My Giant Green Iguana's Amputated Tail

My Giant Green Iguana “Reef” injured his tail and unfortunately after it turned gangrenous, had to have it surgically amputated.

I first attempted to heal the wound with medication.  Unfortunately the tissue began to die and our veterinarian (Dr. Tom Greek) had to removed the dead tissue before it spread to the healthy tissue.

For tail amputation, my iguana was injected with a numbing agent and then his tail was sutured together at the end of the wound.  During the healing process, the tail fuses back together and if the iguana is lucky enough, will begin to regenerate.

There are a few factors involved with tail regeneration. Age, Overall Health, and Location of Wound.  Due to the age of my iguana (11.5 years old), “only time will tail how much it will re-grow back”.

I’m very happy and excited to see his tail growing, even if it grows only a significant amount.