Mbd :(

[g schrock]

ive had my little guy for a few months now, and over the last few days i noticed a wave down his spine and kinks down his tail. when i asked the local pet shop they said it sounds like a calcium deficiency. i dont know what i could have done wrong, i gut-loaded all the crickets with collard greens, carrots, kale, oranges, etc. and would dust every day w/o D3 and with D3 & multivitamins once a week. i was told that the waxworms have a high calcium content so i picked up some of them along with the crickets yesterday, dusted them and he ate a couple...

any help would be appreciated, i dont know what i did wrong....

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Can you post a picture? That doesn't sound like typical metabolic bone disease.

 

[g schrock]

Can you post a picture? That doesn't sound like typical metabolic bone disease.

INC. let me grab my phone

 

[g schrock]

Can you post a picture? That doesn't sound like typical metabolic bone disease.

here's the pic

 

[camimom]

That looks more like a birth defect, not MBD.

 

[Decadancin]

I think you may be dealing with something else there. Almost looks like a spinal injury with some nerve damage, but I'm no vet. I would advise a trip to one though! Hope someone with some more experience chimes in with some advice for you. That doesn't look good. Sorry to see you are having trouble with your little one .

I don't think calcium deficiency would show up that quickly either.

 

[g schrock]

That looks more like a birth defect, not MBD.

this does make me feel better about life (not gonna lie, it sucks when you do everything right, and it all goes downhill)

could that have happened from a fall?

would it affect his tongue at all? i've noticed he doesnt have a perfect hit every time (he missed the first waxworm i gave him, but i assumed it was because it was something new) and this AM he missed a cricket

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

He didn't have that at all when you got him? Strange. I would say birth defect if he's had it all along. If he hasn't then I'd be worried about something like osteomyelitis - infection of the bones of the spine. I've seen bacterial osteomyelitis in snakes cause similar distortion of the spine, although its rare. I don't think it's a calcium deficiency though. At least that would be a very unusual presentation of it (one I've never heard of). He didn't get trampled by something right? No trauma in his life? I'd recommend having him checked by a vet. I'd do some x-rays to look at the vertebrae.

 

[camimom]

If he has one defect....

if its just aim, it could be he needs some more nutrients.

My guy used to have an aim issue too, after i switched to repashy all in one, his aim got better after two months.

It could happen from a fall, but with all the curves there, im thinking more a birth defect,

Waxworms do not have a high calcium content, more a high fat content.

If you want a bug with lots of calcium get silkworms and pheonix worms (aka calci worms)

 

[Decadancin]

Is he housed alone? Any other animals (or small children) in the house? Does he free range at all?

 

[g schrock]

He didn't have that at all when you got him? Strange. I would say birth defect if he's had it all along. If he hasn't then I'd be worried about something like osteomyelitis - infection of the bones of the spine. I've seen bacterial osteomyelitis in snakes cause similar distortion of the spine, although its rare. I don't think it's a calcium deficiency though. At least that would be a very unusual presentation of it (one I've never heard of). He didn't get trampled by something right? No trauma in his life? I'd recommend having him checked by a vet. I'd do some x-rays to look at the vertebrae.

i just looked at day 1-7 pics and dont see anything malformed. he fell once, (that i do know of) not a full fall though. and other than that he's never had anything severe (definitely not trampled). If i do take him to a vet what are the survival rate for osteomyelitis or a spine injury? i dont want to sound cold hearted, but if there's no chance, theres no chance, i will do everything i can but i will never keep an animal alive in pain. (posted a baby pic too)

 

[g schrock]

sorry, here's a pic of him as a baby, not my GMO lab from a year ago ><

 

[camimom]

I dont see any defects there, but he could have been so small it wasnt noticable yet.

 

[g schrock]

Is he housed alone? Any other animals (or small children) in the house? Does he free range at all?

he's all alone, no kids, no other chams and i doubt my husky's or beardie are messing with him, and i take him out every once in a while, but i just hang onto him, no free range

 

[g schrock]

If he has one defect....

if its just aim, it could be he needs some more nutrients.

My guy used to have an aim issue too, after i switched to repashy all in one, his aim got better after two months.

It could happen from a fall, but with all the curves there, im thinking more a birth defect,

Waxworms do not have a high calcium content, more a high fat content.

If you want a bug with lots of calcium get silkworms and pheonix worms (aka calci worms)

repashy? never heard of that brand... his current vitamins are repti-cal where can i get that?

 

[camimom]

Repashy all in one calcium plus.

Its a all in one supplement, I only use that and nothing else.

YOu can buy it directly from repashy, or from joshs frogs.

just google it, youll find it.

it has a pic of a crested gecko on the front.

just make sure its the calcium all in one, NOT the crested gecko diet.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

i just looked at day 1-7 pics and dont see anything malformed. he fell once, (that i do know of) not a full fall though. and other than that he's never had anything severe (definitely not trampled). If i do take him to a vet what are the survival rate for osteomyelitis or a spine injury? i dont want to sound cold hearted, but if there's no chance, theres no chance, i will do everything i can but i will never keep an animal alive in pain. (posted a baby pic too)

We don't know what his chances are until we know what's causing it. If its bacterial you might be able to treat it successfully. The snakes with it did well and are still alive. And if it's not infectious maybe it's just a defect that he can live with and just look funny. You can't know what his chances are until you know what's wrong.

 

[g schrock]

We don't know what his chances are until we know what's causing it. If its bacterial you might be able to treat it successfully. The snakes with it did well and are still alive. And if it's not infectious maybe it's just a defect that he can live with and just look funny. You can't know what his chances are until you know what's wrong.

thank you, i know of a couple good reptile vets in the phoenix, AZ area, if anybody has a good reference let me know. ... ive always wanted to visit CO i have a friend that works in the coors corporate HQ

 

[lancaster0861]

Not a specialist but just curious? Is it the fact that the curves do not extend to the limbs that make it more than likely not MBD.

 

[Decadancin]

Not a specialist but just curious? Is it the fact that the curves do not extend to the limbs that make it more than likely not MBD.

I would tend to agree, but there is more evidence than that to almost completely rule this out in my opinion. (For what its worth )