MBD? help

[nicoleroxs73]

Ok so i’m not sure if this is where the thread goes but i’ll put it here. I have two geckos, one whos a male named Rex, hes a big boy and very healthy, and another one who i have yet to sex whos name is Yoshi. Rex is about 10 months old i believe and i’ve never had any problems with him. I thought it’d be nice to get him a friend so i went to the pet store and bought a new one and put it in the same tank. They get along fine and the store owner told me it’d be okay for them to be in the same tank. This was only about a month after i bought Rex so they were pretty close to the same size so i thought there would be no troubles with eating especially since most times the cage has crickets and mealies in it. But Yoshi hasn’t been growing much and i’m worried about him because i think he might have MBD. I’ve read up alot about leopard geckos so i take pretty good care of them. I dust their mealies and wax worms when i feed them and i calciumize the water. I’ve only recently started dusting the crickets but i’ve always gut loaded them with fluckers orange cubes. Yoshi’s legs don’t seem to be developing properly and he has troubles getting around. i’ve separated Rex and Yoshi now but i’m still worried. He barley eats, i think it might be because he can’t catch the crickets because he’s weak from being sick or something so i’ve been trying to feed him wax worms because i know they’re high in fat and he’s looking under weight. He ate only one a day in the past week, sometimes eating nothing. But last night i fed him and he ate 7. I was very pleased because that was the most he’s eaten in a long time. i just don’t know what to do because i live in Yellowknife NWT Canada, it’s a small city and its 15 hours away from Edmonton Alberta. Seeing i live in such a small town there is not much help, we only have one vet who knows nothing about exotic animals, and the people at the pet store are all idiots who are no help at all. I’m driving to Edmonton in a few weeks and i’m starting to think i might have to take Yoshi with me to get help or something. I really care about my pets and i don’t want to just let Yoshi die, i don’t care what the cost, is there anyone out there that can help??

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Nicole, see if a local vet can give you some liquid calcium (NeoCalglucon or Calcium glubionate) and give your gecko about .25 mls daily. Be very careful when administering it because it is thick and syrupy, and geckos can aspirate on it if given too fast.


I believe that some geckos seem to have more difficulty absorbing calcium than others. The parathyroid gland controls calcium absorption, and factors like excessive heat, stress, and perhaps even congenital defects, can affect how the thyroid glad functions.

 

[blizzard]

you bought a 10 month old leo from a pet store?? also do you use lighting?? uvb's aren't needed but they help with digestion and absortion of calcium.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

What supplement are you using? They are all definitely not equal. It could be that your calciumizing your water is creating an imbalance too. That is not necessary when you are using a proper supplement.

Can you post a photo of the gecko?

 

[LIZARDLOVER]

Have you tried tease feading? He might try and take the food if you dangle it in front of his face. I tease feed my geckos and it doesn't seem to bother them or anything.

 

[curiousKathy]

I am curious about your temps...are you using a UTH with a probe and digital thermometer? Are your temps on the warm side 88-92*F? Maybe Yoshi could use some warmer temps to help increase his appetite?

Just a thought...hope you are able to help him,

curiousKathy

 

[lytlesnake]

You can also find calcionate syrup on ebay.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=calcionate&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=92358&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1

Just put a drop on your finger and put it on the gecko's nose. She will lick it off. A few drops is all you need. It's sticky as it goes down their throats as Marcia said, so go slowly. A couple drops twice a day and that should do the trick. I had two hatchlings last year that had MBD. I only gave them the syrup a few times and they're both doing great now.

 

[nicoleroxs73]

No i didnt buy a 10 month old gecko at the pet store, that is about his age now. Yes i have lighting in the aquariam, 100watts and the temp is a little under 90 F in the middle of the tank. I have a UVB light as well which i just put in there last month. I use Flukers repta calcium on mealies and wax worms, Flukers repta vitamin on the mealies, and Exo Terra Calcimize water conditioner. If by tease feeding you mean dangling a wax worm in front of his face ive tried that as well. My healthy gecko will go for the worm but the small weak one wont. Id post a picture but im not exactly sure i know how to.

 

[nicoleroxs73]

these are pictures of him i took the other day. his front legs look fine but its his back legs that seem pretty messed up.

 

[lytlesnake]

Yeah his rear legs look MBD'ish to me. These guys really need a UTH (Under Tank Heater) as opposed to a 100 watt lamp for heat. If I were you I would

1) Order that Calcionate Syrup on ebay... and

2) Get a UTH and a rheostat. You can get the Zoo Med 4 or 8 watt UTH and the Zoo Med Rheostat at your pet store. Stick the UTH to the bottom underside of the tank, wait at least 1/2 hour, and then put a thermometer there. You want to measure the temperature inside the tank, right in the middle of the UTH. That temperature should be about 90 degrees. Just make small adjustments to the rheostat and wait 1/2 hour each time until you achieve the correct temperature.

The belly heat will help his digestion, and thus, his absorption of calcium should be improved.