My iguana, 10 years or more, started to lose weight in her hind legs and tail. As many of you probably know she’s a rescue and suffered extreme mal nutrition before I got her. (being only a foot long at 4 years of age and skinny as a rail, now 10 and just over 3 ft) She’s still eating regularly, and I’ve uped the food portions. She seems to have stopped losing but she’s a bit listless and doesn’t pick herself up as high as she use to. I’m still waiting to see if she’ll put the weight back on. Could all this just be from old age or should I be worried about something else. The only vet in my area charges an arm and a leg just to look at her, and the diagnosis is normally less than accurate. (he once told me I needed to give her either dog food or ground crickets to keep her healthy) Jadelizard.
I've been monitoring her feces for the last three days and so far there's no indication of parasites but that doesn't always mean anything. Thanks for the suggestion though. Jadelizard
Intestinal parasites would have been my first suggestion also. According to my texts, Mycobacterial infections and Tapeworms can cause weight loss and lethargy without signs of diarrhea or anorexia but anorexia is very common. Nematodes and Protozoans can cause weight loss and dehydration but usually have very heavy and even blood diarrhea. Cancer or benign tumors are another unfortunate possibility. They have been found to occur in conjunction with viral and parasitic infections. Metabolic Bone Disease can also appear as weight loss and muscle weakness. In other words...she really should see a vet. It could be as you said, old age, she's been through a lot and her body is not going to age well. I'm guessing there was a lot of systemic damage done in those first 4 years and the fact that she's survived this long is a miracle...good for you! Is she dehydrated? Have you looked in her mouth? It should be bright pink and moist. If it's pale pink and kind of mucousy or sticky, she could be dehydrated. Sunken skin around the leg muscles also indicates dehydration, but since she's lost weight, that might be hard to decide. Can you post a pic?
The good news is the lathargy seems to be lessening and she walked around the house for a while today. I'm wondering if she ate something bad and that's why she was lathargic. Biochic, I've set up an appointment for her next week. As for dehydration, her mouth is pink and moist, (and her teeth very sharp, she didn't like it very much when I opened her mouth. I'm still trying to buy a new camera since the one I have wont load pictures anymore so I can't post any pics. Just to give you a visual, Her coloration is an olive green, when I take her out side she turns black almost instantly and then a turns a brighter green. She weighs 7-8 lbs (wouldn't hold still long enought to get an acurate reading.) Total Length - 3' 5" (I was really suprized, she's grown 2" since the last time I mesured her) Around the middle - 10 1/2" Legs - 5 1/4" Tail Base 6 1/2" She gets aproximately 1/12 cups of food every other day. She also drinks about 1 cup of water on the same day she eats, she has water available to her at all times. She has 3 hours of direct sun almost every day and I just got her a brand new Zoomed, full spectrum, uvb bulb. I soak her in the tub every other week and mist her every other day. I'll keep updating her condition, and thanks everybody for their coments. Jadelizard Also, any ideas on how to put some weight on her food wise?
What's she been eating? Really the only that would put weight on her would be protein and that's bad. Her regular diet should keep her at a healthy weight if it's correct. The only other thing that I could think of, besides environmental issues (which sound fine; what temps is her cage set at?) would be a thyroid condition. Common in many lizards but wouldn't be my first guess. But if she seems to be getting better, that would most likely rule out thyroid. I'd weigh her every few days to monitor her weight. If she continues losing, then there may be amore serious problem, especially if she's still eating. Good luck and keep us updated!
Jade, my Iggy is 3 1/2 foot, and she eats 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food daily, plus fills up on beech, climatis, impatiens and dandelion leaves when I take her out for misting on the patio later in the afternoon. She is part P-iggy I think. Is she eating as much as she wants and still has some leftover? Keep us informed of what the vet says.
