I would LOVE to put the Ceramic Heat Emitter on a thermostat!!! How do I do that?? Prettly please give me direction!!! HomeDepot told me the only way to do that was to hardwire it. I plan on having everything hardwired in the adult enclosure, but it's kind of impractical for this little one. However, if that is what it takes...

As for "potty training"... He has spent as much as 30 minutes in the water...no defecation - EVER! I was fully expecting him to go, but noooo.

BTW - I just checked on Mikki, and in his new, cooler temps, he is a super brilliant, and darker, green!!! His color has always looked a little washed out; a little grey in the face. Now that I know why, I feel a little bit dumb for not connecting the dots. BUT HE SEEMS FINE NOW!!!

Jeannie

Don't beat yourself up. You are in the middle of a learning experience.
And with iguanas there is a lot to learn,...and quickly!
But it will get easier.
As for the thermostat, you can get them that the Ceramic Heat Emitter cord just plugs right into it and the thermostat plugs into the wall, no wiring necessary.
I like the Zoomed ReptiTemp 500R http://www.herpsupplies.com/product....0&id=SZMRT500R and you can get them online much cheaper than the petstore.
I like HerpSupplies.com - Reptile Supplies, Vivarium, Reptile Accessories, Reptile Habitat, Reptile Lighting, Zoo Med, Reptile Supply, Lizard Supplies, Reptarium, Rep-Cal, Flukers, Reptile Bedding, Fresh-Air Habitat, Reptile Heat Pads. I have been doing business with them for quite a while and have nothing but good things to say about their service.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Thank you so very much for all of your help!!!

I just ordered the MVB SB 100W, 26W Compact Fl (no UVB - to replace the existing "bad & dangerous" one), and the infra-red thermometer from ReptileUV. I also ordered that ZooMed ReptiTemp 500R - Thank you!! So by next week, Mikki's enclosure should be in super-great shape! I can eat crackers and water while I handle him, but at least I will know that I am no longer cooking the poor little dude - or dudette.

BTW - Where should I put the ReptiTemp sensor in the enclosure?? Very top? Cool corner? Below the top shelf on cool side? Ceiling??? I'm "new" and I guess it REALLY shows! lol

Jeannie

Wow! Good for you for being so consciensous and willing to do whatever it takes to get your little "critter" to thrive. He's a lucky little lizard.
When we got our Critter he was already three years old and had been tamed so we didn't go through all that wildness. We just had to get him used to us and his new home.
At first he wouldn't eat (for days) but I bribed him with little romaine burrito treats(a little piece of lettuce with his real greens inside). I know it's not the right food for them but it did the trick to get him to eat. He still likes romaine for a treat at the ripe old age of 13.
I love your expression "flipping the dew"!!!
Welcome

I put the thermostat sensor, along with the probe from a thermometer on the wall next to the basking area, which is right under the Ceramic Heat Emitter and a bit off to one side. I have 2 digital thermometers with the remote probes, one at the bottom of the enclosure and one next to the thermostat probe.
This is in a 6ft tall cage.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Whew! What a weekend!! So I received the new MVB & UV lights, as well as the ZM Thermostat on Saturday. I set everything up, worked out the temp gradient, and the habitat was working like clockwork. Or so I thought! I came home a few hours later and the temp was down to 71.5 degrees - ON TOP! THAT totally freaked me out! He was one level down and SO cold and didn't really even TRY to get away when I picked him up!

Long story short, the Exo-Terro Ceramic Heat Emitter malfunctioned (after the thermostat went on and off a few times, the Ceramic Heat Emitter shorted out altogether). I was able to get Mikkis habitat back up to temp that night, and I had to go buy a new ZM Ceramic Heat Emitter at a store in Seattle. I *WILL* be purchasing a back-up online, because I had to pay $45.99 for something I can purchase online for about 1/2 that online!!

NOW it DOES work like clockwork!! I am going to get another digital thermometer to continuously watch the basking area, which I have down to 100. The top level now has a gradient going from 92 over to 83 on the cool side. The temps on the bottom are, suprisingly, not very different than when I had been roasting Mikki.

Getting the habitat to the correct temp does take a LOT of effort, to say the least. However, knowing that I am doing all that I can for this little guy means a LOT to me. Especially after what I saw yesterday at the pet store...

