Posted by Sherry on June 19, 2000 at 13:28:44:
In Reply to: Makes me so mad posted by Iggie Lover on June 19, 2000 at 01:29:51:
Hi. I USED to be the reptile manager of a local petstore. One afternoon, I came in to put away a shipment of reptiles that I had purchased the day before. As I clocked in, one of the sales associates began to tell me about a "little" lizard a woman found in her mother's back yard and brought it in and GAVE it to the petstore. The "little" lizard turned out to be an Iguana, not one of my favorite pets. However, she did not act like much of an iguana. She just laid across my shoulder all night and didn't move as I moved about and took care of the reptiles that came in and fed and cleaned cages of the other reptiles. I put her in a tank before I left and made sure she was warm. But, something bothered me about her all night. The next day, even though I wasn't due to work, I went in and even though we were GIVEN THE IGUANA FREE, the owner made ME BUY THE IGUANA. I took it to the vet. She had a respiratory infection and was badly malnourished and dehydrated. The illness caused half of her tail to break off and, because it wouldn't heal, we had to have a little more amputated (up to live tissue) last week. I didn't think she would survive the night. But, we gave her baytril crushed up in a tube of Ensure each day. Her tummy was so shrunk that she couldn't take much and she was too weak that she couldn't even hold her head up, much less fight us. After almost a week, she was strong enough to hold her head up. After almost two weeks, she could use her front legs. It was almost a month before she got full use of her back legs. She's happy and healthy now. Even though she has a tank, we took off the front enclosure part because she kept escaping and she has run of the house and goes to her tank when she wants to bask. She's a wonderful pet and a perfect "guard iguana". I more than understand your frustration. I was so frustrated that the owner would sell an animal that was so obviously sick and, even make me buy it when it was given to us free, because I wanted to get medical attention for her. Also, Iggy (yeah, I know--how original can I get), had been abused by her former owner who either let her go or she escaped somehow. Petstore owners and irresponsible herp owners make me sick. If I was you, I would keep my tongue if anyone contacts you about their missing iguana. After all, they don't deserve something they refused to take care of and it sounds like she's getting the love and attention she needs. Good luck! Oh, I don't work at that petstore anymore. The owner fired me so she could hire her friend who moved back in town and then she even had the balls to ask if I would teach her friend about caring for reptiles because her friend knew nothing about them. Well, hell hasn't frozen over three times yet, and I'm not teaching her a thing. Now, the reputation of that store is going down because the reptile dept. is suffering. Actually, it's the animals that are suffering. They are sick and dying and yet the owner is still selling them knowing they are sick.
: I had an iguana brought into our clinic as a stray on Friday, well this girl is about 20 inches to the vent. She was filthy, several layers of dried skin and fecal material and her mouth is severly damaged from it looks like banging a aquariam.Well I gave her a bath and then placed her in a large outdoor cage where she could climb or baxk, THIS MADE ME SO MAD, she was unable to crasp the branches or climb d/t MBD, her bones are as flimsy as can be. I have to hold her the required time by law, but I hope no one claims her. We have taken great steps to try and save her and dhe is very happy with her new place and eating up a storm, if any one has any comments that would help her, please let me know