MBD

[BDshaggy]

I guess you can say I rescued an approximate 1 year old BD last week and I'm trying to do my best knowing nothing about them. I have another thread going here in the Health forum about this little guy, but wanted to make a different thread to talk specifically about MBD. He obviously has it, makes me mad because I know he was so improperly cared for and I'm really sad that he has lived the way he has. Anyhow, does this look like something that is reversible? Or does the hump in his back indicate that he is on his final days? I would like to believe that the hump will be there forever, but that with proper care he won't get any worse. Being new to this whole caring for BD's is a new learning process for me and I believe that I am on the right track - UVB light, calcium with D3 and calcium w/out D3. Sticking to mainly questions about MBD, is he in any pain with it? He has no twitching, just the hump in his back. He does move around a little, he gets off his basking rock and yesterday went over to the cool side of his tank. Will he just always be like this?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Shaggy...no, MBD is not a death sentence, and it's not conclusive about how much pain they may be in. At least he has an appetite, which is a good sign in itself. There is no way to guess how long beardie will live, it will not be as long as a healthy dragon for sure, but it might surprise you. You might compare it to people who survived very severe treatment + starvation in a concentration camp....why some live longer than others after returning to a normal life also has to do with genetics and other factors. Of course this MBD developed in him as a baby/juvenile so that factors in , too. Just take care of him the best you can. You might switch to medium crickets to be sure he doesn't become impacted...hopefully he's not right now. Try the baby food. and be gentle when putting anything in his mouth. You can also get a product called Repta boost , [ call your pet stores to see who has it ] some dragons really like it and you can mix just a little extra calcium in it as well as a drop or two of olive oil to help him poo.