New Baby veileds w/ MBD

[Chill]

hey all i got these guys not to long ago. This guy brought em in to my store and i bought em cuz i knew they wouldnt last long if not watched. Im almost positive they have MBD, bowy legs soft jaws, weakness, disfigured. its rough but since i got em they been doin a little better. Jus seein if anyone has any suggestions on what i could do better to help em. i give em cal loaded crickets and plenty of water and i try to get em outside for raw sun for a lil bit each day. here are some pics
Tahnks for the help

 

[Ren]

Good luck with them, information is key, I feel so bad for any andn everyone who buys from stores and r people who thought these little guys are as easy to take care of as a hamster...

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I'm not sure what the weather is like in your town but if it is good enough then unfiltered sunshine and calcium still have a chance at turning things around.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Baby Veileds with MBD

Does look like MBD....not too late though........Get them real sunshine at least 1/2 hour everyday for natural vitamin D3. It can be overcast if warm enough. UVB still gets through the clouds. See if you can pick up a bottle of Calcionate Syrup (Calcium Globionate). A company called Rugby makes the bottle I have. I got it at a Rite-Aid pharmacy. It's over the counter and used for pregnant women and children with calcium issues. Give the veiled babies a couple of cc's by syringe every day before going outside. My vet (very experienced with reptiles) got me into using this form of calcium as a supplement for gravid females in addition to normal supplements. Calcium Globionate is absorbed by the body as needed. It will not be over-absorbed and will not damage organs. It's great for treating MBD. You just have to administer orally. It comes in a big bottle that is really inexpensive and will be more than you could ever use. I use it for gravid females as they get close to egg laying to give them an extra calcium boost. Please keep us informed as to how they are doing. I think we all admire you for trying to help these poor creatures. I rescued a tiny iguana that had MBD from a pet store (used the Calcium Globionate on him too). He is now four years old and I can't tell he ever had MBD. Good luck

 

[Chill]

yahh thanks for the reply, the are doing pretty well when i first got them they werent moving to much. but now one of them is all over the place you can still see some of the effects of the MBD though. but i will definantley have to try out that stuff you recommened

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I agree with Catherine about Calcium Globionate. It's calcium is much more "available" for being absorbed by the gut in serious situations like these two critters. I think that a drop or two per day for critters that little will go a looong way. Don't forget the sunshine or it won't do much good. I often wonder about mixing a little Ca/D3 powder to get a little bit of D3 kicked-in but I also worry about just how much D3 will be injested (O.D.. possibilities...). They also make a liquid vitamin D3 for reptile use but I've never bought it.

 

[chameloman72]

I have seen a few chams for sale on kingsnake lately that have some pretty bad MBD it's a shame people actually try and sell animals like that!!

 

[Mintglow]

That's horrible sometimes, though, with proper care (and if caught in time) chams with MBD can make a turnaround and live a good life.

The store I deal with rescues neglected reptiles and has them treated and nursed back to health before selling them. I wish that there were more places that were so responsible.

 

[MWheelock]

Calcium globionate

Calcium Globionate is absorbed by the body as needed. It will not be over-absorbed and will not damage organs. It's great for treating MBD. You just have to administer orally.

I agree with most everything that has been said on this thread with the exception of the fact that you cannot overdo the calcium globionate.

Any oral calcium will not be overdone if the body is regulating its own D3 sythesis. Natural sunlight and/or the UVB bulbs. However, if supplementation is being given of the D3, (and many breeders recommend the rep-cal with D3 2-3 times a week when they are young and those that are pregnant) the body will not be able to turn off the negative feedback mechanism. More calcium will be absorbed putting the animal into hypercalcemia.

A number of cc's of calcium globionate in a baby veiled is way too much. The only reason you are getting away with that is that they are not being oversupplemented with D3, and the excess Calcium is passing right through the gut and getting excreted.

Those chams that have secondary nutritional hypeparathyroidism (a form of MBD) will respond to calcium supplementation to resolve their deficiencies, but not too much too fast, or you can go the other way...

Good luck,
Matthew

 

[PardalisGirl]

Thanks Mathew

Thank you for adding that additional information Mathew. We are lucky to have a veterinarian like you here to help us out. My advice was incomplete. I forget that I am not big on supplementing with D3 as some may be. I use it very sparingly and try to get it through good lighting (quality lights changed frequently) and real sunlight instead of in my supplements. I might supplement with D3 very lightly once a week and I try to stick my gravid females out in the real sun. Under these circumstances, the calcium globionate is absorbed as needed and there is little risk of over-supplementation. Anyone who decides to try calcium globionate does need to examine and adjust his or her use of D3 supplements accordingly. Thanks again for your input