Re: At my wits end with this breeding season!

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Posted by PH Meliss on December 08, 2002 at 11:49:05:

In Reply to: Re: At my wits end with this breeding season! posted by iguanafriend on December 06, 2002 at 18:26:57:

:[Hercules seen by good vet snipped]

Good! ;)

:Now that he is feeling a lot better he has definitely become a lot more aggressive. Would you still not recommend progestrone?

Not if decreased progesterone isn't his problem... ;)

:My cycles are all messed up so I am not even sure where I am at in the cycle. I heard that it can effect aggression.

LOL!!! Heck, when my cycles got extremely crazy for a time, my Mikey started sleeping under the couch, normally a behavior only associated with earthquakes! (If you would like to email me privately, I'll tell you what my doctor and I are doing with progesterone to get my cycles regularized...)

:The doctor felt at this point that Progestrone would help with his behavior.

Did he do any tests to check the hormone levels? If the progesterone was going to work on him the results should be apparent - assuming the dose is right for him. If you are using a topical progesterone, it may not be penetrating as much on him as it does on you, so you would need to use more. How much more I don't know - that you'd need to talk to your vet. OTC progesterones come at fixed doses (the amount may vary by brand). If you are using "natural" phytoprogesterones (assuming there are any - I haven't actually looked), then you probably have to go much higher, if phytoprogesterones are anything like phytoestrogens. If you are taking a prescription form of progesterone, dose will vary depending on the type of progesterone and the actual dosage of the product you are using - also something to take up with the vet.

We've only recently found out how little we actually know about what hormones do in humans - it's all still a guess when it comes to using hormones to affect behavior in igs, which is why I'm pushing you back to the vet. It's great that he is looking at hormones as a tool for mitigating behavior, but that just opens up more questions than it does provide answers...as you've no doubt noticed!

--
PH Meliss
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Iguanas for Dummies
Anapsid.org: Herp & Green Iguana Care, Herp Societies/Rescues & Vets

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