Turquoise Animal Hospital........ Reptile Corner

950 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach, CA            858.488.0658

www.turquoiseanimalhospital.com

Our Hospital is ready and eager to care for scaled friend. Because of their slow metabolism, they seem to follow a 'rule of seven'. That means it usually takes seven times as long (compared to a dog or cat) for one to show signs of illness and seven times as long to get better. It is not unusual for an Iguana to seem to have gotten sick in the last 2-3 days when in reality it has been ill for 2-3 weeks (or longer). So, when they act sick you need to get them in ASAP.

As you might guess, preventive care is the key. That includes:

• Giving them the right diet. All crickets to your Chameleon or all meat to your Iguana is a recipe for disaster.
• Right temperature. Every reptile has an optimum temperature, or gradient for their enclosure. Check "Melissa Kaplan's" website (click here) to read ALL about the husbandry needs of your particular reptile.
• Adequate "full spectrum" lighting. And that needs to be changed every 6 months even if it has not burned out.
• Yearly routine exams. Since illness can sneak up without you knowing, take precautions. After an exam we may suggest blood test, stooll tests for parasites (VERY common) or 'cultures' (checking for bad bacteria).

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