Dubai: A 12-year-old Hungarian boy has ended up with several stitches on his left hand after being bitten by his pet iguana at his Palm Jumeirah penthouse in Dubai on Sunday.
Kevin Kristof Gali, a Grade 7 student, was feeding Dragon, his three-year-old pet iguana, around 11am when the 1.5-metre-long reptile grabbed at his hand, digging deep into his flesh.
“I tried to yank my hand away and that possibly made things worse,” said Kevin, who brought Dragon home from a pet shop when he was just a week old and 60 cm long.
“Usually, when I feed Dragon, he closes his eyes and lets me do my thing. Sunday was no different but as I was trying to take his empty food plate from inside the cage, it accidentally touched him. He must have got frightened, so he bit my hand.”
As Kevin’s hand hurt and bled, his mother Bettina rushed him to Mediclinic City Hospital after administering first aid.
Dr Yasser Khattab, specialist plastic surgeon, who attended to Kevin, said: “The wound from the iguana’s bite was 12 cm long, 8 cm wide and 2 cm deep. It was spread over the front and back of the hand besides the thumb joint. But the boy was lucky as it missed the artery, nerves and bone.”
He said Kevin’s wound was thoroughly cleaned and he was administered antibiotics and a tetanus vaccine before he was put under the knife. “The wound was repaired with sutures under local anaesthesia. Any delay could have devitalised the tissues.”
He said iguanas are not meant to be kept as pets. “They can attack, accidentally or otherwise. Even with regular pets like cats and dogs, we have to be very careful when there are children around.”
He said he sees at least two cases of pet attacks in a week where children, including toddlers, are injured severely in the face or neck by cats and dogs. “Animal bites can be potentially infectious, so we give antibiotics and observe the patient for 48 hours. If it’s a toxic bite, we administer anti-venom too.”
Once bitten twice shy. Kevin said the experience had taught him a valuable lesson: “Research fully before you a get a pet. Take him on only if you know everything about him and you can take full responsibility for his care.”
While he has never shirked from his responsibilities of feeding Dragon or cleaning after him, Kevin said he didn’t expect that his little iguana would grow so big and so fast. His mother said she had repeatedly advised him against bringing the reptile home but he had been adamant.
Used to having his chihuahua dog Bacon and cat Tiger around, Kevin said he never thought the iguana would be any different. “Earlier, I would keep Dragon in my room. He would even swim in my bath tub and I would take him round the house on my shoulder. But as he grew older and bigger, that was not possible. We had to get him a big cage in the balcony outside with the right amount of light, heat and humidity he needed.”
He said Dragon is usually well-behaved and never messes around. “He is a very happy pet and I don’t know what put him off the other day. It was totally unexpected.”
Did you know?
Green Iguanas are herbivorous reptiles that eat leaves, veggies and fruit. They conserve energy and spend time basking and resting. In the west they are considered great companions but need care and planning as they can grow up to six feet.
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