Spiny Tailed Iguana?

[TammyJamaica]

A strange thing just happened to me and I am only just getting back to work (I'll soon be fired at this rate...). A vet from the JSPCA (our version of the ASPCA) called and asked me to take an iguana that had been found on the wharf...yes, where the ships come in with cargo. It was not doing well, he said, and had heard that I was an "expert" (which is not true!) Anyway off I went and when I got there it is a cute little critter (male or female? don't know yet) with a really spiny tai, so I figure: Spiny Tailed Iguana, right? It came (apparently stowed away or trapped) on a cargo ship from Venezuela (shall I call him "Chavez?" No, I think I prefer "Miguel"). He has been at the JSPCA for about three weeks and they just called me because he is not eating. A large whole mango with some bitten out portion was in the wire cage that they had him in. He seemed dehydrated and I have treated him for this, and now have him in a glass tank at home with hide, water pool, driftwood branches, dried almond tree leaves for security/stress reduction and some food I thought he may eat - but I only know about green iguanas, anyway I gave him some pumpkin squash gratered on top of some parsley and dark green leafies for now.

Anyone here have such an iguana? Before I go on the net and look for information I will check you all out on this.

Pictures will be sent soon. By the way half his tail was at one time cut off and it's grown back light brown, no spines. Better than nothing...

[Yungair23]

Im pretty sure they are omnivours just like Bearded Dragons..Dont quote me on that though. I dont know much on them.

You are a saint! Thank god people in jamaica have you for the exotics!!

[Adrya]

Can you post some pics of it so we can definitely make sure it's a spiny tailed iguana?

You may want to PM VoodooChile, she has a spiny tail right now that she's taking care of.

	Iguana Iguana

[VoodooChile]

If you've got any pics of him that would help us ID him and hopefully determine a course of action.
The BASICS:
Black Iguanas aka Spiny tails, (Most commonly seen are Ctenosaura similis or C. pectinata, but there are others found in the pet trade)
These guys have been finding their ways into the pet trade due to their unusual looks, and smaller size of 2-4ft.
Unfortunately they are not as easily adaptable as their green relatives, and many don't "tame" down. They tend to be much more flighty, and are VERY FAST. The fastest lizards, actually.
Here is an article on Spinies.
Central Pets.com (which basically is taken from the Anapsid.org site I listed below.)
There is, however, also a link to taxonomy, and if I'm not mistaken, takes you to a full taxonomy with pictures that might help you ID your ig.
Another to help you with ID:
Dealing with Iguanas in S. Florida
I believe my Spiny is a C. similis.
Some people claim all Spinies are strictly Herbivores. I found mine to be primarily Insectivorous at first, not even touching greens I offered. I just made sure to dust the crickets with a good calcium supplement, to ensure he was getting his proper intake. If I had roaches, I would have gone that route.
As much as some may dislike her, Melissa Kaplan had some of the only decent info I found that has worked for my Spiny Tail iguana. Anapsid.org
In this article MK states most adult Spinies do well on a 95% herbivorous, 5% animal matter diet, and I don't disagree. In fact, their teeth are even different from the Green Iguana in that they are larger, sharper, and more serrated, perfect for a slightly omnivorous diet.
I was hoping mine would switch over to strictly veggies/greens/fruits, but it appears she is holding out on me.
In order to get mine to eat greens I had to place them INSIDE or just outside his hide. The first greens he took on his own (without me syringe feeding him) were a "Spring Mix" I purchased at Wal Mart (bagged, no less) and I dusted everything with calcium supplement since he really ate so little.
Cherry tomatoes (cut in 1/4s) thinly sliced apples, mango, pineapple, papaya, figs, cantaloupe.. pretty much anything it WILL eat, and is not considered harmful, I feed it. Very much a crash course for me with this lizard.
Intestinal parasites are common in those found in the pet trade. The problem comes in treating them when they aren't eating well to begin with, so they are so dehydrated its hard to get them healthy enough to treat.
I would advise soaks at least 2-3 times a week (sight unseen, more if he's really dehydrated) Misting or having a drip system would be advised as they don't usually drink from their water bowls. I have caught mine soaking ONCE, and he looked really confused as to what he was doing in the water..LOL
VenomMike was instrumental in helping me with my Spiny. I also am waiting on a member of another site to contact a friend that has had a Spiny for several years and put me in touch with him.
Get some pics of him, and hopefully I can help you or we can find someone who knows more about them

[TammyJamaica]

Thank you very much for all this useful information and suggestions, it will indeed be a great help! I feel almost certain now that I have a ctenosuarus similis and that it may probably be a female, and immature. Can you imagine what it must have gone through on its stowaway journey here on the cargo ship from Venezuela???

