# Iguana lost function of rear legs and tail



## AndreaBrooke (Oct 29, 2011)

I have a small iguana (~2 ft.). She has a functioning heat lamp, pine substrate, and gets fed mainly kale, along with other fruits and vegetables, meal worms, and Fluker's juvenile iguana pellets. Her hind legs and tail seem to have lost function. She seems to be eating and drinking fine, but just drags herself along on her front legs. I'm worried that it could be MBD, but have no money for vet care. Is there anything I can do to help her?


----------



## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

It could be impaction. You NEED to get it to a herp vet.


----------



## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I'd like to welcome you to RFUK!

I know next to nothing about iguanas and I'm sorry that your ig is having problems. But I am a very experienced lizard keeper. There are very experienced ig keepers on this forum and I know they are going to want more information. What temps do you have in the viv - basking and cool end? What are you feeding her? What supplements are you adding to her food? What UVb are you providing?

When you say "pine substrate" I am not entirely sure what you mean - cypress mulch maybe? Pine is actually toxic to most lizards. 

The substrate might be an issue. If she has eaten some then this may have cause an impaction which might cause the symptoms you describe.

Best wait for an iggy owner to reply.

Edit: Tombo beat me to it on impaction!


----------



## tom12349333 (Sep 30, 2009)

it could be a spinal problem which has made him go paralysed from a specific point downwards. You NEED to get him to a vet, not being able to afford the bills isn't an excuse. If you can't afford it then you shouldn't have got him.


----------



## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

Vets are usually happy to agree a price plan, were you pay a certain amount weekly until you have payed for the surgery/treatment


----------



## trevorb (Sep 24, 2009)

hi you do need to get it to a vat asap if you can put a pic up so we can have a look


----------



## trevorb (Sep 24, 2009)

trevorb said:


> hi you do need to get it to a vat asap if you can put a pic up so we can have a look


and get the pine out


----------



## buddylouis (Apr 28, 2011)

Echo what others have already said, i feel a vet is 100% the only option given the circumstances. More details will help other with regards to set up, kale is far to high in oxalates and goitrogens to be fed as a staple, some dietry issues need to be addressed too.

You need a vet and a good read through lots of info, with regards to husbandry and diet, heres a link to get you started:

Green Iguana Society


----------



## Celisuis (Jul 5, 2011)

AndreaBrooke said:


> I have a small iguana (~2 ft.). She has a functioning heat lamp, pine substrate, and gets fed mainly kale, along with other fruits and vegetables, meal worms, and Fluker's juvenile iguana pellets. Her hind legs and tail seem to have lost function. She seems to be eating and drinking fine, but just drags herself along on her front legs. I'm worried that it could be MBD, but have no money for vet care. Is there anything I can do to help her?


First and Foremost, Remove the Pine.

I keep iguanas, now we need some more information I'm afraid:


Temperatures at hot and cold end
UV Light - Is there one? What percentage?
Calcium and Vitamin Dust? How often do you use it?
Size of the Vivarium?
Does she have a full tail?
*IF*, and I must stress if, it is MBD and is caught soon enough, it may be treated however, the iguana may suffer from permenant disabilities.

If it is impaction, then you need to get her to the vet immediately.

And also what Buddy Said- Listen to him, he's know probably a fair bit more than myself, but we still need more infomation.

And as Buddy said, Kale should not be a staple - my staple is Rocket and Watercress along with Bean Shoots for my colour-blind iguana.


----------



## 111mattin111 (Mar 9, 2011)

Hi alot has been said already but.

You say there's a heat lamp but you don't mention any UVB light? Iguanas need UVB, so if there isn't one it's likely it could be mbd, 

Also alot of people don't recommend using substrates, a quick visit to the vets and a x-ray could confirm if it is impaction or not, 

Are you dusting it's food with calcium or nutrobol or similar,

If it is low on calcium there's injections a vet can give them to boost levels, 

A visit to a good Herp vet is your best bet sooner rather than later

There's lots of other questions to ask but best to cover the basics first


----------



## ruthyg (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi, and welcome to the forum  Really sorry your iggy's poorly  They become like our own babies and it's horrible when something's not right, and I know from personal experience that when you find out it could be down to something you did, it's horrific  (I don't know if that's the case here, I'm just saying, I know what it's like and I'm not going to shout at you for it!  We are all here to learn and help each other along the way)

Having said all that, I really do recommend you take the little guy to a vet. Imagine if it was you in a tank with no way to get yourself to a doctor unless your keeper decides to take you  

The dragging himself along - did this start suddenly or gradually? Suddenly _may_ indicate a fall, so how wide are your basking branches etc? And how tall? Lol. I personally don't know how long the symptoms of MBD take to become apparant, or how soon after ingesting something impaction may occur.

