Re: Handicapped igs, Isis and the dog story that had me crying s

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Posted by Ig Chick on June 02, 2001 at 21:03:44:

In Reply to: Handicapped igs, Isis and the dog story that had me crying s posted by o hard...-Isis's Servant on June 02, 2001 at 20:45:26:

While I believe your heart is in the right place, you completely missed the whole point of my post. You already posted about your desire to adopt the special needs ig and a few people posted back telling you that although your heart is in the right place, it is a bad idea. I will repost what I said to you earlier ...

We have a special needs ig by the name of Jimmie who is 50% blind and has a mild case of MBD which is slowly going into remission. We took her in as a rescue intending to adopt her out but have found that is not going to be a possibility unless we can find people like us (meaning ig educated, patient, finanacially secure enough to meet her needs, etc).

Putting aside the age factor (as in yours specificly), I have to say that at twice your age,being able to work from home which means I am here all day every day and even with the help of my husband, she is more time consuming, difficult and expensive than any of the other iguanas who live here with us. While we love her to bits and she is an excellent and welcomed addition to our family, she is a handfull.

On the subject of mulitple iguanas (with or without special needs), I've said it before and I will say it again. BEFORE you jump into getting another iguana, think, think, think and think some more. Believe me when I tell you that although on impulse or initial thought, no matter how well intentioned you might be, it may sound great, if you look at the big picture you might not be so enthused. While right now you may be living with your parents or renting an apartment with all utilities included it may not seem so expensive, just wait until you are on your own or worse yet, responcible for all bills (utilities too). There's food for 2, vet care for 2, 2 houses, 2 complete sets of heat and light implements, the electric bill, the heat bill, the water bill....... Get the picture? We estimate that we spend well over $3000.00 a year having mulitple igs to care for and that does not include the cost of building or purchasing adequate housing for them.

When adopting or rescuing an ig, there is even more to consider. Many times these igs need more time and attention in order to adjust to their new surroundings and new humans. They are frightened and confused, tail whip even bite. We have found that during the first few weeks to months, they require constant attention and contact with us in order for us to gain their trust. On average I'd say we spend (between the 2 of us) 3-5 hours a day just with a new ig alone.

I'm lucky because Mr. D is here to help me most of the time but when he goes away on business or has an early day, whether I feel good or not, I have to get up and care for everyone. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating facts. When we had one iguana, it was hard to find anyone willing or able enough to come in and care for him if we wanted to sneak away for a weekend, with more than one, forget it. Iguanas won't work around your schedule, you work around theirs!

One last good example of mulitple ig issues and then I'll stop..... A few months ago we had to shuffle all the igs around. They all had their own enclosures but they had to share a room for a short time. One of our iguanas hated it so much that twice a day he would finger paint his enclosure with his poop. So, twice a day I would have to break down, clean and disinfect his enclosure and still find time for socilization, feeding, bathing, etc. for him and all the rest. I had NO free time for weeks until they all went to bed around 9PM. Thankfully a good friend of ours agreed to take him in while we finished renovations so that he could have his own room. Once he got settled at their house and had his own room again, the finger painting stopped.

So please, I know you are well intentioned and have a good heart but you need to put the igs first and really give a ton of thought to all of this before you bring anyone new home.

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: While I believe your heart is in the right place, you completely missed the whole point of my post. You already posted about your desire to adopt the special needs ig and a few people posted back telling you that although your heart is in the right place, it is a bad idea. I will repost what I said to you earlier ... : We have a special needs ig by the name of Jimmie who is 50% blind and has a mild case of MBD which is slowly going into remission. We took her in as a rescue intending to adopt her out but have found that is not going to be a possibility unless we can find people like us (meaning ig educated, patient, finanacially secure enough to meet her needs, etc). : Putting aside the age factor (as in yours specificly), I have to say that at twice your age,being able to work from home which means I am here all day every day and even with the help of my husband, she is more time consuming, difficult and expensive than any of the other iguanas who live here with us. While we love her to bits and she is an excellent and welcomed addition to our family, she is a handfull. : On the subject of mulitple iguanas (with or without special needs), I've said it before and I will say it again. BEFORE you jump into getting another iguana, think, think, think and think some more. Believe me when I tell you that although on impulse or initial thought, no matter how well intentioned you might be, it may sound great, if you look at the big picture you might not be so enthused. While right now you may be living with your parents or renting an apartment with all utilities included it may not seem so expensive, just wait until you are on your own or worse yet, responcible for all bills (utilities too). There's food for 2, vet care for 2, 2 houses, 2 complete sets of heat and light implements, the electric bill, the heat bill, the water bill....... Get the picture? We estimate that we spend well over $3000.00 a year having mulitple igs to care for and that does not include the cost of building or purchasing adequate housing for them. : When adopting or rescuing an ig, there is even more to consider. Many times these igs need more time and attention in order to adjust to their new surroundings and new humans. They are frightened and confused, tail whip even bite. We have found that during the first few weeks to months, they require constant attention and contact with us in order for us to gain their trust. On average I'd say we spend (between the 2 of us) 3-5 hours a day just with a new ig alone. : I'm lucky because Mr. D is here to help me most of the time but when he goes away on business or has an early day, whether I feel good or not, I have to get up and care for everyone. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating facts. When we had one iguana, it was hard to find anyone willing or able enough to come in and care for him if we wanted to sneak away for a weekend, with more than one, forget it. Iguanas won't work around your schedule, you work around theirs! : One last good example of mulitple ig issues and then I'll stop..... A few months ago we had to shuffle all the igs around. They all had their own enclosures but they had to share a room for a short time. One of our iguanas hated it so much that twice a day he would finger paint his enclosure with his poop. So, twice a day I would have to break down, clean and disinfect his enclosure and still find time for socilization, feeding, bathing, etc. for him and all the rest. I had NO free time for weeks until they all went to bed around 9PM. Thankfully a good friend of ours agreed to take him in while we finished renovations so that he could have his own room. Once he got settled at their house and had his own room again, the finger painting stopped. : So please, I know you are well intentioned and have a good heart but you need to put the igs first and really give a ton of thought to all of this before you bring anyone new home.

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