Falkor seems to be doing pretty good for his condition. He's a little slow on
learning to judge distance and whatnot. I'm hoping for as close to a full
recovery as we can get. He has shown a lot of improvement, and the trust between
us has grown greatly. May have had a backwards step in trust today, he almost
fell off the top of his ramp. Before I could get my hands on him he was climbing
the mesh of his habitat. While giving me an evil eye. But, he's very forgiving
if you offer treats and use baby talk.


--- In AdvancedIguanaCare@yahoogroups.com, "Sue Solomon" <SSue@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Adam,
>
> Right now I am fostering a very elderly male iguana whose right eye
was already missing when he came to the biology lab of our state university
about 12 years ago. Petey doesn't have a crooked spine like Falkor, nor did he
ever have swollen eyes. That said, not only does he navigate well with his one
eye but he actually learned to go from room to room in my house and then return
to the room with his floor-level cage within a few days of arriving here!
>
> An iguana with damaged sight might not make it in the wild but based
on Petey's experience, it would seem that their intelligence enables them to
adapt as a pet.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi, this is Adam, Falkor's owner. I just want to give more details on Falkor
with his climbing issues. He climbs up pretty well, it's like his daily routine
to climb up the side of his habitat to get a different view through his window.
But, when he climbs up, he'll stay there unless I get him down, like he can't
climb down.
> The thing that's got us thinking that he may have spinal issues, is that the
majority of the time whenever he's on a flat surface, he bends to the right at
probably a 60 degree angle. He also turns sharp to the right when eating.
Another note worthy statement in all this is that due to his eyes swelling, he's
grown accustomed to only using his left eye to see most of the time. So his
turning to the right may be an attempt at getting a "head on" view with his left
eye (just a thought)
> He is improving greatly though, he's almost tripled the amount of food he
eats, and today for the first time he actually looked at me with his right eye.
The swelling is decreasing, his activity increasing. Still having some balance
issues, so I make sure to keep his floor well padded, the only time falling from
his basking stand becomes an issue is while he's chewing, during which time I
stay in with him and keep a hand on his right side to prevent incident. All this
assistance needed is also greatly increasing trust between us.
> Thanks for all of your time and concern!
>
> >
> > IMO, any iguana that is in the early stages of recovering from MBD or
shows signs of problems with climbing or back issues should live in a flat cage
with only a slightly inclined branch or ramp. Otherwise, the iguana could fall
and create even worse injuries.
> >
> > Although a glass tank or wood or molded plastic flat "snake cage" aren't
generally recommended for iguanas, I use them for iguanas in these categories
and also for those recovering from surgery. The cage should be wide enough for
the iguana to turn around and long enough to allow some mobility.
> >
> > If there is no hope of recovery from the problem, then a large flat cage
is a good idea. My elderly Agent Orange has permanent pseudomonas infection of
his spine despite long-term use of multiple medications. He is a freeroamer who
spends much of his summer days outdoors (he doesn't climb trees) or resting on
either the heating pad next to my computer or on his nighttime sleeping spot on
top of a "cat condo". I put him up there at bedtime and get him down to shower
in the morning but he also has safe access using a wide PVC-coated vinyl ladder
at an angle that is not steep.
> >
> >
> > --- In AdvancedIguanaCare@yahoogroups.com, "nannette4iguanas" <nangunn@>
wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm posting this for Falkor's owner. Falkor is the iguana who had
swollen eyes.
> > >
> > > The vet took multiple X-rays to check for bone abnormalities around the
eyes, and no bone abnormalities were found. Falkor's Uric acid test came back,
1.9mg/dL. The vet said that is on the low side of normal, but still within a
healthy range.
> > >
> > >
> > > Falkor's eyes are slightly less swollen. The vet only took x-rays of the
head. Please look at Falkor's album and view the last photo, which I've just
uploaded. I'm concerned about his back. Notice his back in the photo. Also note
that Falkor cannot climb up or down without assistance.
> > >
> > > Is there a reason to x-ray the rest of the body to check the spine and
the rest of the bones for fractures? Is it worth the money to do that, or is
there nothing they can do about it anyway?
> > >
> > > Falkor, as you may remember, had no UVB at all until recently (he now
has a MegaRay).
> > > Thanks,
> > > Nannette
> > >
> >
>