Underbite or something worse?

sericinda · Jan 27, 2011

A little background on Reptar first...I have only had him less than a month, he is about a year old, was kept in a 10 gallon tank on blue sand with a heat rock and a regular light bulb for "heat". Fed only dusted crickets and dried crickets. He now eats his salad daily (squash, collards, basil and kale), dusted and vitamined gut-loaded crickets and has proper lighting and heat and space, on tile.

What I'm worried about is his mouth. He eats just fine and all, but he seems to have an underbite. Do you think this is just genetics, or the start of something more serious? Here are a few pictures, the first you can see how he holds his mouth the best.

Thank you for any help! I'm extremely attached to this guy.

Drache613 · Jan 28, 2011

Hello,

This indicates hypocalcemia, or the lack of calcium absorption going on. Do you use a UVB light? If so, what type & brand of UVB are you using, a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?
Do you supplement calcium on a regular basis?
Unfortunately, at his age, this will most likely be a permanent deviation, however, you can slow it down & stop it from getting any worse by using a good UVB light & calcium supplementation combination.

Tracie

sericinda · Jan 28, 2011

He has a tube 10.0 reptisun that I will replace every six months, and gets dusted crickets three times a week. I also sprinkle calcium on his salad. He had NO UVB prior to me getting him however.

He tends to not spend much time on the UVB side of his tank though....should I move the strip light over his basking spot?

anderous · Jan 28, 2011

yes you should have the uvb by his basking spot

Underbite or something worse?

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