:cry: :cry: Hi guys, sorry haven't been around much, have been dealing with a very sick little netted who presented with muscle tremmors 5 days ago and then stopped eating. This morning she was in a coma and i rushed her down to Peter Wilson at currumbin.
She has MBD (despite calcium in every feed) and impaction from sand substrate.
She is being given mineral & vitamin injections and enemas :O to clear the impaction, but i expect her to be in hospital for a few weeks.
As you can imagine i am beside myself with the knowledge that despite keeping all husbandry and hygine protocols as high as possible, my husbandry mistakes have had such a devestating effect.
I was under the impression that netteds could live on sand happily, as they are a desert dragon that lives in sand in the wild, but this is apparently not the case in captivity.
As embarressed as i am by my own mistakes, i desided to write about it in an attempt to prevent someone else making the same trajic mistake. No dragon shoud be kept on sand, and at the preferance to having a beautiful natural looking tank, for the reptiles health, newspaper should always be used.
As for the calcium deficiency, i ALWAYS dusted every feed with repti-cal, and yet she still developed MBD metabolic bone disorder. Apparently liquid calcium is the better option and is more readily absorbed than the powder.
I am overcome with guilt and grief, and may not be around much for a few days or so.
Please, other dragon keepers, learn from my mistakes and get the sand out of your display tanks, and give liquid viamin/calcium, more the better, and hopefully you wont have to feel this way.
She has MBD (despite calcium in every feed) and impaction from sand substrate.
She is being given mineral & vitamin injections and enemas :O to clear the impaction, but i expect her to be in hospital for a few weeks.
As you can imagine i am beside myself with the knowledge that despite keeping all husbandry and hygine protocols as high as possible, my husbandry mistakes have had such a devestating effect.
I was under the impression that netteds could live on sand happily, as they are a desert dragon that lives in sand in the wild, but this is apparently not the case in captivity.
As embarressed as i am by my own mistakes, i desided to write about it in an attempt to prevent someone else making the same trajic mistake. No dragon shoud be kept on sand, and at the preferance to having a beautiful natural looking tank, for the reptiles health, newspaper should always be used.
As for the calcium deficiency, i ALWAYS dusted every feed with repti-cal, and yet she still developed MBD metabolic bone disorder. Apparently liquid calcium is the better option and is more readily absorbed than the powder.
I am overcome with guilt and grief, and may not be around much for a few days or so.
Please, other dragon keepers, learn from my mistakes and get the sand out of your display tanks, and give liquid viamin/calcium, more the better, and hopefully you wont have to feel this way.