There were about 20 igs (about snout to vent length 6") )in an open wire cage about 1/4 the size of my habitat. There was one small heat lamp, on the side of the cage, and most of the igs were attached to the side of the cage, all over each other, just trying to get warm. There was no other heat source. There was iceberg lettuce (with poop all over it) on the bottom of the cage and no water. I may be new, but I tried to talk to the storekeeper, but it became obvious that she didn't really seem to care. She said they were a new shipment of brand new babies (NOT!) and that she was nursing them back to health. HA HA HA

That was not the worst of it, either! There was one ig on the opposite side of the cage, on a branch (about snout to vent length 9") that was obviously not doing well. He was super skinny, darker and muted in color, and ALL of his fingers were missing on one arm!!!! I told her that he was probably going to die if he didn't get special care (like FOOD AND WARMTH!) She said he was fine. Being the sucker that I am, I offered her $10 for him. Nope. $20? Nope. $39.99 plus tax, just like all the rest of them.

It was so very, very, VERY hard for me to walk out of there without him. I so very badly wanted to bring him home, try to nurse him to health, and find him a real home where people actually CARE about him. Or at least give the poor guy a shot. NOBODY is going to buy him and he is going to suffer all summer (if he makes it that long) until he dies. Even now, I can not stop thinking about him. I know that there are 1,000s like him all over the country - all over the world. Poor things. Unfortunately, I know about this poor little guy. He doesn't have a chance to really live at all. I ***REALLY*** want to go back and get him. It makes me sick to think that he is suffering like that. It is driving me absolutely bonkers thinking about it.

On a more positive note, Mikki is coming around to the fact that I am on his side, as it were. Of course, the improvement is VERY miniscule, but all the tiny accomplishments will eventually add up! One time I went into his cage and he was whipping, whipping, whipping! I never even flinched, and after about 5-10 minutes (time flies when your'e having fun!) I slid my hand slowly under his belly, lifted him up, and slowly moved him to a different part of his cage, and slowly put him down. The look on his face was so funny. He slightly cocked his head as if he were wondering how on earth to deal with the situation.

Anyhoo...Thanks for all of your help, and I will keep you all updated on Mikki!! He is almost done with his first shed, just has his arms and the last 2" of his tail to go. I'm keeping a close eye on them, too.

Jeannie
Still thining about that poor, poor little ig in Seattle and whether or not it would be of any good to bring him home.

Walking out is the best you could have done, though. Even better would be to call animal control on her.

That's abuse, and she knows she can get away with it. Probably enough kind hearted souls have bought animals in bad condition that she knows someone will buy it at high cost no matter what. Each time someone does buy one, it's reinforcing her abuse routine.

She needs a visit from someone with the authority to shut her down if she's ever going to change.

In those cases, it's best to walk away and boycott anything at all in the store. If enough people did this, pet shop owners would eventually feel the crunch and have to start taking better care of their animals.

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

What Typh said. BUYING that animal only reinforces that she can get away with that treatment. I would be calling the SPCA on her TODAY.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I agree. As hard as it is, buying a sick animal only gives the shopkeeper more money to by more animals and incentive continue to do things in the same manner. You can't save them all.
And since the heat emitter is brand new I would take it back and demand an exchange or a refund.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Sigh... I just couldn't walk away from her. I really, REALLY tried. I hardly slept at all last night thinking about the poor little girl. Long story short, it took me about an hour to talk the owner into just giving her to me. I didn't pay him anything for her. I just couldn't leave without a fight, as it were. He finally caved and handed her over. I know I can't save them all, but if I can save one, maybe that will count for something. Right?

I know I'm new to iguana care; I know that in the big picture, I do not know much about igs AT ALL. But I couldn't just leave her there. I really do not want to be "flamed" I'm just looking for a little support. I guess I'm too big of a softy for my own good sometimes.

I honestly don't know if she will make it or not. She's in pretty bad shape. She didn't really move at all until I slowly warmed her up in a warm water bath. Then she moved - a little. She tried to whip me a few times - but does not even have the energy to do that. I brought her out in the sun for a few minutes, but a breeze picked up and I didn't want her to get cold again. She has 2 wounds/infections on the bridge of her nose on either side. May need antibiotics for that. We'll see. She has a small, black spot about the size of a sharpie pen dot on her side. It looks like the scales are black, but it doesn't look fuzzy or velvety. She has mites, and is probably loaded with worms, if there is even anything left for them to "eat."