I am just trying for now to keep her warm and comfortable and get her to eat.

She is about 16 or 18 inches including her grown-back tail. How old and what size is yours?

I will take some pictures of her in a few days after she has de-stressed a bit.

Thanks for your referrals to the sites on the net including Anapsid.org. I saw a bit of it today including the part where MK described them as "nasty" - which was not very nice of her.

[luker3232]

as Nick said thank God your there!

[TammyJamaica]

Originally Posted by VoodooChile

If you've got any pics of him that would help us ID him and hopefully determine a course of action.
The BASICS:
Black Iguanas aka Spiny tails, (Most commonly seen are Ctenosaura similis or C. pectinata, but there are others found in the pet trade)
These guys have been finding their ways into the pet trade due to their unusual looks, and smaller size of 2-4ft.
Unfortunately they are not as easily adaptable as their green relatives, and many don't "tame" down. They tend to be much more flighty, and are VERY FAST. The fastest lizards, actually.
Here is an article on Spinies.
Central Pets.com (which basically is taken from the Anapsid.org site I listed below.)
There is, however, also a link to taxonomy, and if I'm not mistaken, takes you to a full taxonomy with pictures that might help you ID your ig.
Another to help you with ID:
Dealing with Iguanas in S. Florida
I believe my Spiny is a C. similis.
Some people claim all Spinies are strictly Herbivores. I found mine to be primarily Insectivorous at first, not even touching greens I offered. I just made sure to dust the crickets with a good calcium supplement, to ensure he was getting his proper intake. If I had roaches, I would have gone that route.
As much as some may dislike her, Melissa Kaplan had some of the only decent info I found that has worked for my Spiny Tail iguana. Anapsid.org
In this article MK states most adult Spinies do well on a 95% herbivorous, 5% animal matter diet, and I don't disagree. In fact, their teeth are even different from the Green Iguana in that they are larger, sharper, and more serrated, perfect for a slightly omnivorous diet.
I was hoping mine would switch over to strictly veggies/greens/fruits, but it appears she is holding out on me.
In order to get mine to eat greens I had to place them INSIDE or just outside his hide. The first greens he took on his own (without me syringe feeding him) were a "Spring Mix" I purchased at Wal Mart (bagged, no less) and I dusted everything with calcium supplement since he really ate so little.
Cherry tomatoes (cut in 1/4s) thinly sliced apples, mango, pineapple, papaya, figs, cantaloupe.. pretty much anything it WILL eat, and is not considered harmful, I feed it. Very much a crash course for me with this lizard.
Intestinal parasites are common in those found in the pet trade. The problem comes in treating them when they aren't eating well to begin with, so they are so dehydrated its hard to get them healthy enough to treat.
I would advise soaks at least 2-3 times a week (sight unseen, more if he's really dehydrated) Misting or having a drip system would be advised as they don't usually drink from their water bowls. I have caught mine soaking ONCE, and he looked really confused as to what he was doing in the water..LOL
VenomMike was instrumental in helping me with my Spiny. I also am waiting on a member of another site to contact a friend that has had a Spiny for several years and put me in touch with him.
Get some pics of him, and hopefully I can help you or we can find someone who knows more about them

Hi again Voodoochile --- A friend of mine here who works with reptiles and other animals, told me that at the zoo where she used to work here, they gave the Spiny Tailed Igs that they had (also inadvertent refugees) crushed hard boiled egg sprinkled on their other veggy food and they did well on it. Do you think I should try it? And what about oats (like Quaker Old Fashioned?) My green Igs love it, they lick it up happily.

Thanks again!