Baby iguana has burn on head?

Question

When I first got my baby iguana (about a month ago) I didnt realize the UV light was too close. Next thing I know (the same day i got him) his head was starting to turn black.

Of course I quickly fixed the problem! It is fine now, but his head has not changed back to its normal color. I didnt do anything to the burn because it wasnt sever.

Heres a picture:

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8189/0710082016td2.jpg

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Awww what an adorable young one you have ... I sometimes miss my girl being tiny, but I don't miss the I'm going to whip you because you're coming to close thing lol

Are you using a basking light? What is the wattage? What size of enclosure is it living in? What is your igs temps?

Why I ask those questions is because young igs need at least a 55 gallon tank to live in and that doesnt last more then 8-12 months of age ... Basking light, I know I personally didn't use anything higher then a 60-75w when my girl lived in her tank.

There are some UVB tubes out there that aren't the greatest

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm - http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttube... - http://www.uvguide.co.uk/whatreptilesnee...

These are the best "brands" on the market for UVB tube output along w/ the distance it should be from your igs basking area

US: ReptiSun 10.0 distance 8-10 inches from your igs body

Repti Glo 8.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body

ReptiSun 5.0 distance 6-8 inches from your igs body

UK: Arkadia distance 6-8 inches from your igs body

Temps:

never let drop below 70F ...

basking 92-96F if temp is too low digestion is slowed too high food digests too fast and nutrition is lost

medium/middle (overall) 88-92F

cool 75-84F

at night 73-84F

In the picture it looks like you are using bark substance for the flooring ... thats what it kinda looks like to me, I can't see that well ... Bark floor covering can be bad for your iguana ... iguanas flick there tongue at anything and everything to taste, your ig in time can get some of the bark substance in his/her belly which in time can cause blockage, which will need to be removed surgically or can cause the death of your iguana ... BAD floor covering: bark, dirt, moss, sand, pellets are all bad ... at some point your iguana will try and l**k swallow and then possibly cause blockage which will then need to be surgically removed or possibly death ... SAFE floor covering: newspaper (unprinted), paper towels, towels, vinyl flooring, indoor/outdoor carpeting - if you have any lose fibers from the carpeting or the towels please remove and replace - unprinted newspaper if you possibly can use is safer just in case your ig likes to try and eat the newspaper some ink may contain soy

Sites for you to read:

http://www.greenigsociety.org/ - http://www.iguanaden.org/ - http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html

A great book to read and have on hand:

Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan

Yahoo has some great sites for Iguana owners... these groups helped me and still help w/ questions .. if you'd like to join:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyI... - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Iguan...

Answer 2

Burns not only destroy skin, they can destroy the underlying tissue and cause extensive fluid loss, , the animal is highly susceptible to invading bacteria and so may get a raging systemic infection as well. If it minor which it looks like it is, you want to clean it daily with povidone-iodine (don`t let him eat it). I would see a vet, to make sure there is no infection and to see how many skin layers are affected by it. There is good chance he will always have a scar.

Answer 3

it looks fine but idk it might go away as time progresses

Answer 4

it will heal try to use some neo sporin without pain reliver