MBD symptoms?

[spud_meister]

So, I recently got a cute little Jacky Dragon, and he's awesome (his name's Nemo, I plan on getting a female when I can find one and calling her Dory). But I notice his lower jaw flexes when he eats, and I read on the internet that this can be a sign of MBD. I've not kept a dragon this small before, so I'm unsure whether it's normal or not.

[video=youtube;GZ1ltTkYnQQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ1ltTkYnQQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Beans]

The bones are softer than normal. Bones can be disfigured. They can break bones easily.

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[Beans]

I see what you mean. His jaw doesn't stay solid. But are you sure that's not just his lip? If your giving him the right amount of supplements and has the right uv don't worry too much but keep an eye on it. Can he get close enough to his uv?

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[spud_meister]

The closest spot to his UV is around 10cm away, that's also his favourite spot to bask because he can see out a window. I dust one cricket per feed with calcium, and one every second feed with multi-vitamin. (he gets around 4 crickets 2-3 times a week). Should I increase the calcium to see if it changes?

 

[-Peter]

What else are you feeding it?

 

[Beans]

You;re dusting ONE cricket? Dust all of his crickets, and up the food intake. He's probably super hungry. How old is he??
Dust ALL of his crickets about 3 times a week and give him lots more. Give him about 20 or so crickets. 4 is no where near enough, and dusting 1 cricket a feed with calcium is like weeing in an ocean. It's not going to do anything.

If he does have MBD you can't cure it, but only stop it from progressing further.

 

[bigg_bunny]

Definitely sounds like early MBD. Dust all you crickets with calcium powder and provide some greens too [ bok choi etc ]. Forget about vitamin supplements. The most important trace element in reptiles , especially skinks , dragons and tortoises is calcium. Failure to provide sufficient calcium to an actively growing animal will produce a dead dragon very quickly. Also ensure that your lighting setup is correct but dietary calcium content is the most important factor. Some abnormal bony changes are reversable if the diet is corrected quickly but unfortunately permanent deformities can result in reptiles fed deficient diets for long periods.

 

[Bluetongue1]

The lower jaw does appear to be flexing but pretty close to normal limits as far as I can see. Here is a video of a Bearded Dragon eating a live mouse where you see the degree of flexibility of the mandible... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSass7hUGoc. A good indicator of bone strength is its ability to weight bear on its limbs. It appears to be able to stand on the front limbs with the body raised off the ground. If it can comfortably maintain this position then there is likely nothing to worry about.

All reptiles need two things to avoid developing MBD – adequate calcium in the diet and adequate vitamin D. Without vitamin D, reptiles are unable to absorb calcium from their gut or to make use of it in the body. So a diet rich in calcium is useless without vitamin D as the calcium will simply be all passed out with the normal wastes.

Adequate calcium can be achieved through dusting all insects offered every second feed.

Adequate vitamin D can be achieved through two means. Dusting of a meal no more than once a week with a reptile vitamin supplement containing vitamin D (but preferably no phosphorous). The other is to ensure adequate exposure to UVB light to allow reptiles to photosynthesis vitamin D in the skin, pretty much the same as humans do. Dragons are designed for extensive exposure to sunlight. This is the best source of vitamin D for them. So a sunbake for an hour of so three times a week around midday (depending on the time of year and prevailing temperatures and dryness etc) is ideal. Shade, cool water, protection from high temperatures and active supervision must always be provided to animals temporarily being exposed to sunlight.

Alternatively or in addition, a UVB light in the enclosure, above the basking spot, is a good substitute for natural sunlight. There are two main options - mercury vapour lamps and UV fluorescents. MV lamps are a heat source and UV all in one but are only suited to large enclosures due to their heat output. A straight fluorescent tube is the other best option, preferably with a UVB rating of 10% and usually recommended at about 30 cm from the basking reptile. These need to be replaced every 6 to 12 months (follow the manufacturer’s directions) as the UVB source degrades with use but being invisible this does not affect the visible brightness of the globe.

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