Ozzy showing signs of MBD?

[Shortie]

Hey I'm new to dragon keeping but I just adopted Ozzy on Thursday and I've noticed he does some strange things... First I noticed that his head 'shivers'. I know for a fact that it's not normal but I need a second opinion. The next thing I noticed is that he rests on his ankles. Only on his back legs though, this is worrying cause I have a bad feeling he can't feel his toes..

Ozzy gets 14 hours of UV light and basks at a temperature around 80f and 60f at night. He's been fed kale and bok choi sprinkled with calcium powder and multivitamins and 4 crickets a day..

This is Ozzy

 

[h4rdcore]

im not sure on the important stuff there, but 4 crickets a day is not nearly enough

 

[Shortie]

He's 3 years old and the reptile breeder at my local pet/ aquarium store said it's enough at his age. I didn't get Ozzy off him though, I got him off my boyfriend's cousin cause he didn't take care of him Maybe this is the side effect from the lack of care and attention...

 

[h4rdcore]

Oh well that is my fault. He looked much younger in the photo

 

[Shortie]

Aww that's ok He does look like a baby though, especially when he's sleeping!

 

[catUK]

It sounds like the start of MBD or calcium deficiency (which leads to MBD).

Symptoms of MBD

Most often symptoms of MBD occur as thin, easily broken bones. Thin bones contribute to walking problems, and can hinder jumping and climbing, as the bones become weaker. You may also notice that at the joints, your reptile may not hold its feet properly, causing them to bend backwards.

As bones weaken, the body attempts to strengthen them by laying down connective tissues; this often causes swollen legs.

Breaks may cause twisted and crooked backs, toes, and limbs.

Paralysis can be a symptom, as well. Damage along the spinal cord can cause paralysis of the front or back legs.

Soft, spongy jaw bones, causing eating to become difficult and painful, causing a lack of appetite. A receding jaw line, can also be a sign of MBD.

Stunted growth is another sign of MBD.
Trembling and weakness in the limbs, due to damage to nerves.
Lameness
Tremors and jerky movements in the toes and legs of the reptile.
Constipation.

What UBV are you using? The best UVB is the reptisun 10 or arcadia 12%.

MBD can be treated if caught early i.e. ensuring you have correct UVB, giving calcium supplements and calcium rich greens. However vet attention may be required.
basking spot should be at around 95- 105F for adults. At 3 years old i would feed him more of a variety of live food e.g. reptiworms, locusts, butterworms etc as they like variety and also should be fed as many live food as they'll eat in a 5-10 minute sitting every day or every other day- 4 is not enough. Pet shop ownes dont always give the best advice- i was told today to give my 10 month old 4 locusts every day- not nearly enough as she's still growing.

. I would also dust the crickets with calcium (its usually about 3 times per week for adults but you may want to up it to help MBD if it is that). Kale is not a good staple as it binds the calcium. Try calcium rich greens to help counteract the deficiency. look at this site for good staple greens and calcium content: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

hope he's ok

 

[Shortie]

It doesn't say what UVA/ UVB it is. It came with the viv he came in he also came with multivitamin powder then the day after I bought him calcium powder cause I did my research and it's obviously two different things. He gets fed 4 crickets in the morning and sometimes about 6 or 8 mealworms and today he had a big juicy locust. I dust both the veggies and the bugs cause I'm trying to get more calcium into him due to these worrying things

I got told locusts aren't nutritious enough for dragons so I got them as treats. Hmmmmm.... I dunno, I just got him and he's a great guy and likes to sit on my knee or my Panda pillow and makes me smile but this stress is gettin to me.

Thank you very much for your help, I'll keep you updated

 

[catUK]

Your welcome. Locusts are meatier than crickets and are great for adults. Have you looked at phoenix worms aka calci/repti worms- they are naturally high in calcium and don't need dusted. Butterworms are also high in calcium. At his size i would stay away from mealworms as they can cause impaction because of their hard outer shell. Also, i would think about getting one of the UVBs i mentioned- it can make all the difference and they're not that expensive. Make sure UVBs are the tube kind and are changed every 6 months (even though it says 1 year on packaging). Your doing a good job with him and i'm sure with the added calcium etc he'll pull through

 

[Shortie]

He LOVEEEES locusts! I took a heart attack when one of them jumped at me! I'm not sure if you can get those worms around here but I'll look into them

I think the UVB needs changed, it got changed 4 months ago... I'll take a note of the bulbs you mentioned

But what am I gonna do with all those worms? There's tons of them in that little box! Is it ok to feed them to him every 2 or 3 days?

 

[catUK]

He LOVEEEES locusts! I took a heart attack when one of them jumped at me! I'm not sure if you can get those worms around here but I'll look into them

I think the UVB needs changed, it got changed 4 months ago... I'll take a note of the bulbs you mentioned

But what am I gonna do with all those worms? There's tons of them in that little box! Is it ok to feed them to him every 2 or 3 days?

i found a locust attached to my dressing gown one- dunno how long it had been there :shock: You should be able to order those worms online. I would throw out the meal worms- its not worth the risk of impaction, even just feeding one.

 

[Shortie]

Odd place to find a locust haha! I'll feed them to the pigeons that fly about my street. I think they'll like them. Not much of a waste at least, £6 for a box of crickets + locusts and meal worms! I can't risk him being sick he's too precious! I wanna give him a hug but he's fast asleep!

Thank you so so much by the way!

 

[catUK]

Odd place to find a locust haha! I'll feed them to the pigeons that fly about my street. I think they'll like them. Not much of a waste at least, £6 for a box of crickets + locusts and meal worms! I can't risk him being sick he's too precious! I wanna give him a hug but he's fast asleep!

Thank you so so much by the way!

Take it you buy at pets at home; I love the 3 for £6 deal!! I hope he is ok, keep me updated on how he's doing and any more questions just ask

 

[Shortie]

They better keep that deal goin! He's sleeping the now I noticed he wasn't shivering as much, so that's a really good sign ! Not too sure about his back feet though, they're just not like the front ones, he'll have them pressed up against the sides of the tank in a way where it looks uncomfortable hence the reason why I think he can't feel his toes, but he doesn't seem bothered about it :? Maybe he's just a weird dragon haha!

 

[catUK]

ah thats good. The back feet are completely different to the front- your pictures don't seem too abnormal, if at all. Also thay can sleep in some rediculous positions which look really uncomfortable. Keep up the good work your doing with him