Re: THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH

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Posted by Chuck on February 14, 1999 at 15:02:25:

In Reply to: THANK YOU! (and a *long, long* reply!) posted by iZ's mom on February 14, 1999 at 13:06:47:

Thank you for all your help! I will give this a shot for the next few weeks and let you know.
Chuck

: and i apologize if i was rude ... i was hoping that i'd misunderstood something! so thank you for clarifying (and NOT flaming me....!)
: do you have a basking spot set up for her? i think maybe the problem is that she's not staying warm enough during the day ... that would affect her digestion and in turn, her appetite and energy level ...
: iZ has his own room and then comes downstairs when i get off work late afternoon and 'hangs out' til bedtime ... i have a people heating pad on top of a tall cabinet for him and then also a large tree limb hanging from the ceiling with a heat lamp aimed at it .... but there are also nights when he searches out cool, dark corners to go hide in .... (i think i need to make a hidey spot for him downstairs!)
: what kind of heat source do you have for her 'bed'? it may be too bright ... might also help her frame of mind to just set up a warm, high shelf for her to sleep on instead of the cage ... iZ has a 7' long shelf with a heating pad in the middle and a heat lamp aimed at it one end and then the other end is cool and in a shadow ... that way he can move around in his bed and regulate how warm *he* wants it to be ... (the heat lamp goes off at night ... even tho it's red, it's still too bright for sleeping)
: heat rocks are really BAD! i can't say enough bad things about them ... they tend to be too hot and can cause burns because there's no way to regulate the amount of heat ... they also crack WAY too easily and can cause a nasty shock ... a people heating pad set on low is much safer (and cheaper) ...
: if she's not eating there's a strong possibility of dehydration ... go to the 'baby' section of a grocery store/drug store and pick up some "Pedialyte" or "Infalyte" ... this will help replace lost electolytes due to dehydration ... give her drinks of it with an oral (needle-less) syringe a couple times a day ...
: i HATE the thought of 'force-feeding' ... instead what's worked for us when iZ was sick is baby food ... i bought a rubber-tipped baby spoon and some gerber baby food and spoon fed him ... he especially liked the spring-vegie kind ... she may only take a couple spoonfuls at a time, but even that is better than nothing at all ... if you can try this a few times a day, that's even better ...
: do you use vitamins and calium supplements? i use them on a regular basis and with your ig being sick, it'd be an even better idea ... i use "Centrum" and the calcium supplement that *i* take ... crushed up into powder and just a *TINY* sprinkle on iZ's orange sections at supper time ... (his FAV food so i know eats it) ... remember these are made for a 150 lb (+/-) person and so you only need a *VERY TINY* amount!
: regular soaks in a warm bathtub will help if she's constipated from not eating/drinking ... every night if she doesn't mind it ... every 2-3rd if she *really hates* it ... (you don't want to stress her out even more than she is!) that will help her poop (then disinfect the tub: spray it down in 1:10 bleach:water + let set for >10 minutes and rinse) ... the warm soaks will also aid in shedding and if she's like iZ, she'll take small drinks out of the tub too ... (so, no bubble bath! *grin*) oh ... make sure she has a warm basking spot to go to after her soak so she doesn't get chilled!
: it wouldn't hurt to take a fecal sample to the vet to have it checked for any parasites cuz they're nasty to have and will seriously mess with an igs health ... blood tests, too, would be good to check her calcium levels and her kidney, etc. functions ...
: oh ... one more thing ... your ig may have pretty much reached her full size and is done with growth spurts and so may not shed as often as before ... iZ finally slowed down (i think ...!)

: *whew!* i think that's about my entire bag o' tricks! and a disclaimer: i am by no means a trained professional/expert! this is stuff that has worked for me + my baby dragon ... he came to me 2 years ago at 30" stl, weighing less than a pound, full of worms + other creepies, and was gray ... so everything i learned was cuz i *HAD* to in order to save him ... he's now *almost* 5' long and just over 7 pounds (still needs to gain weight!)... and green, orange, blue, black, brown, gray and sometimes pink/copper cheeks!

: Best o' luck and let us know how the 2 of you are doing!

