Okat I have a seroius dilema and problem here. For those that have been here a while you all will recall Lucky, the iguana that was rescued from the other rescue. When he came to me he was very ill and had serious burns and pneumonia. Those problems have all since healed,, until we found out he was suffering with impaction a while back,,he had the surgery and had a real hard time with,, but he triumphantly overcame. He is now cleared of all health issues, minus still working on the Metabolic Bone Disease, but even that is getting better.
Now here is the problem,,,Lucky absolutely hates people and is always stressed out. He is constantly almost black,, attacks the glass in his enclosure ortakes flying leaps to get away from you. I have hired someone to come in here a while back ago to clean my cages sO I could have more quality time to try to calm him,, it still has not worked. I have moved his cage to a quiet location at first, but that made it even worse, then I moved it to the living room so he would be used to people,, that still has not worked.
For all who know me, know I am not just trying to ditch him or anything< I have put myheart and soul into this iguana,, not to mention thousands of dollars in vet bills. However, I had someone ask me a question today that has really got me thinking and rethinking, They asked me if it was more cruel to let him live his lifein absolute misery, with probably no hope of ever settling down and always being terrified of anyone and anything,, or was it more cruel to end his suffering and have him euthanized.

That is a pretty powerful statement,, it also got me thinkling a little about what would be in his best interest, this whole time I have been so focused on getting him healed I really never stopped to think if that was what was really the best thing for him.......... Do you think an animal can suffer so much trauma at the hands of people that no matter how much love and money and time you put into it that it will never heal and be able to adjust?

I know this is a touchy subject, but I am just looking for others respectful thoughts and opinions. Also thank you in advance for realizing that I am not trying to ditch him,,, just trying to figure out what is in his best interest,, and I have not made a decision yet,, as it will be a tough one.

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

You have to look at his quality of life. I thought it was amazing you spent so much time and money on an ig you didn't know, not that you can't show that much love, but to not know how his personality is going to be.

I guess if you look at cat rescues, often the super feral ones are put down. They are beyond sick and will never have normal human interaction. If you put them in a house they would never be able to calm down and be constantly stressed. I have a semi feral cat. I adopted her at 5 months and she was so shy. We have now had her for 7 years and she still won't let me pick her up, and this isn't a case where the cat had been feral for years. Or take Pit Bull rescues. Dogs that have fought. They have been programmed over the years to fight, and no amount of love and attention will make them a suitable candidate for a home. They get put down because they simply cannot cope, and its no fault of their own.

I don't know. It's really up to you. Euthanasia is one of the hardest things to figure out. Like you said, quality of life. I'm not saying you should, I'm not saying you shouldn't. You can always give it more time. Abby, my little feral cat has come around in years. You can pet her and love her, but she does run and hide when new people come over.

Whatever you choose, we support you and know you will make the right decision.

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

IMO you are the only one that would be able to make this decision. But I would take in to consideration the fact that in the amount of time Lucky has been with you, he has gone through a lot and while you were helping him, the medicines and treatments were probably frightening to him. Does he just need more time to recognize the fact that in doing these you aren't trying to hurt him and maybe then you might see some trust out of him?

Is he only attacking the glass when someone comes near or is it all the time? Would maybe adding something to the glass to help him see that it is there keep him from hitting it (kinda like the stickers zoos are adding to keep birds from flying into there glass enclosures)?

I think I can say for everyone here that after everything you have gone through for the animals you rescue that with either decision you make, no one would think you are trying to take the easy way out.

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Ultimately the choice is yours; however, consider this story and my opinion:

I know a woman on another forum whose iguana was a well-socialized part of the family. One day *snap* he became aggressive and unmanageable; this change was permanent and unrelated to breeding season. No one was able to handle him any longer, in fact, it was so bad that all cleaning and placing of food had to be done before he awoke or after he was asleep. Should she euthanize him?

Personally, I think that is the risk each of us that keeps iguanas takes. Rescuers more than the rest of us. As a rescuer your goal is quality of life. You fought so hard to save his life, he should be allowed to live it even though he doesn't meet a pre-conceived socialization standard.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

that is the point,,,, I fought so hard to save his life, I never stopped to think if that ws really what was in his best interest. As far as mean and nasty iguanas I can handle them and have no problem with them. In Luckys case it is the constant fear that concerns me. He is terrified of anyone for any reason. He is almost always a pure black and stressed. He has that wide eyed, deer in the headlight look constantly. I agree,, I think more time is in order. I dont mind him staying with me the rest of his life, I just want to make sure that he is not living a horrible miserable life while he is here. I have a few that are lifers here, due to their special needs, which does not bother me,,, I just want him to have some peace in his life, which he never has,, poor guy....................

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

I don't keep iguanas, but I'll put in my respectful two cents. You seem to have A LOT of experience with these animals and have given them everything you have.
It sounds like Lucky's behaviour is something extremely different from your other rescues, even the nasty ones. From your description, it really sounds like that poor animal is in a constant state of high stress.
Are there any safe "tranquilizers" that you could try for a while? (Just a little in his water dish or something to take the edge off?)
If there's no way to safely reduce his stress levels, and it was my animal, I would have him put down.
I know it's not an easy decision, and you've put your heart and soul and paychecks into getting him well. Maybe you should speak to your vet about it.
Good luck!

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Andrea

That is the problem,,,, that statement came from one of my vets yesterday.

Last night Oscar stepped on Alexis tail and it now needs to be removed, as it did not fall all the way off, so I called the emergency center and just out of luck the reptile guy on call was the guy who did Luckys surgery. He was kind enough to tell me that Alexis's tail could wait until Monday and keep it clean and all that stuff. we started talking about Lucky, it was an in depth conversation, very detailed,,,, then he asked me that question. It was like someone dropped the atomic bomb on me. However it is a legitimate question, now that I have had some time to think about it. I am still up in the air as to what to do.

This is not a situation of very aggressive or mean, That seems to be the norm in my house, lol. This is a situation of extreme fear,, to the point where he is constantly stressed.

This is a very hard decision for me,,,, also a very heartbreaking decision for me.....

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

It seems to me that the both of you have been through a lot. Try some other options first. You can tape newspaper to the inside of the tank. He can't see you and unfortunately you won' be able to see him but, More importantly he can't see his own reflection in the glass. You could try a screened enclosure or even a wooden box with screened over air holes and a screen top.
I do know that Igs don't like to see their reflection. Does he have a place to completely hide without seeing his reflection or people or other pets? Maybe he just needs privacy.

I like this idea. If you want my honest opinion, I still say give it a little more time. Sometimes more time solves lots of things.

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

I could try the newspaper on the glass,,, I am not sure it wil help though.. His cage is not a fish tank,, I have never seen any fish tanks big enough to hold an iguana that is over a year old, lol. He has no view of any other iguanas,, I know that he can smell them though. I know I have a lot of thinking to do with this. I will not euthanize until I have exhauted all efforts.
Someone above mentioned, not suitable candidate for adoption,, thats not what I am worried about,, he is a lifer here, and I can and have handled some pretty big and nasty iguanas,,,,, Heck I live with three right now, lol. Its his constant state of high stress that is bothering me.

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead