him as healthy as possible first by getting him a good diet and then checked out by a vet wish me luck pics will be coming sooon

 

[sclevenger08]

Re: new iguana

Thats so horriable. I wish you lots of luck. He sounds like he's in very good hands .

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

thanks ,i think he is in good hands now i just hope when he calms down he dont keep trying to bite me lol

 

[sclevenger08]

Re: new iguana

haha. Well he probably will. But I hope for your sake he doesn't. Then again, the right person can always bring out the best in some reptiles. My friend got an Iquana just because I did, and he was mean right outta the box, she obviously couldn't handle it and gave it to her aunt and the thing is amazingly sweet now....to her. lol.

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

well i have tamed down down some mean igs before ( well atleast they didnt bite much) i noticed he watches intensly when i handle my tegu i picked him up this morning with a towel and he didnt bite the towel . so i am going to continue to work with him and once i get him in good health hopefuly he'll be a good boy:^) but in the mean time i got my hands full . wish me luck imma need it lol.

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

oh and another thing he pooped last nite and it smelled awful im not sure what he was fed but his pooped looked like shredded paper and was kinda hard and there was what looked like apple seeds(yes i went through his poop lol) im trying to entice him to drink some water and eat

 

[sclevenger08]

Re: new iguana

Well I wish you all the luck in the world. And it seems your making some progress already, and I hope it contiunes...


And there is nothing with going through his poop. I do it as well. lol.

 

[argus333]

Re: new iguana

if hes picky try red foods like strawberries, red grapes, or even other fruits. like bananas and blue berries, mix in dark leafy greens and some good multi vitamins.

 

[JohnMatthew]

Re: new iguana

I had an iguana as a kid and boy did he LOVE hibiscuss flowers! Probably why Argus suggested red foods, I just read that

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

thanks guys he ate a little greens yesterday, i hope he eats more today. i gave him a bowl of collard,mustard, and turnip greens, with parsnip,squash,advacado, parsley, and mango on top. i lightly dusted it with some calcium dust. i think he is making a little progress yesterday while i was preparing his food, he came down off his perch and came over to me but he still dont want to be petted. he bobbed his head at me when i picked him up yesterday but didnt try to bite me. he just thrashes around but once im holding him, sometimes with his mouth open. so i use a large towel and gloves to handle him. today i was actually able to rub him with out a problem, but it only lasted a few seconds. he loves getting misted, he just raises his head so you can get his dewlap, then his belly. i think in a few months probably longer he will make more progress and become a great pet.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Re: new iguana

I have had my iguana over a year, and I still cant touch her and she freaks and hisses and whips me with her tail.. I think your sounds like hes making good progress

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

im not going to count my chickens before they hatch lol but i hope so i noticed when i have my big tegu out he watches us interact and twice he has come down off his perch and walked over to me but still huff and puff if i reach for him(yeah he free roams my reptile room only because the guy i got him from was suppose to give me the enclosure but then changed his mind). he still eats a very little food but he will eat when im in the room so hopfuly thats a good sign

 

[Adam87]

Re: new iguana

My iguana does that same thing weather i have my tegu out or my bearded she always watching even when i was building the tegu cage she wasnt freakedby the noise but she was watching shes very curious thats what i love about her but she can be a ***** and i just looked at her and shes watching me as im typing but best of luck i brought my iguana back to good health after she was stuck 10inches long in a 10 gallon tank with 5 other smaller iggs no uvb they were fed crickets and ice burg lettuce and was brown and skinny but after a year she 30" and the brightest green so if i can do it so can u bro

 

[reptastic]

Re: new iguana

well three months later and this dude has made a great recovery, eating huge amounts of greens and veggies daily, shedding good, pooping daily, his colour has improved and his mouth rot is getting better. now were( my vet and i) just trying to correct his mbd(cant fix the disformity) and get his bones stronger. now i just gotta work on his agression lol!! here are some recent pics enjoy;

before i got him: