Expert: Diane - 1/7/2007

Question
Hi Diana - It's me again!  Oddly enough the top half from head to tail is orangish/red and his tommy is bright green.  He came from Argentina! Bummer about his skin.  But, because I love him so much and money isn't a problem when it comes to my Guido.  I've made an Appt. with the top notch skin specialist Sara Colby in Los Gatos CA.  She laughed at me but wants to see the little guy.  So who knows??  Thanks so much and I'll let you know what happens.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi Diane - I want to start by saying I adore my Iguana Guido. I spoil him rotten. His personality is funny.  He has 3 cages. 1. Indoors 2. Outdoor for sun 3. vehicle 4 rides.  My questions is: He was burned I think by a heat lamp before I saved his cute little self.  But his skin keeps shedding but it doesn't change back to normal. I've spent all kinds of money at the vet.  I was thinking on taking him to a top notch skin specialist were I live. What do you think?
-----Answer-----
Hi Krista,
I LOVE hearing about spoiled iguanas...  I'm assuming yours us a normal green iguana that happens to have a tail that has color.  
Once an ig has a burn, the area will never be normal in most cases. It will forever be a scar. The scar will generally remain white forever.  Did the vet prescribe Silvadene ointment for the burn? Its an ointment that was formulated for human burn victims.
If not,you may want to ask him/her about it as that it helps to sluff off the dead layers of skin.
Could the problem be that it hasn't been all that long since your ig was burned?
You may just have to give it more time to  get rid of all the dead tissue if the burn was deep.  With their skin being so thick, a burn is deep..
Also, did you use a reptile vet or just a regular small animal vet?  If not a reptile vet, you might want to try that first as they have much more knowledge than a regular small animal vet does when it comes to iguanas. To find one, http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/
I'm guessing you mean a human skin specialist.  I really don't think they would do better than a specialist in the reptile field, since the igs skin is so different than a humans. Also, if the burn didn't happen quite a while ago, it may be getting re burned from his heat sources now..or even the sun.  Its tough as that they need to have their heat  but if its not been all that long since he got burned, you might want to try to heat the area in the basking area with more lower wattage bulbs (to get the correct 92-95 basking temps) moreso than with one high wattage overhead heat source to see if that helps the burn to heal well. If he spends a great deal of time indoors, you might want to use A mega Ray external ballast uvb bulb.  They are only 60 watts, but great uvb output. Of course the uvb tubes don't produce any heat...I've included my care sheet below that gives more information on uvb sources...
Be careful outdoors with the sun on that area also. If you would like to send a pic to me of the burn..that might help out.  You can email them to me at diane@scalesandtails.org  
Here are some pictures of burns..
http://www.iguanaden.org/health/burns.htm

BASIC CARE OF THE GREEN IGUANA©:
Iguanas have many, many special care needs...when those needs are not met,
iguanas will suffer in many ways...which can include metabolic bone disease, no growth,
kidney and liver disease....and death...its important to give an iguana all the
recommended care to help them thrive in captivity....below is the basic care
an iguana needs...anything less and they will not do well in captivity.. If their
care is not right...they will not be active or eat..PLEASE read the entire care
sheet...and print it out if needed...also be sure to read the enclosed links I
listed at the bottom.....
HOUSING:
Don't let the pet store tell you that an ig will only grow as
big as the cage it is in!!! That's NOT true!!! Don't waste your money on a
10 gallon tank...that's big enough to bring them home in, but that's about it.
To give you an idea how fast they grow, an iguana will outgrow a 75 gallon
tank within the first year. Start with nothing smaller than a 55 gallon tank,
but, since iguanas are arboreal, a tank does not offer the height an iguana
needs.
That's a very good reason to start with a cage
that is bigger.The size that is required for an adult iguana is 6-7 feet high, at
least
6-7 feet wide and no less than 3 feet deep.
Its important to remember air circulation and also
that you have to keep the humidity up. Also, that you have to be able
to provide the lighting and heating from the top, so a screen or mesh top
is needed, or a solid top with holes cut out and covered with screen for
the lights to shine through.(the screen covering the opening prevents the
ig from being able to touch the heat source) If not, you will harm your ig
health wise.
LIGHTING:
Supplying uvb can be done in a few ways. By special lights
that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs
(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat.
The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the Iguanas
to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat.
With out the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease.
With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and
uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 10.0 and the Repti Glo 8.0's
are a great source for uvb.  The old "favorites" are the repti sun 5.0 or the
Iguana light..which are the same tube, just different package.
There are tubes
that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.
These need to be positioned 6-8 inches over the iguana for the 5% and 8%
and 8-10 inches for the 10% so
that they get the uvb that is needed. The tubes need to be replaced every 6-9
months as that they stop producing UVB long before they stop producing
light.
Using a fixture that holds two uvb tubes of at least 3 feet in length will
provide adequate uvb for your iguana. Do not use coil lights that are sold as
that they do not produce the uvb in the fashion needed for iguanas.

On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also
produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the
Mega Rays.(http://www.megaray.com) The distance from these are greater
than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that
are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor
lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for
heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.

For daytime heat, if using the tube uvb, regular household
incandescent light bulbs produce heat. The wattage will
depend on the size of your iguanas enclosure. and the room temperature.
Of course, the best uvb is from the
sun and if you are in an area that you are able to take your iguana outside in
a proper enclosure, (Never a tank or enclosed, solid cage)
.
BASKING AREA TEMPERATURES:
Igs MUST HAVE a basking light...they digest their
food by the heat.
This light/heat can be provided by a regular household light bulb that
produces heat.(or if using a mercury Vapor light as mentioned above)
Depending on the size of the cage, you may need
anywhere from a 60 watt to a 100 watt bulb.
The basking area temps must be maintained at about 92 to 96 gradient ...no
lower..no higher...
they NEED the heat to digest their food!! If the temperatures are too low,
digestion is slowed, too high and the food digests too fast and nutrition is
not utilized as it should be.
This, again, is for 12 hours of daylight (the same time your UVB lights are on).
You can place this bulb in a silver dome fixture(be sure it has the ceramic
socket) and it MUST be placed
so that your ig cannot climb on it..or touch it. On top of your screen
cage is safe but..if your ig likes to hang from the top of the
cage..you will have to raise it up some how to prevent burns.
Remember..if you must move it, monitor the temps again!!!!!!
This cannot be stressed enough. In order to maintain those temps,
it is VERY important to use thermometers. Using a GOOD digital is a
necessity!!
A THERMOMETER IS A MUST!!  It needs to be at the igs level....where he lays in
the basking
area to see what the temp is there...if your thermometer is NOT where he
lays,
you will get an improper reading for his basking area and you will burn
your ig (watch for panting or mouth gaping open - signs of overheating)or
the temperatures
in the basking area will not be in the correct range. The best are the digital
ones that have the probe.  Some also give the humidity reading along with
the temperature in two different areas.
You will need a basking shelf or branch. The placement of this depends
on what height you need to maintain the temps mentioned above and keep
your iguana within the recommended
distance of the uvb source. Be sure to make it at least twice the width of the
ig. Keep in mind the distance
the UVB light needs to be from the ig also. This is almost the hardest
area of the cage to get correct..it requires a lot of monitoring of
the temps until YOU ARE SURE they are correct.

WATER:
Keep a shallow dish of fresh water for your ig at all times.
Some igs will 'poo' in their water dishes, so you may have to change
it more than once/day. Providing a 2nd water source, such as some type of
low pan for a small ig,
or a cat litter box(filled with water) for an adult ig is a good idea.Keep water
shallow enough that your ig can touch
the bottom freely, as too many younger igs have been known to actually
drown!
HUMIDITY:
Igs MUST HAVE humidity. They are of the Tropical Rain Forest.
This means you need a humidity gage.  60% is the minimum... I wouldn't go above 70-75%, although
most of us can't get that high...that's why misting your ig several times a day
helps. You can use humidifiers or vaporizers can be necessary to get a
humidity level that is needed. At night, the humidity can be what is normal household humidity levels  to allow a "dry out" time.


