mbd

[threecupsofcoffee]

ok i have a 3year old neglected male beardy. He is definatlely showing signs of mbd, his mouth doesn't meet to shut and at 19inches rather short. I have some Zocal-D liquid,i was thinking of giving him some of this. i have been dusting his live feeders but maybe this would give him a kick start what do you think?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You rescued him, correct? Sorry I do not remember your entire case.
If you have the Zocal liquid calcium, I recommend using that over the powdered calcium right now. Do not use both together though, that would be too much.
What is the concentration of it, or the total ml's in the bottle? I can help you dose that for him.
What type of UVB lighting are you using currently?

Tracie

 

[threecupsofcoffee]

hi tracie, he's under a repti glo 10, a 100 watt basking bulb in a 4 foot tank 15 inches highx 15 inches wide. the basking bulb has no temperature control so i'm tuning it on and off manually until monday and i can sort something out. Homer was unwanted, neglected and left in his tank with the bare necessities not being taken out for excersise or baths. just fed all the wrong things. so i've taken him on. a couple of ladies who breed beardies delivered my new baby and had a look at him. He's very stressed, which they think may have something to do with the pale gums, he's like an empty bag, so i'm desperately feeding him up, and definately deficient in calcium. the label says zocal-D 120mlx1. Thanks for any advice, Julie

 

[Drache613]

Hello Julie,

You do know that the Reptiglo 10 flourescent tube lights do not emit very good UVB correct? If not, I highly suggest you get a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb because the emissions are much better.
The Reptiglo 10 does not have favorable emissions for D3 synthesis & the wavelength has been tested as low which can be harmful as well. So even with giving calcium, being underneath that light he will not be absorbing the calcium very well.
The Zolcal D liquid, does it say how many total milligrams are in the bottle? I have looked around & all it says on there is the total milliliters in the total bottle. I just want to make sure he is getting enough. How much do the directions say to give? If you can find on there a total number of milligrams & can specificly dose it for his weight.
Poor guy, he had it rough.
You don't need a temperature control for a 100 watt basking bulb. He needs to be able to bask at around 95-110 temperatures, for most of the day, thermoregulating himself. Do you have a digital probe or a temp gun?

Is he eating today?
Pale gums can also indicate worms or parasites that are stealing nutrition from him, causing him to be anemic. I would suggest getting a fecal done on him also. He could also be dehydrated too which will cause their gums to be a little pale.
Also, if you feel that he is dehydrated, go easy on the protein at first too. Introduce greens & veggies or make a slurry for him for a few days until he has a few good stools just to ensure that his kidneys are functioning optimally. Then, you can give more protein as he gets more active & more hydrated.

Tracie

 

[threecupsofcoffee]

Thanks for that info Tracie, yep i know about the reptiglo i'm going to look into that. He's eating really well at the mo, but this morning had a poop which contained not very digested food, i half wonder if thats because his diet has been changed a bit too quickly.He's lively enough, his gums are still very pale so all in all he needs a vet to check him out by the looks of things. At the moment his viv is pretty much as it was when i received him only a lot cleaner. I've got a challange on to get him and his viv right. I can't get any more info on the Zocal other than 10ml per litre of drinking water.
Julie