HELLO, I AM BIG AL AND THIS IS MY STORY

Meet Big Al.
He is a Green Iguana that I found in a pet store as I was there to cut the nails of a large female. While I was cutting nails, my daughter pointed him out. She was outraged by the huge cyst on the side of his head. If you look at him, you can see the hole that remains after removing the cyst. I removed him from the 10 gallon tank that he shared with other iggys and I approached the owner. He said the young girl who worked there had been trying to get it off by popping it like a human pimple. Needless to say, that did not work. It in fact made matters worse. He then developed an infection as a result of the conditions he lived in as well as his care. Iguana puss is not a liquid. It is solid.

I brought him home and proceeded to remove the cyst from his head. The cyst began at his eye area and continued until it reached the front of his nose. Very carefully I cleaned out the area and I proceeded to make an cut in the area. After 1.5 hours, I had finally removed the final "clump" of puss. The girl had done more damage than good. When you looked into the hole, you could see out his nose and to the other side of his head.

Here he is right after removal of the cyst. The hole you can see is the place where I had to remove the cyst.
The pet store owner gave him to me with full intentions of him dying He is doing great. He has an appetite like a horse and is just a feisty Green Guy.

Could you imagine having this hole in your head because no one cared enough?
Pet Stores do not bother taking them to the vet as it costs more than they sell them for. He would have laid in the cage infecting other iggys with his infection if I had not brought him home.
He now lives in a really nice set up with UVB lights, a basking light and a lot of room to be a Green Iguana.

 

Home | Steggy | Saurus | Buddy | Big Al | Mrs. T | Mrs. Rex | Scar | Gizmo | The Horn | Elvis | Blue | Small Fry | The Babies