: tongue flix + collard greenz from
: : P + : )
: iZ the dreadful dragon + his 'mom'

: ig recommended sites:
: Melissa Kaplin's (Goddess of all Iguanas!)
: http://thunder.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html

: Kevin Egan's Iguana Den (another widely used diet)
: http://www.iguanaden.com/

: Jennifer Swofford's Basking Spot
: http://baskingspot.com/iguanas/

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: Thank you for all your help! I will give this a shot for the next few weeks and let you know. : Chuck : : : and i apologize if i was rude ... i was hoping that i'd misunderstood something! so thank you for clarifying (and NOT flaming me....!) : : do you have a basking spot set up for her? i think maybe the problem is that she's not staying warm enough during the day ... that would affect her digestion and in turn, her appetite and energy level ... : : iZ has his own room and then comes downstairs when i get off work late afternoon and 'hangs out' til bedtime ... i have a people heating pad on top of a tall cabinet for him and then also a large tree limb hanging from the ceiling with a heat lamp aimed at it .... but there are also nights when he searches out cool, dark corners to go hide in .... (i think i need to make a hidey spot for him downstairs!) : : what kind of heat source do you have for her 'bed'? it may be too bright ... might also help her frame of mind to just set up a warm, high shelf for her to sleep on instead of the cage ... iZ has a 7' long shelf with a heating pad in the middle and a heat lamp aimed at it one end and then the other end is cool and in a shadow ... that way he can move around in his bed and regulate how warm *he* wants it to be ... (the heat lamp goes off at night ... even tho it's red, it's still too bright for sleeping) : : heat rocks are really BAD! i can't say enough bad things about them ... they tend to be too hot and can cause burns because there's no way to regulate the amount of heat ... they also crack WAY too easily and can cause a nasty shock ... a people heating pad set on low is much safer (and cheaper) ... : : if she's not eating there's a strong possibility of dehydration ... go to the 'baby' section of a grocery store/drug store and pick up some "Pedialyte" or "Infalyte" ... this will help replace lost electolytes due to dehydration ... give her drinks of it with an oral (needle-less) syringe a couple times a day ... : : i HATE the thought of 'force-feeding' ... instead what's worked for us when iZ was sick is baby food ... i bought a rubber-tipped baby spoon and some gerber baby food and spoon fed him ... he especially liked the spring-vegie kind ... she may only take a couple spoonfuls at a time, but even that is better than nothing at all ... if you can try this a few times a day, that's even better ... : : do you use vitamins and calium supplements? i use them on a regular basis and with your ig being sick, it'd be an even better idea ... i use "Centrum" and the calcium supplement that *i* take ... crushed up into powder and just a *TINY* sprinkle on iZ's orange sections at supper time ... (his FAV food so i know eats it) ... remember these are made for a 150 lb (+/-) person and so you only need a *VERY TINY* amount! : : regular soaks in a warm bathtub will help if she's constipated from not eating/drinking ... every night if she doesn't mind it ... every 2-3rd if she *really hates* it ... (you don't want to stress her out even more than she is!) that will help her poop (then disinfect the tub: spray it down in 1:10 bleach:water + let set for >10 minutes and rinse) ... the warm soaks will also aid in shedding and if she's like iZ, she'll take small drinks out of the tub too ... (so, no bubble bath! *grin*) oh ... make sure she has a warm basking spot to go to after her soak so she doesn't get chilled! : : it wouldn't hurt to take a fecal sample to the vet to have it checked for any parasites cuz they're nasty to have and will seriously mess with an igs health ... blood tests, too, would be good to check her calcium levels and her kidney, etc. functions ... : : oh ... one more thing ... your ig may have pretty much reached her full size and is done with growth spurts and so may not shed as often as before ... iZ finally slowed down (i think ...!) : : *whew!* i think that's about my entire bag o' tricks! and a disclaimer: i am by no means a trained professional/expert! this is stuff that has worked for me + my baby dragon ... he came to me 2 years ago at 30" stl, weighing less than a pound, full of worms + other creepies, and was gray ... so everything i learned was cuz i *HAD* to in order to save him ... he's now *almost* 5' long and just over 7 pounds (still needs to gain weight!)... and green, orange, blue, black, brown, gray and sometimes pink/copper cheeks! : : Best o' luck and let us know how the 2 of you are doing! : : tongue flix + collard greenz from : : : P + : ) : : iZ the dreadful dragon + his 'mom' : : ig recommended sites: : : Melissa Kaplin's (Goddess of all Iguanas!) : : http://thunder.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html : : Kevin Egan's Iguana Den (another widely used diet) : : http://www.iguanaden.com/ : : Jennifer Swofford's Basking Spot : : http://baskingspot.com/iguanas/

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