Can you get some pictures up of your set up? Or give us some more details? I can't deny some people are going to be critical, and maybe not in a constructive way  but we'll try to help as best we can  Alternatively, feel free to PM me, I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm well on my way  :whistling2: Heh. Usually Salazare Slytherin would have posted by now and he really knows his stuff  But I know he's quite busy at the mo, so don't know if he'll get time to post.

I would also say get rid of the substrate. Have you got any spare lino? Or a plastic tarpaulin? Even paper towels - much much better for your lil dude  

Look on the Green Iguana Society website for a diet list - we can't get hold of everything in the UK, but a fair variety can be got, and will be muchly appreciated  At a pinch, a bag of watercress and a bag of spring greens from the supermarket are a good start  NOT JUST those, lol, but as I say, a good start  And personally, I'd ditch the pellets :s Not everyone will agree, but unless you wet them before feeding, they can cause impaction, and once you've wet them and stuck them in a nice warm viv, they start to go mouldy reaaaally quickly - yuck! 

Do you ever bathe your iggy? A warm bath can be very good for them (stick your elbow in it, like testing a baby's bath water), run it before he's in the bathroom as the noise can stress him out. 

I'm going to stop rambling now as I don't want to overwhelm you!

Here's your to do list:

Phone round any herp vets near you, be up front, explain the situation and see what they can do. It's time to swallow your pride, as you already have done by posting here, so well done 
Ditch the substrate and pellets, get to the shop and buy him a nice dinner 
Give the lad a bath
Get us some pics and some more info and we'll do what we can 
Good luck hun, keep us posted  x


----------



## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Deffo go to the vets, sadly that could be a number of problems or a contribution of many, there isn't alot I can add to the other posts.

You should at least try and set up a payment plan with a vet first.
Where abouts are you? 
Great responses.


----------



## ruthyg (Oct 15, 2010)

Yay! Sal's back


----------



## herpzane (Apr 1, 2008)

tom12349333 said:


> it could be a spinal problem which has made him go paralysed from a specific point downwards. You NEED to get him to a vet, not being able to afford the bills isn't an excuse. If you can't afford it then you shouldn't have got him.


Give the guy a break mate


----------



## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

This isn't rocket science. To the OP, do some research before buying an animal and learn to take care of it properly. I saw absolutely NOTHING in regards to a mandatory 5.0 UVB. This is not a Vet problem, but rather something you can fix on your own and should have prevented in the 1st place by doing proper research. I'm appalled that people continue to impulse-buy and not properly research before purchasing. U need to get the Iguana a 5.0 UVB, although a 8.0-10.0 would probably help it recover faster. U will also need to dust with D3 TWICE a week and at least 3 more dustings with calcium/vitamin/mineral supplement with NO D3. 

Is the animal still eating or has it gotten to the point where u have to use a blender and syringe? Lost mobility in hind-quarters are one of the 1st signs of MBD, and if U catch it quick enough before it goes from a severe calcium deficiency to full-blown MBD, it might not be too late.


----------



## 66921 (Feb 12, 2011)

Also, not to jump on the flame train, but you should not be feeding an iguana mealworms. Kale is not a staple for a diet. And other veg sounds fishy.

How much animal protein have you been feeding it and how often? Also what sort of iguana is it?

Please don't be put off by negative responses it's only in our interests to want to help the iguana you have and the only way we can do that is through you. Please come back to this thread and let us help you do the right thing for your iggy.


----------



## SilverSky (Oct 2, 2010)

any money this person doesnt come back on lol


----------



## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

SilverSky said:


> any money this person doesnt come back on lol


I agree and to be honest I don't blame them.


----------



## AndreaBrooke (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks, guys. Didn't realise I was making so many mistakes because we were just going by what the local pet shop told us.


----------



## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Andrea - you are not the first - by a long way - to have been badly advised by a pet shop unfortunately. And many internet sites, if you have tried to research, are conflicting on many aspects of rep care. But you now have a valuable resource in RFUK. There are some very good iggy keepers on here. 

I would love to own an iggy - but I will not as they are probably one of the most challenging of reptiles to keep. Did the pet shop give you any indication of the size your little'un could grow to? and the size of the viv it will require? As I said before, I am NOT an iguana expert, but they can grow to 6 foot long and need a viv (if memory serves me right) of about 8x8x4 foot minimum. That is bigger than many ppls bathrooms! And once mature their behaviour can be extremely challenging as well as rewarding. I wish you luck with your baby and I hope it will be OK.


