Adopted 2 Beardies - One w/ MBD - dont approve diet they sug

Hello, I just adopeted two beardies from a college student. One has MBD. She says she took her (really he is a male) to the vet and he recommended giving 2cc of liquid calcium once a day and then 10ml of baby food sweet potatoes a day. And improved lighting. I already have two Beardies, Bonnie and Clyde - but, I have never had to deal with MBD. The lighting in the adopted ones cage is good - I increased it a little, but it was adequate. previous owner states that Leila will not eat on her own and that she used to not be able to use her back legs - she can use them now - just not as well as she should. Does anyone recommend feeding Leila differently? I put some collard greens in the baby food processor last night and gave them to her.........I think she also grabbed a small cricket - but not 100% sure, I was cleaning Bonnie and Clydes enclosure at the time.

I do have an appointment with our veterinarian - but it is not until Next Thursday, the 15th. He is out of town. All suggestions of food that I can process and feed via syringe are welcome.

Hello Deborah,

Congratulations on your two rescues.
The one with MBD will need special attention for sure. Are you still giving liquid calcium then? At 2 cc's that is actually quite a bit. It needs to be more scientific than that. Can you tell me which type you are using now, so I can help her get the correct amount based on her weight? Liquid calcium is great, but it is much stronger than the powder so they don't need overload of it.
You mentioned her light was adequate. What type & brand of UVB do you have for her is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? How old is it? If she does not have any UVB light she wont absorb the calcium.
The food can consist of mustard or collard greens, & you can get some chicken or turkey babyfood & puree that in there as well to increase the protein a little bit it will help alot. Try getting some bee pollen to help her appetite as well. You can find that at a healthfood store or at the pharmacy or supplement area in a grocery or drugstore. Does she appear dehydrated or underweight? If so, be careful with giving too much protein too quickly because her kidneys wont be able to handle it very well. So start slowly. You can mix the bee pollen in with her food, too. I would give 1-2 cc of food per gram of bodyweight which is higher than I normally recommend, if she is thin. Wait to increase the protein until she has several days' worth of normal stools, with normal urate output. Monitor that really closely initially to make sure her kidneys are working fine.
It sounds like you have your hands full. If you need any other help, let us know.
How old are they? Also, you can post pics for us too.


Tracie

Thank you for the information Tracie. I am not sure what kind of calcium - it is in a vial that she got from the veterinarian. Girls instructions say 2 cc but the syringe is marked at 2 ml - is that the same?
One end of the tank has a coil UV bulb. There is a flourescent UV bulb (Reptisun) the lengeth of the cage. The basking lamp is a 100W Power Sun UV and then there is the red night light.

She seems a little small compared to the other and compared to Bonnie and Clyde (they are all roughly 2.5 to 3 years old) but she drinks water from the syringe everyday. I was just concerned because the girl said the vet said no protein - just sweetpotatoes - that did not sound right to me. She seems happy though - plays with the other, plays with me. Her stools seem normal.

I read this at work - but waited until I got hom to get the light information - I stopped and got some turkey and chicken and other veggies. I will get bee polen tomorrow - I actually take it - just ran out - that is good to know. Do you suggest giving that to all Beardies not just Leila?

I will take pictures shortly. Thanks so much!

.2ml - sorry - left out the point. How do I post pictures

Hello Deborah,

Oh, ok, so she is getting .2ml of liquid calcium then? If so, that is probably fine. The measurements of cc or mls are the same measurement.
Which brand of coil UVB light? The coils & compacts are not very safe, so if you need some extra brightness take that out & just use a regular coil energy save bulb instead of the UVB light, ok?
Great you have the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube the length of the tank. You also have a 100Watt Powersun, too at one end? Well, I have to say that she has plenty of UVB lighting, so you don't need to worry about that you have that definitely covered.
The red night light is not really necessary though, the colored light can sometimes disturb the sleeping patterns. If she needs any nighttime heating try using a ceramic heat emitter.
Good that she is drinking water from a syringe.
That is good her stool seems fine as well. You can give the Bee pollen to them all if you would like, it wont hurt them. It helps boost their immune system.
Yeah, the sweet potatoes are ok, but not as a staple, daily no. Just go a little easy on the protein at first to make sure that she continues to have normal stools, & that she is well hydrated. It sounds like she is not doing too badly though.

Keep me posted.
Looking forward to seeing pictures.
Tracie

My two had MBD for a short while. With the liquid calcium every day, 100W UV lamp, and normal feeding (dusted, of course), they recovered very quickly. Sounds like you should be fine; just give 'em what the vet prescribed for the time given and he should recover in no time!