Newly "rescued" 2yr old with MBD, would like tips.

[leonewb]

Hi all, the story of how I got my new friend is rather long so I will give a short version.

A coworkers brother got this gecko a couple years ago and stopped taking care of it properly, it did not get a proper diet or proper lights so my coworker took him in and for the last month or so she has been trating him for MBD and he has only now started to improve. She was forced to move and was told not all of her reptiles can stay with her, she knew I was a big softie for broken animals and I had reptiles most of my life, so here we are. I am know the proud owner of a "in progress" leo.

He definitely has a form of MBD since he walks mostly on his forearms but lately has been trying to walk on his hands more. He eats very little and has been getting supplemented with carnivore care the last week or so. He is also only about 4-5 inches, maybe :/

I will appreciate any tips for making him happier and making his road to recovery easier.

 

[indyana]

While getting help from a vet would certainly be a good option for an animal that has MBD, I'll give a few suggestions:

- Try to get him eating insects if possible. With my first rescue, I would pre-kill bugs with a kitchen mallet so he could eat them (MBD had made his jaw too flexible for crunching them). Make certain you are dusting with calcium and D3 at least every other feeding. I used Repashy Calcium Plus because it could be used on every feeding.

- Gut load insects well. When I was helping my rescue recover, I used Repashy SuperLoad for an additional calcium boost.
Much Ado About Chameleons: The Anatomy of Gut-Loading | Ingredients & Nutritional Info

- Provide a dish of pure calcium powder in the enclosure to allow access to additional calcium. (Use calcium without phorphorus or D3.)

- If the enclosure is large enough and has enough hiding spots to make it safe, consider providing light from a 5% UVB bulb. This can help with D3 production and calcium absorption and is often used in MBD therapy.

If he doesn't show improvement in appetite or weight, you should consider having a vet do a fecal test for parasites, as they could be complicating his recovery.