Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 3,269

3 members and 3,266 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,097
Threads: 248,541
Posts: 2,568,760
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, Travism91
  • 08-13-2021, 10:07 PM
    Specks
    Is my iguana ok? Bad Spikes and rough lip
    My iguana (a little over 2 years) has had pretty bad spikes, am I doing anything wrong? A long time ago they all fell off because of my mistake, but I moved the heat lamp further away. Also is her lip ok? I looked yesterday and it was fine, but she got out of her cage today and it’s a bit worse, I just want to be sure it’s not mouth rot. I’ve added images I believe

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/sutLUzs4RF5hfhPG9
  • 08-13-2021, 10:30 PM
    Erie_herps
    I think it could be the start of mouth rot. I think the fact that they fell off before is a problem. I would recommend a herp-specialized vet visit to see what they think.
  • 08-13-2021, 11:52 PM
    Bogertophis
    If you need to find a vet with herp expertise, this may help: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661
  • 08-14-2021, 10:16 AM
    TofuTofuTofu
    I think it could be mouth rot. Also, I see some yellowish shed; my vet was really concerned when my iguana had a small patch of yellow shed, and took a sample of it, telling me it could be yellow fungus, which is fatal (it wasn't yellow fungus, though, but I wanted to throw that out here just in case). It's important to find a good iguana vet. I have seen a few that are pretty bad, but have fortunately been able to tell.

    The spines take a long time to go back to normal, or possibly never will (yours don't look that crazy though?). My iguana's spikes look mostly the same from when he was with his previous owner over 10 years ago. He has a few stubby ones that never really grew longer; I think it's a slow process through each shed, and because he is an adult, he doesn't shed as often. I see there is one spine has blood on it, which means the shed came off too early (did you rip it off?). Don't force them off. It would help to moisturize the spines while they are shedding. You can put some betadine or triple antibiotic ointment on the bloody part for a day or two until it scabs over.

    I would suggest a refresher on their husbandry and humidity requirements, too. Try to give your iguana a bath every day, or shower with your iguana; I can tell she's having shed issues. I have never had mouth rot issues, and had to look it up: there are many causes of it (diet, wrong lighting, maybe your light is now too far away?), so it would be best to see a vet. Good luck in finding a good one, and be sure to Google any treatments/medications they suggest because some vets will just treat your iguana with like, mammal medications, oral antibiotics (oral antibiotics are not effective in iguanas and must be injected; I think antifungals may be okay orally but I can't remember; just make sure to look it up).

    Just because they say they "see reptiles" does not mean they are good. I even saw a vet who had two iguanas living in their lobby--but that was a major sign they were terrible, because two male iguanas should never be kept right next to each other so they can see each other! Both of their faces were all rubbed raw because they had been trying to kill each other for years. Anyway, looking at the list Boger linked is a good place to start. You may have to travel a bit, but going to the wrong vet can literally kill your iguana, so please be careful. It's a minefield of bad.
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1