Iguna tail

Question
I went home yesterday and to my shock izzy's tail was gone I found it on the floor it looks like it was broken off. What could have happened to it? He was alone. I was told to not worry it will grow back.

Answer

My Favorite Bulb Louise,

Yikes, the tail breaks are very common, but if your iguana didn't sustain any trauma, I think the real problem is with his calcium levels. When iguanas develop calcium deficiency, they generally remain significantly smaller than they ought to for their age group and they become especially prone to breaks and fractures, particularly in the fingers/toes, knees,legs and tail. I will discuss the injury and also how to handle possible calcium deficiency.

THE INJURY-

Now, I have dealt with tail breaks several times and the best care for this is to flush the open area with a mixture of saline and betadine solution. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, it actually can erode the flesh it is too harsh. Now, you will want to flush it, then you can apply some sort of antibiotic cream and bandage the tip up to keep it dry. You don't have to bandage it, but you may find it helps the healing process. As time goes on and the wound begins to heal, you can start leaving it exposed. It will take roughly 6 weeks before it truly heals over. Be aware that this is an open wound like if your arm was cut off at the elbow. If you didn't keep it clean, you could get a terrible infection and it could potentially kill you. The higher up on the tail that the break occurs, the higher likelihood of infection. Yes, it is true the tail will grow back, but ONLY if you keep it clean!!! Whenever I deal with tail breaks, I also go to the vet and get an oral antibiotic to help the healing process and prevent infection.

THE REAL PROBLEM - LIKELY A CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

I will tell you a story about my first rescued iguana named Mr. Pop. When I rescued Mr. Pop, he looked like a normal, healthy iguana aside from the fact that his nails were a bit messed up and he had already lost the lower half of his tail. His tail was healed over but it wasn't kept clean so it healed with a necrotic bulb at the tip and stayed short. I allowed him to roam free his first day with me. I left him in a closed room overnight to sleep and when I went in there the next morning there was blood all over my wall and his entire remaining tail was broken off at the base and lying on the floor in a pool of blood...he had jumped from a high surface down to the ground, landed on his tail wrong, and because his bones were so weak, it snapped right off. Then, about 2 months later, under the advice of my vet, I made an outdoor terrarium for him to receive natural sunlight and speed up his recovery and within the first day of him being out there, he lost an entire finger off of his right hand just from climbing up and down the chicken wire siding of his cage because his bones were still so weak it took a finger right off.

Why did this happen?

Iguana Calcium Deficiency, or Metabolic Bone Disease. This is a hidden condition most of the time. A very large majority of captive iguanas have calcium deficiency to some degree. Iguanas require a delicate balance of calcium and phosphate levels in for healthy bones. The two number one reasons for developing this deficiency (also known as Metabolic Bone Disease) is LACK OF UVB RAYS and POOR DIET.

Please evaluate your iguana's diet. Make sure you are using collard greens, mustard greens or turnip greens and no lettuce. Lettuce has no nutritional value. Also, avoid spinach, cabbage, carrots and broccoli because their high phosphate content blocks calcium absorption and can contribute to the calcium deficiency I mentioned earlier called Metabolic Bone Disease.

Secondly, it doesn't matter how much calcium you give your iguana if he is not receiving adequate UVB radiation. Without UVB radiation, the iguana cannot digest that calcium, so it goes unused. The body then begins to extract calcium from the bones to keep vital calcium levels in the blood and the body prefers to take the calcium from the fingers, toes, limbs before it will any other bones because those are non-vital for survival. Basically, UVB allows an iguana to produce vitamin D3, which allows an iguana to digest calcium.

The way you can tell if an iguana has mild to moderate MBD is if they appear to be small for their size, sometimes they are more docile, and if they have big/enlarged joints in their fingers/toes and their nail beds will often be trashed. If you let it advance to its severe stages (if the iguana lives that long) you will see hunchback iguanas, iguanas with square jawlines, knobby protrusions on their bodies, limps and in the saddest of all cases, they will become paralyzed and only be able to drag themselves along, no longer able to climb. What is the most troubling about MBD is that the deformities and disfigurement can never be cured, once paralyzed, they will remain this way, but they can still recover from MBD and restore heathy calcium levels in their bones.

Most reptile basking bulbs do not emit UVB, only UVA. If you have even the slightest doubt as to whether or not your iguana is receiving UVB radiation, you need to act fast and get a new UV bulb that you know for a fact has UVB radiation. It WILL say it on the box. Iguanas need UVA and UVB...UVA is used primarily for the heat output and also it has been noted to increase iguana's psychological well-being. UVB is the more important of the two because without it, an iguana cannot digest calcium. Your iguana is made to bask in the sun at very low latitudes in nature and their bodies are formed with a dependency on an outside source for UV rays. They need the UVB or else they become calcium deficient and this can cause an array of health related problems and symptoms including bone breaks, small animals for their age, lethargy, paralysis, deformation and even death. Natural, unfiltered sunlight is even better, but if you are unable to get your iguana outdoors regularly, please pick up a combo bulb or a separate UVA and UVB bulb.

Some good brands are Exo Terra "Solar Glo" Sun simulating lamps and also ZooMed's  "Power Sun".

Treating and reversing Metabolic Bone Disease takes MONTHS! Please start addressing your lighting and diet right now, if not, you are likely to see more breaks and eventually watch your iguana weaken and suffer over the long run.

Please follow up with any remaining questions.

Sara J. Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptoRescue.org