Sick Iguana - MBD?

Question
QUESTION: Hello.  I purchased an young green iguana a week ago today at a Mexican flee market.  I know that it was a pretty foolish decision, especially now that I've done more extensive research on iguana care.  I had the basics of iguana care down, but after reading about their behavior I'm realizing that my ig is pretty sick.  

I'm assuming that she has MBD because she holds one of her rear legs limp and it's swollen at the "ankle" joint.  At first the entire leg was swollen, but now it's just that one joint.  I guess it's broken, but I'm not sure how to help her heal?  Should I be restricting her movement at all?

Also, she came with a 10gal tank . . . much too small for her (she's 7-8 inches long from head to vent).  I'm converting a wooden dresser into a new abode for her with ledges and branches . . . the works!  It should be done tomorrow.  But now I'm wondering if I should keep her in the 10 gal or at least sequester her to the bottom layers of this new place so that she doesn't fall and break anything else.  Will she limit herself or should I make sure that she rests that leg?

Also, I'm trying to get her calcium levels back to normal.  I bought a light for her, but it's UVA, so I make sure to keep her in the sun for at least 2 hours a day.  I've also been feeding her collards, kale, and dandelion greens but she doesn't like any of them.  All she wants to eat is leaf lettuce (I assume that's all she got to eat before I bought her) . . . how can I encourage her to eat the good greens with lots of calcium in them?  She's pretty thin so I don't want her to not eat at all.  And she sleeps a lot even though it's 90-95F in her tank during the day.

I know that the overall prognosis of severe MBD in igs often isn't really good . . . but when should I expect to see improvement . . . and what will that improvement look like?  So far I've seen what I think is marked improvement, but I just want to know if I'm just prolonging her suffering or if she really can get better.  Her color looks great, she's shedding pretty well, she's been pooping, she's sometimes active, and she's occasionally ornery when I hold her.  I'm pretty strapped for money (that's why I'm making her the "IguanoSphere" myself rather than buy everything), so taking her 200 miles to the closest reptile vet is out of the question.  I will do whatever is reasonable and economically feasible to help her heal . . . if it's apparent that I can't afford to keep her then I will send her to a place who can.  I just want to do right by her.

Thanks so much for your time!

ANSWER: Hello Jess,

Well, at least you are trying though & I am sure that she appreciates it.
I hope that she has metabolic bone disease & not gout.  Can you post a picture of her for me?  
Can she put weight on her foot then?  Yes, I would limit her movement for now, so you will need to make sure her basking lights are appropriate heights for her to keep her warm enough.  If you are able to get her in the sun a couple of hours a day that will help.  If you can afford it, getting a Megaray would be extremely beneficial for her & it speeds up the calcium metabolism also.
If she feels safe in her tank, she may not move around much but you should try to discourage her from moving too much by keeping the basking platform low & limiting climbing apparatus availability to very little.  She very well could hurt herself if her bones are in that bad of shape.  If her ankle is swollen, it could be broken or it just could be mishandling on someone else's part.  Are any of her toes swollen or any other parts of her hands, fingers, feet or toes swollen?
She is just going to have to learn to eat the other greens.  I am sure she got little to no nutrition.  You could go ahead & mix some of the green or red leaf lettuce in with the other greens.  are you using fruit & veggies mixed in with it too?
Do you have calcium supplementation?  She will need that as well.  Is she under 1 year?
The setup you are building for her sounds fine, it will be functional no problem.
  
Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tracie,

Thanks so much for your thorough response!  I will get you a picture of her leg asap, but here's a picture of her sunning herself on the car ride back (the problem leg is left-rear, draped over the seat):  http://picasaweb.google.com/swathi.malepati/TheValley?feat=email#533995948487734
It's probably difficult to tell much from that pic so I will get you another one soon.  Her color had improved tremendously by the time those pictures were taken.  Also, I noticed that her leg was bad after I gave her to a friend to hold and he put her back in her cage when I wasn't around.  The next time I picked her up her leg was swollen.  So improper handling may have been the thing that started this issue.

