My poor baby iguana is looking awful?

Question

i found out that he had mites so i cleaned out his tank and sterilized his leaves that he climbs on to sleep... and i gave him a good bath and he seemed to like it. well when all is done i put him back in and he seemed to be doing good, i have yet to see any mites and he will be getting another bath again tomorrow. he seemed lively and everything that is till today! he hasnt really moved much at all today and ive notice that he is shedding. but im really scared and i cant find a vet to help me with him. can somebody please help me or give me an idea of what i did wrong?

Answer 1

What color is he??  Is he still bright green or is he an ugly yellow green color??  A change in his color could mean he is sick!  I had an iguana for 10 years and it got outside last fall.  It was outside, in Upstate NY, for about 9 days before it came running across the street and our neighbors told us so that we could catch him.  Beast died that winter.  He turned that really awful color.  He wouldn't use his heat rock anymore.  He would barely move and he was cold.  I would try feeding your iguana some kind of food... ours loved romaine lettuce and see if he will take it from your hand.  If he does its a good sign.  Also, check his body temp to see if he is warm, that also is a good sign.  If you get really concerned try to find an exotic animal doctor in your area.  They will help.

Answer 2

That bath probably just loosened up his skin, making it easier for him to molt. Iguanas do that, you know. I wouldn't worry too much.

Answer 3

All you can do is to boil all his rocks and stuff. Bleach his cage and bathe him in a warm bath with mild soap. Mites are hard to get rid of. If he doesnt get better call every vet in town hopefully someone will see him. Iguanas shed their skni maybe it is his way of getting better.

Answer 4

Here are some possible vet listings:

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist

Look for your state/country check all 3 links, you may have to drive an hour or maybe more for a herp/reptile vet. I have 2 one that's an hour away for minor things and one that is 4 hrs away for anything that's major stuff.

What is his/her temps? Are they high enough? Are they too low? What type of UVB tubes are you using? What type of floor covering are you using?

W/out the proper temps his/her body might be too cold or too warm, which if too cold they will just lay around. If you aren't providing any UVB source he/she can in time get MBD. Floor covering depending on what you are using, he/she might of ate some that may be causing blockage.

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 ... having a temp gun works the best to know what your igs body temp truly is.

*** NO HEAT ROCKS PLEASE ... they can cause major burns on the under belly ... igs dont feel heat from below so they will sit there not knowing they are burning themselves ***

- Depending on enclosure size, depends on wattage, but for basking light (along w/ UVB tube) you can use a house bulb for heat during the day, you don't have to use one of those costly basking bulbs you buy at the store (night if your house gets below 70 a CHE should be used - produces heat no light)

- Stick on glass thermometers do not work, they can read incorrect, get a good thermometer w/ a probe at the end, and place where your iguana is basking under and at his/her level, you will get more of a correct temp reading

Humidity:

Iguanas are tropical and do need humidity. Spraying/Misting a few times a day will help some, silk fake leaves (bigger then your igs head) will help hold some humidity, having a humidifier or vaporizer next to the tank will help (figure out a way to pipe inside would be better but think child proof also), daily baths will help and learn to go potty in the tub less mess in tank. Sometimes when they are shedding there attitude changes in some ways, but it might have nothing to do w/ him/her. W/ your iguana having mites, it might be taking some time to bust up the body, herp/reptile vet should really be seen might be something else going on.

UVB: (12 hrs on during day - 12 hrs off during night no light)

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

- You will need to adjust the distance as your ig grows

- Using a shop light from a home improvement store works the best, get one that has 2 tube plugs and using 2 UVB tubes

- The UVB listed are in tube form, using the 36-48inch tubes are the best more length for your ig

- Surface under the UVB tube lights need to be a flat surface if at an angle your igs body will not get the proper UVB threw out

- There are UVB's out there on the market now that can cause eye damange to your ig

- W/out UVB your ig may end up w/ MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease)

- UVB information that you may find interesting:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

Floor covering:

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

DO NOT put soap in water w/ your iguana! Iguanas like to l**k water during bath time.

http://www.iguanaden.org/care/bath.htm

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...