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Frankie REP012016
Frankie is a senior, special needs green iguana - female, we think. She is about 12 years old, and arrived at the shelter in late January as an owner surrender. We've taken her to the vet, where xRays showed that Frankie was suffering from advanced metabolic bone disease, which they believe caused most of the vertebrae in her tail to fracture and heal in a fused fashion. This leaves Frankie with a mostly paralyzed tail. She is also missing a large portion of her tail, which was reported to have been amputated at home a couple of years ago, after having been bent (which cut off the blood flow, causing the lower section of tail to die). The good news is, the long bones appear to be OK.
Due to her tail issues, and her metabolic bone disease, it is not safe nor easy for Frankie to climb like a healthy iguana. We have created a horizontal habitat that will work (temporarily) for Frankie, but hope that her permanent retirement home will be able to improve on this greatly (particularly with humidity, a condition that Frankie has never known but we are certain would benefit her greatly).
Frankie came in used to eating primarily kale and bananas. We've spent a few months
getting her used to an expanded diet and feeding plan, which involves a morning feeding of a large mixed greens salad with zucchini and carrot and parsley as added enhancements, then an evening feeding of RepCal adult iguana pellets with added calcium, moistened to help increase her water intake.
When she arrived, she had a bowel movement every 3 days or so, but now she is fairly regular each day; she prefers to be placed under a lukewarm shower for her "afternoon constitutional" but will also use the corner of her habitat that is stocked with straw.
Frankie is approximately 26 inches from nose to truncated tail end; she would appreciate a horizontal habitat at least 9' x 4' with consideration given to her challenges turning around with a paralyzed tail. We can send her UVA/UVB light and any of the bark or burlap or mats she currently uses (if you would like any of them); most of the rest of the pieces in her habitat are borrowed and we'll need to return them. She enjoys sleeping in a bark "cave" we made out of curved bark pieces, and loves looking out the window during breakfast. She enjoys being misted (though would need less of that in a properly humidified environment) and when she is in the mood, enjoys having her head rubbed. She can be handled, but of course those claws are sharp.
Frankie is looking for either an adoptive home or a sanctuary where she can enjoy the rest of her years. Overall, she is pretty easy-care, she likes her daily routine and is pretty social, too.
Here are her xRays (originals available on disc for her adopter):
.Here is a short video of breakfast (Frankie doesn't make the most interesting video subject, HA):
Adoption fee for Frankie is suggested minimum $20. All pets are placed with a 30-day money-back trial period, to give pet and family enough time to discover any unknown allergies or other conflicts. Can't come to Republic? Don't let that stop you! We have monthly transports to both the Seattle area and Spokane, delivering adopted pets to their new owners. If you can add a little to your donation to help us cover our volunteer driver's expenses, that would be great!
see next transports to Seattle area and Spokane on the homepage
If you would like to know more about, or think you might like
to adopt, Frankie ,
or
e-mail us at:
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