TEMPERATURES:
in the entire cage need to be varied. The basking
area
(branch or shelf nearest the heat source) has already been covered.
You need to have a gradient temp in the area of 75-96. Sound confusing?
Basically, you need the "basking" area, a middle temp area and a cool
area. Basking area..92-96.....mid range gradient temp..88-92 (Ambient)and
cool side 75-84.
Igs cannot regulate their body temps. They rely on the sun
(natural or by way of light bulb) and the shade (cooler area of the cage)
to do that.
NIGHT..... LIGHTS OUT!!!!!! At night, if
the temperatures drop below 75-80 degrees(depending on the iguana age)
you need to provide a heat source in the form of a ceramic
heat emitter(which can also be used during the day) or a
special nighttime bulb(red or deep purple) that does not
produce any bright white light.Some iguanas do not like the colored lights
and do try to hide from them. Its up to you to see this and switch to a
ceramic heat emitter to prevent your iguana stressing

DIET:
Iguana Iguanas are herbivores.... They DO NOT need animal
protein, they cannot digest it... it will KILL them!! (Kidney disease)
Basically, the diet needs to consist of Collard Greens, mustard greens, turnip
greens,
dandelion greens,escarole, endive, chicory, arugula,(torn in pieces smaller
than
their head) winter squash (butternut or acorn squash), parsnips
(grated or shredded) all placed in a shallow dish. (This is not
a complete foods list, but is a good start.)
There are 'good' foods and foods for treats (those
used only once in awhile). Fruits are treats..to be given a few
times a week. (This doesn't mean that you cannot give your ig a
piece of fruit every day..one small piece a day is fine.) Again,
I cannot stress enough the importance of diet. NO COMMERCIAL
prepared ig food..no bugs, worms, tuna, chicken, monkey biscuits,
dog or cat foods, eggs, cottage cheese... NO animal protein!!!!!


SUBSTRATES:
This is what you use on the floor of your igs enclosure.
DO NOT USE anything that is bark, litter,chips...no loose substrates!!...Many
are toxic
and more so, your ig will ingest these items and it will KILL them.
You can use paper bags, newspaper, paper towels, no pile carpeting or towels
(wash first,and be sure there are no loose strings )

HEAT ROCKS KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...they can overheat, they cause burns (igs cannot feel
the heat) they will KILL... if you have one and you ig loves it..
cut off the cord and place it on his basking shelf and it will absorb the heat of
the basking light. Never use heat rocks or heated caves!!!!

This list is by no means complete!!!! Below are listed some very good
informational sites.
They will be with us for 15-20 plus years with proper care and
a little luck. Providing them with the proper needs will help them live
a long, healthy, and happy life.
Remember, we are the ones that pulled them out of the natural
environments..
it's our job to give them as close to a natural habitat as possible.
http://www.iguanaden.org/
http://www.greenigsociety.org/
http://anapsid.org/ (contains some outdated information on uvb)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BabyIguana/   a yahoo group dedicated to
raising iguanas

The information contained in the caresheet was originally written by me for
use at the iguanaden website(2003) and also in the book"The Iguana Den's
Care and Keeping of  Giant Green Iguanas"(2005)

If you would like to see pictures of my iguanas...some of which have been
rescued from other homes because the people were not caring for them
properly and got tired of the iguanas,and also cage sizes and set ups... please go to http://community.webshots.com/user/rottnborder

If you have any more questions, or don't understand something please let me
know and I hope I've been able to help you with your questions.

You might want to print out my reply so you can refer back to it more easily  

Answer
Hi Krista,
Your green monsters coloring sounds like my Lews coloring. Her belly is a very vivid green and the rest of her is various shades of orange. I will be VERY interested in hearing what the Dr has to say about the burns...one word of caution ....I would check(by phone, internet, etc) before using any remedy the skin specialist may want to try on Guido.  Not all human medications/treatments are "reptile" approved and can actually make a problem worse. I would love to see a picture of your Guido!
Good luck at the Drs and please, do let me know how it goes.