N
nicolenadia
Guest
I have always dusted my feeders with plain calcium carbonate powder with every feeding. Usually for the adults, only half of their meal is dusted or they won't even finish it. The babies however, get calcium everyday. All get a multi with D3 like twice a month. Recently, I have been noticing that two babies that I hatched last year look as though they are suffering from Metabolic Bone disease and it seems like they may have semi soft mandible bones and even their front leg bones look a bit off. Since this discovery a few weeks ago, a friend of mine had just returned from the Vet (reptile Vet) having the same problem with a bearded dragon whose limbs were not working. My friend recommended to me to bump up calcium dusting to twice a day for these babies and even though the damage can not be healed the deficiency can be reversed. With the powder, you can not control the cc's given so he recommended a liquid calcium. (neo-calglucon). Each baby is about 25 gm....good weight for their age. They eat really well, are alert and seem otherwise healthy.
So my question is, has anyone had this problem before and what were your experiences?
Anyone know where to get good liquid calcium that won't cost me an arm and a leg?
And what’s the deal with Calcium/Phosphorus ratios.....I know I should know this already, but I don't get it.
I use Jurassi Cal pure calcium every day. It doesn't stick to well to the feeders. All of my geckos run for the tongs when I pull out their boxes, and eat right from them so I am able to dip the worms in water, and then into the calcium, thus saturating the worm with the powder.
Also, any good recommendations on tube syringe feeding the calcium. I had to do this with a slurry like mix for a very sick gecko once and it was quite easy because he was an adult (and didn't make it though), but these babies are quite jumpy. I usually rub the sides of their mouths and they open them...but I don't want to just go ahead and inject them, knowing that they could choke on the liquid. Any good method?
If this doesn't work, I will take them to the vet. They show no signs of lethargy, any appetite problems, or problems even walking.
So my question is, has anyone had this problem before and what were your experiences?
Anyone know where to get good liquid calcium that won't cost me an arm and a leg?
And what’s the deal with Calcium/Phosphorus ratios.....I know I should know this already, but I don't get it.
I use Jurassi Cal pure calcium every day. It doesn't stick to well to the feeders. All of my geckos run for the tongs when I pull out their boxes, and eat right from them so I am able to dip the worms in water, and then into the calcium, thus saturating the worm with the powder.
Also, any good recommendations on tube syringe feeding the calcium. I had to do this with a slurry like mix for a very sick gecko once and it was quite easy because he was an adult (and didn't make it though), but these babies are quite jumpy. I usually rub the sides of their mouths and they open them...but I don't want to just go ahead and inject them, knowing that they could choke on the liquid. Any good method?
If this doesn't work, I will take them to the vet. They show no signs of lethargy, any appetite problems, or problems even walking.
