http://www.drexotic.com Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:51:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.drexotic.com/pain-and-the-avian-patient/#comment-770 Dr. Jenkins Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:51:31 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=103#comment-770 Most of our patients with significant pain go home with injectable pain medication (and 99% of the antibiotics we send home are injectable). We have no problem teaching owners how to give injections at home. Some birds do well with oral pain medication (many birds with arthritis do well with meloxicam orally). Most of our patients with significant pain go home with injectable pain medication (and 99% of the antibiotics we send home are injectable). We have no problem teaching owners how to give injections at home.
Some birds do well with oral pain medication (many birds with arthritis do well with meloxicam orally).

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-769 Dr. Jenkins Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:47:22 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-769 Lena We want them to have a 10*F temperature drop at night (so they should be ~80*F where they sleep). If you can't get that temperature with a pad and light try a higher watt (I'd have you get a 150 watt) ceramic heater and use a dimmer switch (just like the day time heat light) to adjust the temperature. Baby iguanas are eaten by lots of animals and they do hide at night. In the wild they'd be under bushes, under fallen bark or branches, etc. Lena
We want them to have a 10*F temperature drop at night (so they should be ~80*F where they sleep). If you can’t get that temperature with a pad and light try a higher watt (I’d have you get a 150 watt) ceramic heater and use a dimmer switch (just like the day time heat light) to adjust the temperature.
Baby iguanas are eaten by lots of animals and they do hide at night. In the wild they’d be under bushes, under fallen bark or branches, etc.

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/common-avian-emergencies/#comment-768 Dr. Jenkins Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:41:55 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=99#comment-768 Lauren Find a good avian veterinarian (preferably one that is board certified) and get her seen. Typically we weould tret her with an injection of <a href="http://www.lupron.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lupron Depot (leuprolide acetate)</a> to shut down her hormone production for a time. You also want to work on the environmental stimulus for her laying. For your grey to lay an egg she needs four stimuli, season (lengthening / long days), a mate, a nest, and an abundant, safe environment. We can change things in her environment to make her less likely to lay eggs after the Lupron wears off. Shorten her days. Cover her cage with a heavy cover after 10 hours of light. Figure out who or what she thinks is her mate. That person will likely need to change how he/she interacts with the bird. No stroking her back, etc. If the "mate" is an inanimate object (mirror, toy, perch, etc.) remove that (she will get over it). Take her nest away. If she is using the floor of her cage, put something there she doesn't like: a rubber rat, a dog toy with big eyes, cover the floor with wax paper or aluminum foil. To address her abundance, change her diet. If she doesn't eat pellets, now is a great time to work on that project. I think you get the picture. What you must do is stop her from laying. If she continues it will be the end of her! Lauren
Find a good avian veterinarian (preferably one that is board certified) and get her seen. Typically we weould tret her with an injection of Lupron Depot (leuprolide acetate) to shut down her hormone production for a time. You also want to work on the environmental stimulus for her laying.
For your
grey to lay an egg she needs four stimuli, season (lengthening / long days), a mate, a nest, and an abundant, safe environment. We can change things in her environment to make her less likely to lay eggs after the Lupron wears off. Shorten her days. Cover her cage with a heavy cover after 10 hours of light. Figure out who or what she thinks is her mate. That person will likely need to change how he/she interacts with the bird. No stroking her back, etc. If the “mate” is an inanimate object (mirror, toy, perch, etc.) remove that (she will get over it). Take her nest away. If she is using the floor of her cage, put something there she doesn’t like: a rubber rat, a dog toy with big eyes, cover the floor with wax paper or aluminum foil. To address her abundance, change her diet. If she doesn’t eat pellets, now is a great time to work on that project. I think you get the picture.
What you must do is stop her from laying. If she continues it will be the end of her!

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-767 Dr. Jenkins Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:46:36 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-767 Sorry. It is always shocking when our friends die unexpectedly! It may be worth the costs to have a necropsy (an animal autopsy) done. A good reptile veterinarian or your local, county or state veterinary laboratory can provide that service. I think that there is no more important part of your pet's care than to know why they die. Sorry. It is always shocking when our friends die unexpectedly!
It may be worth the costs to have a necropsy (an animal autopsy) done. A good reptile veterinarian or your local, county or state veterinary laboratory can provide that service. I think that there is no more important part of your pet’s care than to know why they die.

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-766 Renee Schoenbach Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:43:52 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-766 I have a green iguana that is around 5 years old. He was active yesterday eating drinking and waiting to be scratched. Woke up today and he's dead and rigor has already settled in. What the heck? I have a green iguana that is around 5 years old. He was active yesterday eating drinking and waiting to be scratched. Woke up today and he’s dead and rigor has already settled in. What the heck?

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-765 Dr. Jenkins Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:19:37 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-765 If not today, this week. Congrat's! Dr. J If not today, this week.
Congrat’s! Dr. J

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-764 Devon Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:04:05 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-764 Yeah, she laid 23 today!!!!!! should i get her checked out today? Yeah, she laid 23 today!!!!!! should i get her checked out today?

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-763 Dr. Jenkins Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:28:42 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-763 Anna Happy, healthy well kept iguanas have an aggressive attitude. If handled they may become less fearful and less aggressive. They are always a bit dangerous, however and must be treated as such. Still they are fascinating creatures and interesting to keep. I'm not certain that they qualify as "pet" as much as "reptile collection." Anna
Happy, healthy well kept iguanas have an aggressive attitude. If handled they may become less fearful and less aggressive. They are always a bit dangerous, however and must be treated as such. Still they are fascinating creatures and interesting to keep. I’m not certain that they qualify as “pet” as much as “reptile collection.”

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-762 Dr. Jenkins Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:23:38 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-762 Try putting a plant (real or artificial) against the cage where she puts her face. Iguanas often want to sleep where they feel protected and I suspect she feels less visible when she is smashed against the cage. The plant will give her some cover and, if nothing else, keep her away from the cage. Try putting a plant (real or artificial) against the cage where she puts her face. Iguanas often want to sleep where they feel protected and I suspect she feels less visible when she is smashed against the cage. The plant will give her some cover and, if nothing else, keep her away from the cage.

]]> http://www.drexotic.com/care-and-feeding-of-iguanas/#comment-761 Dr. Jenkins Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:18:48 +0000 http://www.drexotic.com/?p=86#comment-761 Ahmed It will take several months, and, to a great extent, he will grow out of the swelling. that is to say, as he gets larger the swelling will become less and less noticeable. Ahmed
It will take several months, and, to a great extent, he will grow out of the swelling.
that is to say, as he gets larger the swelling will become less and less noticeable.

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