Igor my Iguana

Question
Dear Sara,
I've got 9 year old male Iguana,I had a problem feeding him for the last 6 weeks,he would only eat if I hand feed him,toady I looked at his mouth and it looked like he's got his front teeth but the back ones are gone!!
he doesn't move much and seem a bit depressed..we move around in the last 6 months and he had to fly from Israel to the UK and changed his environment quite a lot..he is still Orange and doing his nodding when he sees me,but he looks run down and lack of energy..
i wonder if that's an age thing or something is horribly wrong with him?
I'm very worried,there are not a lot of vet's for iguana in London
just wondering if you might have an idea what's wrong with him?
thank you very much
Mika%26Igor

Answer
Dear Miika%26Igor,

From what you are saying, it sounds like it has been long enough since you flew Igor to London that he should be recovered from that and used to his new environment by now. Also, I do not believe that his age has anything to do with this because lethargy and loss of appetite are not normal in an iguana and usually indicate illness. Honestly, if it were me, I would examine his environment first and check... does he have the proper UVB lighting? This is VERY important to an iguana's health because without it, they cannot digest calcium and it makes them weak and brittle. It is important to check on the box of your light bulb and make sure it says UVA & UVB not just UVA. Also, does he have enough room to move around comfortably...could he be dehydrated? Does he have enough branches to climb to keep him strong? Has his diet changed, could he be rejecting his food? Is he getting the right foods such as collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, squash, peas, green beans, etc?
Also, I would check and see if his mouth is swollen, red, or if there are sores, because if his teeth are missing and his mouth looks normal otherwise, he may just be re-growing his teeth in the back, their teeth break off and regrow a lot. If he does appear to have a mouth infection, this would explain why he hasn't been eating much and if he hasn't been eating much this explains why he hasn't been feeling energetic. If you believe he has a mouth infection, he will need antibiotics and my vet likes to keep iguanas on antibiotics for at least 3-4 weeks because iguanas are slow to get sick and slow to heal.
Some things you can do to help give him some energy is to soak him in a pedia-lyte solution and try to syringe some liquid into his mouth to make sure he is not dehydrated.
Bottom line here is if you don't think he is his normal self, it is important to get him seen by a vet. I know you said there aren't many reptile vets in London but it may just be as simple as him needing antibiotics and any vet should be able to weigh the iguana and give him the proper dosage of antibiotics for his body weight. My vet gives the same kind of antibiotics used in dogs and cats. We use ciprofloaxacin and baytril. If you are worried about Igor, don't wait too long because iguanas don't show when they are sick sometimes until it is really bad and once they stop eating this is a sign that he could be in the latter stages of illness. You know your iguana and if you think his health is at risk, I urge you to have him examined. I wish I could tell you what exactly it is but I cannot, all I can tell you is what I would do if it were me. I hope Igor is alright and please let me know if he is alright.

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