Help Doug

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FranktheTank

Gray-bearded Member
I can't believe this happened.. I just posted the other day about not using a uvb for my Mali uro on the advice of the Deer Fern Farms care sheet. Doug has a great varied diet, daily supplements, and proper temp gradient with multiple hides and plenty of space. I noticed lately he was becoming reclusive and not eating which isn't like him. His temps are normal as well. We had him out and noticed him twitching!!! Right away from my research and knowledge of reptiles I recognized this as a calcium deficiency and MBD!!!! What the hell, I don't understand, I've done everything according to the care sheet and actually spoke with Doug Dix when we purchased Doug from the expo. Needless to say immediately we went out and got a powersun and during the day I take his cave out on the hot side so he's been soaking up the uvb. I've noticed he feels a difference too. I force fed him some calcium and even gave him some liquid calcium as well. I haven't seen him twitch again at all since the first time and he seems to already be doing better. I just hope I caught this in time and I'm doing everything I can for him. If I see him twitch again or signs of improvement stop he's going straight to the vet. They told me I'm doing everything they would do for him so we'll see what happens. I'm so upset this is happening to him. I thought I was giving him the best care possible, so please don't come down on me for this. Like I said I was following the advice of the best of the best! If you have any advice or help or experience with this please help me and Doug!

-Kaleen
 

Draxx

Member
Wow , I am sorry and disturbed to hear this. It sounds like you jumped on it and I am hopeful for a full recovery with the addition of UVB. If your is tame enough to handle, perhaps some small doses of natural outdoor sunlight might help too.

Have you by chance contacted Doug Dix with this? I would be curious if he has seen this in any of his stock using the same care.

As I said on my post about my Gunthar, I was concerned about this issue (more so now) and have a 10.0 UVB tube in his tank as well as the suppliments Doug suggests. If only Gunthar was tame enough to handle without him freaking out, I would be going outdoors with him a few times a week as well.

Keep us updated please on how your guy is doing and any information you may get.
 

FranktheTank

Gray-bearded Member
Original Poster
I have left a message for Doug Dix about what happened. I want to go over everything with him too, maybe I did do something wrong, but in the meantime the powersun stays! Dougie is tame enough to go outside and today he got about a half hour of direct sunlight which he seemed to love! He also seems to be continuing to improve, as he ate a bit for me on his own today too. Again no twitching since the first time and I am still giving him his daily supplements. I also did more research online about this and what I've found and makes sense is not so much a deficiency of calcium because he gets his daily supplements, but rather without the UVB his body was unable to process it. So hopefully since we jumped on it and corrected everything right away Dougie will be ok and make a full recovery!
 

Draxx

Member
Well, signs of recovery is great! I figured natural sunlight could have no downside aside from stress from the change in environment...can't beat the real thing! Hopefully Doug might have some insight.

As I understand the principle (and I may be off base), reptiles need vitamin d to utilize the calcium they get from food or supplements. They make vitamin d normally with uvb light from the sun or bulbs in a captive situation. We as keepers either provide D in food/supplements or via full spectrum lighting. Doug has apparently been successful providing vitamin d with diet only, foregoing uvb lighting. The diet we feed (dark greens) contain calcium as well as some D, the supplements such as Repashy super veggie and calcium/D powder fill in any short comings.

I would greatly appreciate any information or insights Doug gives you as well as any progress on Bambam , not only because I wish you guys the best, but because from what you said in other posts, my Gunthar might be a litter mate of Bambam (a brother) and may have the same issue at some point.

John
 

FranktheTank

Gray-bearded Member
Original Poster
I think maybe you might have me confused with someone else.. My Uros name is Doug, not Bambam. I did get Doug from Doug Dix at a reptile expo. As soon as I hear from him I will post all of what he says. Doug is continuing to improve, today he's glass dancing and he ate almost all of his salad on his own!! It must have been the missing uvb light that did this then because he gets all of the supplements and he has a diet full of green veggies. I'm just happy he's going to be ok. I'll be taking him outside again today too. Thank you for posting it helps so much to talk this through with another uro owner.

-Kaleen
 

Draxx

Member
Yeah, I knew it was Doug..got confused with the other little guy.s name on here...what happens when you post after having worked all night. Glad he is doing better :)
 

FranktheTank

Gray-bearded Member
Original Poster
Draxx":32hu6y0t said:
Yeah, I knew it was Doug..got confused with the other little guy.s name on here...what happens when you post after having worked all night. Glad he is doing better :)
Haha I hear ya, most mornings I can't remember my own name :roll:

-Kaleen
 

Vianeth

Member
My 2 Uro's are from Deer Dern farms. I use both the repashy supper veggie/calcium and Dix's turtle diet. I have a reptisun 10.0 in there and without it, my male doesn't get as colorful or perky. I think my female could care less though!
 

FranktheTank

Gray-bearded Member
Original Poster
That's interesting, I use the exact same supplements and calcium and he really has come to life with the powersun uvb. He's doing really well, a lot of energy, eating on his own, walking fine, no twitching, alert clear eyes, but this afternoon we noticed he now has a bump on the top of his back. It wasn't there yesterday or this morning?! It's hard kind of like when you get a knot in your back. He doesn't seem to be injured, his arms legs and tail are working just fine. It's just this weird bump. Our friend who's a vet tech came over and looked at it and she thinks it may be a calcium deposit possibly from the liquid calcium I gave him. She thinks it will go down in a couple days, of course if there are any changes or it's not going away off to the vet little Dougie will go! I really hate that this is happening to him. I just hope everything works out and he's ok.

-Kaleen
 

kFitz

Hatchling Member
Sorry to hear about Doug! My little guy's name is BamBam! lol. I hadn't seen BamBam eating much since I got him, so after about 2 weeks, I replaced the regular florescent with a reptisun 10.0 in fear that he wasn't eating enough of the repashy to get the needed vit D. BamBam is already getting some yellow and black spots in and is starting his first shed, so I guess he is eating, just not when I'm there. Being a little OCD mama, I pat down the millet everyday around his food dish so I can see the footprints to see where he's been while I'm gone. haha. There is usually marks all over his tank, including all around the food bowl. I might take the Reptisun out when he's older and eating heartily, but for now, the reptisun stays to keep on the safe side.

Sounds like you caught Doug's issues quickly and were very proactive about handling it! I hope you hear back from human Doug soon! You'll have to let us know what he says. I hope your Doug gets better soon and that weird bump goes down. My old beardie developed a bump on her back, but it was due to a mass internally that was displacing her spine, so if the lump doesn't go down soon, please go to the vet (I know you plan to anyway). Keep us updated! It's a small uro community, and we're all pulling for you!
 
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