Well I took her to the vet yesterday, different that I usually go to, and this guy not only seemed to know more about reptiles in general but was very friendly and helpful as well. Basically what he said, after poking, probing, taking a blood sample and feces sample for testing, was the weight loss was due primarily to stress, age, increased activity, and a growth spirt without increasing her food. So, she'll be fine once I start feeding her as much as she'll eat every day. Oh, and she weighs 7lb 4 oz and the trip only cost me about $80, tests included. The other vet would have charged me about $200. She mostly back to herself now, she walks around a lot more but still gets a little depressed when she goes back to her cage in the evening. As far as her food goes, that's a long list, and it varies from day to day. (Robin hates to eat the same thing two days in a row.) Mainly, collar greens, ferns, dandelion greens, carrots (top and bottom), grapes, strawberries, blue berries, raspberries, apples, squash, parsley greens, beat leaves, two kinds of clover, pea pods, alfalfa leaves, kale, hibiscus leaves and flowers. That's only a partial list. There's a couple other leafy greens but I can't remember them right now. The only constants are the collar greens, dandelion greens, carrots, and a fruit of some sort, the rest is what ever's available at the time. Also he cage doesn't really have a constant temp, it's a wire cage. But she has two heat spots. The first, her main shelf is about 85-90, and her second spot is about 80. But this fluctuates during the winter and summer, in the summer it gets about 98-103 so I turn off her heat pad, in the winter the heat register in her cage warms the cage to about 70 with the heat spots. She only spends at max 14 hours in her cage on any day so her temp is constantly changing. Anyway, I'll keep updating as she gains. Thanks again for all the support, I'm happy it wasn't anything too serious, just my not paying close enough attention to her needs. So thanks again. Jadelizard
Just saw this thread. So glad that it wasn't anything real serious. But I would like to add, after reading about her feeding, it's not what you're feeding, it's how often. Why only every other day? Will she not take food everyday? You should try to get her to eat everyday. Offer her more than you think she'll eat and let her eat her fill. I have 2 adults, my female is 7 and 48" and my male is 6 and 58" and they eat twice a day. They are both piggies, the female eats more than the male, lol. In the mid-morning, they get a salad plate size of collard, mustard, turnip and escarole greens, alfalfa sprouts, zucchini, green beans, snow peas, shreeded carrots and it's topped off with the fruit of the day. My female really goes nuts for bananas, buts that's a once in awhile treat. (She eats them so fast that she gets banana foam drooling down her chin, lol). They also get cantalope, peaches, grapes, berries(NO citrus), etc. They love rasberries and most of all blackberries. Then in the evening they get a smaller plate of more mixed greens and a little fruit. They are quite happy and content with this schedule and are doing very well. Good luck to you and your Ig. I hope she regains her strength soon!
I"m glad it wasn't something serious. And that you found a good vet. I'm sure as soon as she starts eating more, she'll be even better. Isn't it such a relief to find someone that knows what they're talking about and is willing to help? I don't know what I'd do without our vets.
Kira: I've had Robin six years now and I've never been able to get her to eat every day. I'll put a bowl or plate of food on her shelf (she won't eat on the bottom of the cage) and if she's not hungry she'll immediately turn around and nock it off with her tail. I even have a video of her doing this. I do let her eat as much as she want's though, I've filled her bowl three times in one day, other times she'll only eat half a bowl before it goes flying. When I put her out to sun bath she usually eats some clover and dandelions so she (in a since) eats something every day in the summer but she just doesn't want to eat constantly. I also have GREAT news today. The bottom half of Robins tail has not since I got her, I chalked this up to the fact that she lost her tail. But today it's shedding! When I saw her in the kitchen I gasped because it looked as though she broke her tail and it was laying sideways. In reality she had her tail curled around so I couldn't see it and the dead skin was just hanging on at an odd angle. She's outside sunbathing at the moment and I have to go clean her cage now. Jadelizard Also, yes it is nice to have found a decent vet. I just about strangled that last one.
Wow Jade, that's a drag. I wasn't sure by your other post that the feeding schedule was her thing or yours. That must be frustrating, to see her refusing food when you know she needs it. But if that's the way she's always been, then that's the way she is. Mine are such vacuums, it's hard to imagine them refusing food, lol. Glad to hear yours is doing better. LOL about the shed tail skin, that'd freak me out too!
Hi didnt see anything about egg laying.. is she spayed? my lizzy will do that when shes getting ready to lay shes done it 2 times for me.. i am going to have her spayed when she does next but it souneded like it from the loose skin on the back legs and eating but not much and then not at all. is she still holding weigh in the belly area? yes find another vet and get her checked into i travel 2 hours for mine... no one around me sees reptiles, but if they need it, they need it. good luck