When I first noticed that Ursula's leg was bothering her, the entire leg was swollen (8 days ago).  Now it's just the ankle joint, not the thigh or toes.  Nothing else is swollen at all.  She doesn't put weight on it at all unless she gets very stressed (when I bathe her) and then she will only grip with her toes and use very slight pressure.  

As far as eating . . . how much should I be expecting her to eat because she's finally pooping daily!  On Thursday she pooped about 5 times and yesterday she pooped during her bath.  I hand-fed her about 5 pieces of a collard leaf (each were about 1 inch x 1 inch) and 1 piece of a turnip green that's the same size.  When I mix lettuce in her bowl I come back and find the lettuce gone and the collards, etc still there.  I try to use the leaf lettuce as a treat, but that's it.  I tried sprinkling the tiniest dusting of human calcium supplement on her feed, but I don't want to over-do it.  I feed her finely chopped squash, green beans, and cucumber too . . . but she doesn't know what to do with them.

Also, I'm assuming that she's incredibly dehydrated because I can pinch the skin of her arm and it takes a second or more to settle back into place.  I'm bathing her twice, daily for an hour each time but I haven't seen her drink for 3 days.  She does not enjoy bath time one bit.  

I doubt that she feels safe in her tank.  I put 2 sticks in a 10gal aquarium, a dish of water, and a UVA lamp on top.  That's why I take her out a lot.  To get her some sun and to let her stretch a bit. The humidity in her cage is hard to maintain.  I tried a friend's humidifier last night and it kept the tank around 65% . . . better than usual for nighttime.  

I have no idea how old she is.  I was lucky that the person selling her was able to accurately tell me what her sex was.  I assumed, since she is about 8 inches head to vent and because she was kept in a 10gal tank whenever I saw her, that she is about 1 year old.

I am an intern at a non-profit organic farm so my annual income is $3,000 a year.  I'm trying to make things for her, get her food out of our garden, and scavenge leftover supplies from others to try to limit the cost of her upkeep.  Any tips would greatly be appreciated.  

Thanks so much!  
-Jess


ANSWER: Hello Jess,

That is interesting, a non profit organic farm?  Where do you live?  
I think you are doing everything that you can, cost wise, to keep it down.  Using an old dresser as you did to convert it into a tank is perfect.  She will get used to it eventually.  
The humidity of 65% is not bad, really, especially for nighttime.
Continue to take her outside as much as you can, & when you can definitely get a UVB light.  It will do her a world of good.
I think she is roughly a year, & probably not older than 2 years at the most.  She looks young in the face the best I can tell anyway.  She is very pretty, too.  Is she pretty friendly so far?
Great, I don't think it is gout then, based on what you have told me.  If her leg & ankle was not swollen, until you had a friend hold her then she might just have weak bones & could injure herself easily.
I would also get some Repcal calcium so you can give her calcium supplementation 4 times per week at least.
There really is nothing more you can do but continue to put all of the greens in there & when she gets hungry enough, she will start eating them all.  Are you including a little bit of fruit too?  That might entice her a little bit.  They tend to love melons & different types of berries so maybe try mixing some of that in with the greens & veggies if you can.  
That is very good to hear that she is going to the bathroom daily now.  How do her urates look?  Are they hard or soft, & are they white or discolored?
I think it sounds like you are doing all you can.  Just handle her carefully & make sure she does not do any climbing right now, or as little as possible.  

Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The farm is World Hunger Relief in Waco, TX.  I found a herp vet nearby who knows about the farm and is willing to see Ursula for free!  =D  Hopefully he can get her squared away.  She is there today for observation.  I saw a picture of my friend as he held her and I saw that her leg was swollen in that picture . . . I'm pretty sure it was not swollen before.  We will see what the vet says.

Thanks so much!!
-Jess

Answer
Hello Jess,

Oh that is really cool.  You sure don't make much doing that though.  
Wow you found a vet nearby to see Ursula for free?  That is impressive.  
Let me know how things go at the vets.  :-))
Waco, Texas.  We are from San Antonio, Texas but are living in Florida now.  
I hope that she is going to make a full recovery for you.  Talk to you soon.

Tracie