Iguana rescue needs help..................

[nomadbean]

Hi guys,
First things first, I took in an iguana and when I got her, she had a white head, I thouht they had green heads is this a sub-species? Ok, onto the more pressing details.....SHE IS A FREAK!!! I mean every time you walk in the room, she throws herself around her cage and I am afraid she is going to hurt herself more. She has a nose rub, a broken off tail and two sores on her sides....I am making a vet appointment asap for her for a full analysis. What can I do to calm her down and what species is she....she looks like a normal iguana except for the white head....I thought maybe Columbian, but I am not sure. Any suggestions from iguana rehabers would be appreciated.
STATS:
2 1/2 feet long
85 degrees with basking spot
60%humid
eating carrots, bananas, grapes, arscole lettuce, squash (was eating romaine lettuce only)
Anything else, ask away.....thx for the help.
Trina
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[nomadbean]

This is a bump....I need help plz guys..............she has still not eaten anything, and I am worried about her.....................someone help me plz..........the vet said Monday is the soonest he can see her.
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[Ravnos]

Tell your vet it is an emergency rescue case, he should be able to make time for you. If she has open sores and isn't eating... she certainly needs to get treatment sooner than later. In the mean time, if you can without stressing the heck out of her, clean the wounds (including the tail and nose rub) with Novalsan (chlorhexidine)... or some other antiseptic solution. Betadine would probably work.

A green iguana is a green iguana, regardless of what head color it has, care is the same. They are all bred and imported by the thousands and dumped into Petcos like they were feeders. Ones from Columbian are supposed to have a lighter colored head, but it doesn't make her any different, assuming you are positive she's an ig. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Ditch the lettuce entirely. Get some collard greens. I throw whole lemons into a food processor and sprinkle the pulp on top of my iguana's salad, along with other fruits to taste. Mine tend to like red colored stuff. Raspberries, apple, strawberries... etc.

Calming down... all I can suggest there is sitting with her. Spend an hour a day just sitting next to the cage and talking to her. Don't try handling until she seems comfortable with you just sitting there. For the vet trip, a towel wrap and a dark box so she can't see out and get scared and can't really hurt herself.

Get the humidity as high as you can get it without it being actually damp, over 80% would be best - they are from a humid climate. Overall cage temp during the day should be close to 80 degrees with a basking spot around 95. Iguana internal temperature during the day should be around 87-88 degrees - of course, this is almost impossible to tell, but with some playing around you can get the temps right. They can drop about 10-12 degrees at night without issue.

Uh... dunno what else to say. Keep us updated. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Rav

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[nomadbean]

I came home last night an dthought she was dead, just laying there with her eyes closed and did not move even when I opened the tank. So, I put on my gloves and picked her up, we were both suprised, I guess she was just sleeping, because she woke up and started moving aroung, but not freaking. So, I took the opportunity to look her over thouroughly. I am pretty sure the nose rub is healed and an old scar, same with her tail. The sores on her sides are half healed so i put some Neosporin on them. I have her aquarium covered up so the tank is fogged over with humidity (around 75%). The vet is closed all weekend and does surgery on Friday so I have the first appointment on Monday morning.
I am putting more food in there today again, as far as collards go, I can't find them here this time of the year. I am not sure if she has eaten anything yet, but it does look like some food is missing. I will try the lemon thing. Thx Rav.
I will let you know what the vet says.
Trina
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