I guess the only positive things I can say is that she is still breathing (I check on her like every 5 minutes like a first time mom for pete's sake!) and there is no noise when she breathes, her eyes appear to be clear, and her mouth is clean, albeit light pink, and free of any goo.

I have an appt with the vet on Friday, but they will call me if an opening comes up sooner. I am taking UBER-SUPER-DUPER precautions in keeping her COMPLETELY separate from Mikki. She is in the office, where Mikki is not. I have ER/Rehab experience with dogs, cats, and birds (previous vet asst) so I know how to quarantine an animal. She is actually 5" snout to vent length, maybe 20" snout to tail length, where as the other igs there were about 4" snout to vent length. She just looked bigger because Mikki is so frickin small! He is easily 1/2 her size!! She does still have her full tail, which is basically bone and scales.

Any suggestions that anyone can give that will possibly help me help her, I sure would appreciate them. Here's what I have done so far:

1. I bathed her in a tea-colored "betadine bath." She has so many mites, she looked like a red-polka-dotted iggie - except her dots moved! I'll keep giving her a betadine bath, followed by a regular bath, daily until there is not a single sign of those little nasties. Even though I know I didn't contract her mites, I sure have the mental-itchies now!!

2. I put betadine on her face wounds with a cotton swab, and around her head area, careful to not get any in her eyes, nose, or mouth. Then I lightly swabbed the excess from her face.

2. I gave her half-n-half water and pedialite solution - about 1/2 ml in total over a 5 hour period. She lapped some of it herself, the rest I helped her one drop at a time on her lips. She's very dehydrated and emaciated. I don't want to overdo it by cramming a bunch of food down her throat. Just start with a little hydration, then add nutrition. I will get her weight tomorrow. I just stuck to the super-basics this afternoon.

3. I set her up in the 25 gallon aquarium with Mikki's old "gear." Being that she doesn't move at all, size is not the issue at the moment. I set her temp at 88 degrees 24/7, and have been advised (and read on the net) that this is a good temp for a sick ig to help her immune system to recover. If she makes it over the next few days, and shows any signs of improvement, I will construct her a temporary rehab habitat that will be 45" x 24' x 23" and will order her own MVB, Ceramic Heat Emitter and thermostat, correct UVA lighting, etc. If she makes it, great, I'll build her a much bigger habitat! Either way, my boyfriend will need to upgrade his Bearded Dragon's habitat this summer and this would be a great size for him. But lets hope he has to wait a few months first.

I put water in for her, just in case. I put a sock folded into itself for a soft resting place. She is completely passed out with her head propped up on the edge of the sock. To think this is the first warm night she has had in who knows how long breaks my heart.

4. I have strawberry ensure on hand to offer her tomorrow afternoon/night, or the next morning, depending on how she seems to be doing. I'm hoping that she will be a bit more perky, but I am not holding my breath. If she can start to process the water, then I'll give her a little bit of ensure and see if she can handle that.

Anyway, I kept it simple tonight. I threw everything I had on, all the towels, etc. into the wash. I'm tired. She was so very stressed out to begin with, and the move, albeit much to her advantage, has also got to be adding to her stress levels. She seems peaceful for now. All cozy and fast asleep.

As my friend told me today: Even if she does die afterall, she will die warm and cozy, and in the hands of someone who cared enough to try.

Goodnight. Thanks for listening.
Jeannie

BTW - I reported the store to Seattle Animal Control this afternoon. I will call Humane Society and PAWS tomorrow. The other igs are in MUCH better shape than she is, but for how long?

2nd BTW - The store I bought the malfunctioning Ceramic Heat Emitter from wouldn't exchange it because I didn't have my receipt - even though I had the box! Their CS was super poor, too. I'm going to write the manufacturer tomorrow and see if they will exchange it directly.

These pics aren't all that great, but I didn't want to stress her out too much getting all photo happy on her.

Attached Images

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	slim jim.jpg (14.1 KB, 2 views)
	front view outside.jpg (10.9 KB, 1 views)