i was headed outside today when i was stopped by a lady in front of the building asking if i would please take her 8 year old sons "iguana". i told her i was sorry and i did not have the room for an iguana, she then told me it was tiny and not being taken care of properly. i though ok, maybe i can take it, get it up to health and size and hand it over to the Sean Casey Adoption Agency(they are local and take in igs)
so i went into her first floor apartment, into her sons room and saw a very small, very skinny chinese water dragon..which had no lighting(they require a heat lamp and a UVB lamp) in a 5 gallon tank with a small water bowl..no branches and sand substrate. i was pretty horrified as these are one of my favorite lizards, so i told her yes, i'll take him..but keep the tank.
i thought he had mouth rot when i first examined him..he may just have some food and sand stuck in his mouth..but he does have what looks like a small abcess on his lower jaw. and he has been gaping..which could mean he has a respiratory infection. his front legs..from his hands to his elbows are paralyzed on both sides..which could be early signs of a calcium deficiency(i wouldn't be suprised) but he can get around and climb ok. to my suprise, he ate 5 small calcium coated crickets and had no problem getting them down.
hopefully this tiny guy can make a full recovery with me, he'll most likley see the local reptile vet if i can't fix his problems myself
so i went into her first floor apartment, into her sons room and saw a very small, very skinny chinese water dragon..which had no lighting(they require a heat lamp and a UVB lamp) in a 5 gallon tank with a small water bowl..no branches and sand substrate. i was pretty horrified as these are one of my favorite lizards, so i told her yes, i'll take him..but keep the tank.
i thought he had mouth rot when i first examined him..he may just have some food and sand stuck in his mouth..but he does have what looks like a small abcess on his lower jaw. and he has been gaping..which could mean he has a respiratory infection. his front legs..from his hands to his elbows are paralyzed on both sides..which could be early signs of a calcium deficiency(i wouldn't be suprised) but he can get around and climb ok. to my suprise, he ate 5 small calcium coated crickets and had no problem getting them down.
hopefully this tiny guy can make a full recovery with me, he'll most likley see the local reptile vet if i can't fix his problems myself