----------



## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

I also wanted to add that it's bit late in the season to be taking him outside, but there is NOTHING better for an animal with MBD than NATURAL Sunlight. Just to give you an idea of what type of care u will need to take, I adopted a Bearded Dragon with no mobility in the hind-quarters earlier this year, and I had to bottle feed it w/ a mixture of plain yogurt, mixed with water, calcium/vitamin supplement, blended/liquified romaine and take it out in the sun for 20 minutes every single day for TWO MONTHS until it was strong enough to eat some friggen lettuce on a paper plate by itself.

2 Months just to get it to be able to eat a few pieces of damn lettuce. I will help you as much as possible becuase this is what I do, but you will really need to earn your stripes for this one and it will need ALOT of attention.


----------



## scotty667 (Oct 14, 2011)

AndreaBrooke said:


> I have a small iguana (~2 ft.). She has a functioning heat lamp, pine substrate, and gets fed mainly kale, along with other fruits and vegetables, meal worms, and Fluker's juvenile iguana pellets. Her hind legs and tail seem to have lost function. She seems to be eating and drinking fine, but just drags herself along on her front legs. I'm worried that it could be MBD, but have no money for vet care. Is there anything I can do to help her?


you never mentioned any uv lamp that could be why as he/she may not be getting the proper sunlight


----------



## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

scotty667 said:


> you never mentioned any uv lamp that could be why as he/she may not be getting the proper sunlight



Don't forget the part about Kale being extremely high in oxolates which PREVENT the absorbtion of Calcium as well was very high in vitamin A. Daily feeding of Kale will result in Vitamin A over-dose. Fruits should make up LESS than 10% of the animal's diets. Iguana pellets are more-or-less useless unless you gutload crickets with them, which is the only animal proteins I would give a juvenile Iguana until about 6-9 months of age. When it appraoches the 1 year mark, eliminate crickets and animal proteins and give them a staple diet of Romaine/Collard Greens (de-veined), Red/Green leaf lettuce, Spring Mix, Peas, Dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens.

Spinach, Bok Choy and Kale should only be given in limited amounts, once every 10-14 days at MOST for vitamin A intake. At this point they will get all the proteins they need via vegetation. 

Also, spraying it once per day with a Vita-Spray for reptiles with Vitamin D3 in addiiton to 12 hours of UVB everyday will help it's recovery.


----------



## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

My list of good foods consist of.

Spring Greens
Mustard Greens (I grow)
Turnip Tops (have began to grow)
Alfalfa
Endive
Chicory (escarole)
WaterCress
Pak choi (in moderation)
Beet greens (in moderation)
Yuccaroot (in moderation it is fine for a vairied diet)
Rocket (once or twice a week)
Raddish tops
Cassasava
Sweet Potato
Snap Peas
Leeks 
Parsnip
Okra (ladies finger
Acorn Squash 
Kamboocha squash
Butternut Squash
Green beans
Prickly pear
Rehydrated figs
Mango 
Papaya
Watermelon 
Plum
Basil
Corriander
Fennell
Mint
Sage 
Rosemary
Oregano 
Tyme

Flowers

English chamomile
Petunia
Nasturtium
Hibiscus 
Carnation
Rose Petals
Day lillies
Geranium
Marigold
Dandilion
Babies tears
Clover 
Ficus leaves
Grape leaves
Lavander
Maple
Mesquite

etc etc there are hundreds.

Wild foods shhhh too many.
Nettle
Sowthistle.


There are no perfect alternatives, all foods may not be good, fed excessively. 
This basicly means that all foods may contain something which could potentially be harmful fed in large quantities.

Balancing out a vairied diet with few negative nutrients is what should be aimed for.

But then why would you feed something with question marks all over it?
Sometimes a food may have a high calcium to phosphorus ratio which may look and seem good but it may also contain oxalic acid which reverses the cah ratio

There are many ways to offer a diet and it mostly depends entirely on the "intent of the said food item" 

My iguana is lucky to even see kale or spinach in the diet perhaps once or twice a year.

Basicly your looking to offer,
the highest calciumhosphorus ratio possible 2:1
reduce the intake of oxolates as much as possible, which interefere with dietry calcium and goitrogens which mainly effect the thyroid.
completely avoid plants which contain toxic components... sapoins these can effect the blood formation.

Balance plants out with vitamin A.
which can cause an overdose or high levels of potasium and magnesium which can cause salt buildup often resulting in severe dehydration.



