Should Urates Always be Visible + Misc. Health Question

[mpinsky]

The first question is a general one:

Should urates always be visible in a beardie's feces? Shenron is going on his normal bathroom schedule just fine (about every 2-3 days), but I haven't seen a urate in his feces since a few years ago. Is it just getting buried in the rest of the feces or is he not defecating it?

The second question is this:

Shenron has a smushed in nose. It almost looks like he has his lower lip sticking out slightly. I don't remember if he's had this since we got him, but I first really noticed it when he was about 1-2 years old. He doesn't show any signs of MBD since he moves around from branch to rock just fine. Is it just genetic? Could it be that he jumped into his cage when he was younger when we moved him into a bigger cage?

Thank you.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, if his lower lip juts out in front of the upper lip that IS a sign of metabolic bone disease, that has advanced.
Can you post a picture of his nose for me, I have never seen that!
Are you using any UVB light? If so, what type & brand is it, a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? How old is the light?
As far as the urate goes, next time he goes to the bathroom, can you use a toothpick to go through the stool to see if there are any urates being excreted? If he has not been excreting urates in that long, I would think that he would be headed towards gout & renal failure.
So, we need to figure out if he is or is not excreting urates. That is very important to know. To better answer your question, MOST of the time, the urates & the waste come out separately, so it is very clear to see both portions.
Do you supplement calcium at least 3 times per week?

Tracie

 

[mpinsky]

Well, I'm at college right now, and I doubt my parents will do anything since the last time I wanted him checked out, they refused. I'll try calling.

Come to think of it, he did have a urate right before he went into brumation, which was a few months ago. Again, I have told my parents to order more calcium, but they have not done so (I will probably have to order it myself). When we did have on the calcium a few months ago, he quickly went into a shed (I took this as a very good sign).

This missing of urates seems to only happen when my parents feed him spinanch or other greens that aren't the best for him (again, I keep telling them no).

He went without a UVB light for about seven years because we didn't know any better. He has one now. It is a ReptiSun (the one the forum recommends for those in the US) and is about four months old (due for changing in the end of May).

Okay, just spoke to Mom and Dad. They said he's always been that way and Dad says his jaw feels nice and firm as well as his other bones. He seems to eat crunchy food just fine. Still not wanting to take him to the vet just in case. I'll have to do it myself when I get home in two and half weeks (do you think he'll last that long?).

Is there anything I can do for him if my parents won't let me get him checked out? It might be that I'll have to take care of this on my own when I get home.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry for your dilema. It is too bad your parents don't place any value on your animal & friend.
You need to be firm with them & tell them to stop feeding him spinach & other items that are binding his calcium absorption. I guess they think that his jaw being crooked is ok since it is not causing any eating problems. Well, one has to step back & ask themselves, would we want a crooked jaw? Perhaps it hurts him when he eats, but they don't know how to interpret his pain.
Just the simple fact his jaw is crooked now, means his bones are being leached & if he is not getting calcium, then he may not have optimal calcium levels in his system.
Tell them & educate them on the importance of supplementing calcium, 3 times per week at least. Good that he has had a few urates but how long has he been out of brumation now? They should have urates pretty often, basically just about every time that they go to the bathroom. If his urates are almost non existence, that is not a good sign.
Can you not take him with you to college since they are not taking very good care of him when you are away?
Sorry, I just get frustrated when lizards are not looked at as important enough to take to the vet when it is needed. I realize it is not your fault, but please try to stress to your parents that your friend is important to you. That simply is not fair at all to him, or to you.

Tracie

 

[mpinsky]

Unless I get an apartment (which I don't have the money for right now), I can't bring him with me. My college states that pets need to be able to live underwater for at least three minutes. I am ordering him more calicum today as well as a new UVB light. Will an MVB help any more? What bothers me is he shows no other signs of MBD besides that. The sad thing is, even when I do take him to the vet to correct the problem, his jaw will never push back out again.

Will the calcium help pass his urates more as well? I know renal failure can happen when beardies get old (and Shenron's getting up there, he's 8 1/2 right now), but I want him to have a good life.

Unless I get home early, I won't be able to bring him to the vet myself until the 19th. I do have one last resort, though for bargaining. Hopefully my good grades will pay off and I can ask for Shenron to be taken to the vet instead of the computer.

I feel this is partly my fault because I did not do enough research on them when I got him a long time ago. Perhaps he wouldn't have these problems if I had.