B
Bluetongue1
Guest
There is a lot positive I would like to say but I suspect this will be a long post without that. Suffice to say then that if my missus provided the fruit to me that you provide your EWD I would be a happy man.
I am going to throw a spanner into the works...
Firstly, I believe far too much is made of the P content of bananas. The concern is that this binds calcium. The reality is that P is an essential mineral in the building of bone. As a percentage of the diet it does not interfere with uptake and utilisation of sufficient calcium. Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, in the Perth Hills, has developed and been using a diet for Shinglebacks being rehabilitated or kept long term for at least 10 years now. That diet is as follows:
12% Meatballs with Wombaroo Reptile Supplement
22% Chopped apple
22% Green leafy vegetables
22% Banana
22% Tomato
My initial reaction was that this cannot be right. That changed to it must be just for putting on condition. Upon enquiring, it is also used for long term residents that are unable to be released. Non e of the animals, young or adults, on this particular diet have shown any signs of developing MBD.
Clearly there are aspects of this that fly in the face of what we would consider appropriate on the basis of analysis of nutrients and potential interactions.
I believe it is also important to consider the size of firm vegetables and leaf vegetables offered. These should NOT be grated. They should be coarsely chopped so that the lizard needs to chew them before swallowing. The appropriate size to chop them into is the distance between the eyes. Even leaves need to be chopped. Whole leaves that have been swallowed have been known to require veterinary intervention on rare occasions. Remember that in nature the leaves would be torn off in pieces before being swallowed. Chewing of firm food is important for dental health in order to avoid periodontal disease.
The addition of dandelion flowers is a plus because even they contain a good degree of calcium plus nectar which certain lizards enjoy. Perhaps what should have been said is that the leaves of dandelions contain more calcium per volume than milk has. So the addition of chopped dandelion leaves will be highly beneficial to growing lizards.
I am not sure why peas should not be regular dietary item. They are certain the best way I know of to get reluctant bluetongues to eat. I would also challenge the traditionally held view of mealworms being bad. The P to Ca ratio basically is interpreted as an indication that animals fed a staple diet of mealworms will develop MBD. If you look at the information available overseas, you soon discover that huge numbers of lizards are raised almost exclusively on mealworms with no apparent drawbacks. Finding middle ground, the regular inclusion of these insect larvae in the diets lizards are a benefit. If you want to look at P to Ca ratios, crickets don't cut it. Yet how many people feed their geckoes exclusively on crickets?
Bottom line... there is still a lot of sorting out to be done. We need to determine the there difference between what looks theoretically unsound versus what is actually unsound in practice.
Blue
I am going to throw a spanner into the works...
Firstly, I believe far too much is made of the P content of bananas. The concern is that this binds calcium. The reality is that P is an essential mineral in the building of bone. As a percentage of the diet it does not interfere with uptake and utilisation of sufficient calcium. Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, in the Perth Hills, has developed and been using a diet for Shinglebacks being rehabilitated or kept long term for at least 10 years now. That diet is as follows:
12% Meatballs with Wombaroo Reptile Supplement
22% Chopped apple
22% Green leafy vegetables
22% Banana
22% Tomato
My initial reaction was that this cannot be right. That changed to it must be just for putting on condition. Upon enquiring, it is also used for long term residents that are unable to be released. Non e of the animals, young or adults, on this particular diet have shown any signs of developing MBD.
Clearly there are aspects of this that fly in the face of what we would consider appropriate on the basis of analysis of nutrients and potential interactions.
I believe it is also important to consider the size of firm vegetables and leaf vegetables offered. These should NOT be grated. They should be coarsely chopped so that the lizard needs to chew them before swallowing. The appropriate size to chop them into is the distance between the eyes. Even leaves need to be chopped. Whole leaves that have been swallowed have been known to require veterinary intervention on rare occasions. Remember that in nature the leaves would be torn off in pieces before being swallowed. Chewing of firm food is important for dental health in order to avoid periodontal disease.
The addition of dandelion flowers is a plus because even they contain a good degree of calcium plus nectar which certain lizards enjoy. Perhaps what should have been said is that the leaves of dandelions contain more calcium per volume than milk has. So the addition of chopped dandelion leaves will be highly beneficial to growing lizards.
I am not sure why peas should not be regular dietary item. They are certain the best way I know of to get reluctant bluetongues to eat. I would also challenge the traditionally held view of mealworms being bad. The P to Ca ratio basically is interpreted as an indication that animals fed a staple diet of mealworms will develop MBD. If you look at the information available overseas, you soon discover that huge numbers of lizards are raised almost exclusively on mealworms with no apparent drawbacks. Finding middle ground, the regular inclusion of these insect larvae in the diets lizards are a benefit. If you want to look at P to Ca ratios, crickets don't cut it. Yet how many people feed their geckoes exclusively on crickets?
Bottom line... there is still a lot of sorting out to be done. We need to determine the there difference between what looks theoretically unsound versus what is actually unsound in practice.
Blue
As for shedding, he has just started shedding for the second time with me, i think that like snakes, the faster they grow, the more often they shed. I get what you are saying about it seeming to be a constant thing though, cause basically it is! It is amazing how differently they shed to snakes!