Nutrition Content this should help.​ 
When an iguana has lost the use of movement I seriously can't see how blasting UVB over the top of it will help, infact there is a way to go about it and by doing just that has often resulted in death I will be happy to explain that another time but your free to drop me a pm if you want. Lack of movement is very seriouse and tests would need to be run to make a diagnosis to begin the treatment, It could very well be impaction or another issue.​ 
Pine bark bedding is designed specifically for reptile natural decor use so I doubt this is a type which is toxic but as Tom said it could be your iguana has injested some if peeps insist on using bark I can only say use the large types of bark because they are just about impossible for your iguana to swallow, which does minimise the risk or some peeps just don't use it the choice is yours.​ 
I have had 2 rescued iguanas who had traped urates which does sound similar to what your describing, the problem is easily treated but a rapid difference in diet should be made, if it is it probibly does have something to do with the "pet shop diet" you have been told to feed.​ 
Someone at the beginning of the thread gave you the green iguana society food chart link, that is a great place to begin doing some research.​ 
Paralysis
the most common form of paralysis is caused by MBD but I have to be honest I am not entirely convinced without having seen the iguana itself and due to the staple you were feeding, not to mention I had an MBD iguana 2 years ago and it still made a good effort to move.
If the paralysis is not due to an actual spinal fracture, then yes, chances are quite good that normal, or near normal, functioning will be restored. There may be some changes in gait and overall appearance, especially if there is some residual lumps on or between any vertebrae, but overall the iguana should recover its former mobility and agility, even with some deformity. Remember that recovery will not happen all by itself - you must get veterinary attention for your iguana, as well as make the necessary changes to the diet and/or environment.​ 
GIS quick help on paralysis
and
Paralysis in Green Iguanas
I would give these a read and just see if anything actually jumps out at you.​ 
It is okay peeps saying MBD but what type of MBD it is a term used to describe a variety of disorders.​ 

I also spoke to an owner who's iguana had a stroke who described something quite similar so I would take this into consideration.​ 
I take my iguana out even if it is just for 5 minutes a day because I know he significantly does get a benefit out of it.​ 
I seriously can't see how UVB is going to fix the problem now, and I most certainly would not attempt to blast it over the iguana at home and hope for the best. I would offer it, go to the vets, have tests run get the treatment offer a vairied and nutritious diet care and attention is what helps a recovery not sitting hoping for the best by blasting UVB over the top of it.​ 
Although UVB is definately an essential part to them thriving I really do have doubts it has anything to do with that.​ 
Feeding the wrong veg foods can be just as bad as feeding animal protein it does not always mean they have.​ 
What I would do is bathe the iguana and see what it's reaction is, your iguana should be able to swim basicly the same way a crocodile does, the legs back etc watching your iguana do this will give other good indications to see if it looks just like nerve damage or if it is something else completely, if your iguana is unable too keep its legs back and swim with ease and struggles or even begins to turn up side down you do have a big problem.​ 
I supplemented all my igunas with nutrobal 3 times a week and with calcium carbonate but only this year it was pointed out I may have been under supplenting my own so I now offer nutrobal 4 days a week with calcium carbonate twice.​ 
If your anywhere near Stoke On Trent or you can get to us, we will happily take a look for you, I have been away for a week working with rescue animals including iguanas, I will even give you a tray of mustard greens I have loads growing outside, if not well the offer was there.​ 
I also like how some of these peeps who flame are the same very ones who pm'd me only a month ago because there iguana had something wrong on it's eye due to the wrong lighting and could not get it to the vet but it is okay for them to flame and shout go to the vets.​ 
? honestly, you can't have it two ways.​ 
I sincerely hope your iguana is okay and my offer still stands if you can reach us.​ 
You could ring around some vets and ask about payment plans, some do but as said I have had 3 now and all of mine would not accept a payment plan without paying half the bill and it was well over £160 before anything could be set up.​ 
This is why I have insurance now.​ 
Comming onto a forum to ask for help is a great step.
It would also be a good idea to run through the setup you have as said at the beginning by jools.​


----------



## ruthyg (Oct 15, 2010)

Ace post Sal, nice one :2thumb:


----------



## AndreaBrooke (Oct 29, 2011)

Thanks again, everyone. I think I've gotten all of the advice you guys can give for the time being. Is there any way to delete this thread so it's not cluttering the forum?


----------



## liz200898 (Oct 13, 2008)

It won't be deleted and it's important to keep them for anyone with similar concerns searching online. It's a pretty big forum you won't clutter it


----------

