Severe MBD need advice

[ShannanD25]

I recently responded to an add for three free leos that were twisted from MBD. My heart went out and I aquired them along with a skeleton of a carrot tail. I was shocked at what I found when I opened the box. Full grown heads on twisted little bodies. They walk on their forearms....Very alert and friendly though. The carrot tail has two small sores on either side of her mouth. She isn't twisted fromMBD.
I need advice! I almost feel like the best thing is to have them put down. Yet with the three being so alert and active I don't know what to do. The carrot tail's eyes are sunken and she is literally nothing but bones. I don't expect her to be alive in the morning.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to be able to save them and offer them a warm home with plenth of food, but this may be too severe. I may take them to the vet but I worry about the costs for treating MBD.

Thanks
Shannan

[robin d.]

i would take them to a vet... from my understanding the treatment for MBD is very simple and i do not think all that expensive considering... in the meantime pull a dish of only calcium in each ot there enclosures, i would house them seperately and make sure they have plenty of fresh water... keep them on paper towls right now.. its not harsh on them crawling and give them good hide space. for the skeleton ct if you can get some wax worms try a couple to see if she will even eat those... also feed some mealies . while at the vet ask them to do a fecal test to check for any parasites. hang in there, there might be hope yet. please let us know what ends up happeneing

[Missymonkey]

I have also rescued severely malnourished leos and tried to bring them around. What I found that works is to start them out on amixture of turkey babyfood and pedialyte. I also found a powder mix at the local Petco that was designed for malnourished extremly sick insectivores. I add a little of that to each feeding. I had to either put a big glob on the leos nose and have them lick it off, or I had to gently put my fingernail in their lips so I could squeeze some goo in their mouths. Don't over do it at first you don't want to shock their systems. As they grow stronger you may want to add a little vitamins or a tad bit of sugar to boost their calorie and carb intake.

Keep them warm and dry. As far as the water dish keep it rather shallow if they are crawling on their knees they might have trouble holding their heads up. Put fish gravel or small stones in the water dish to help keep them above the water level. If they have lived together until now it may be a good idea to keep them together. I had aquired three leos who were practically skeletons I seperated them and two of them completely stopped eating until I put them back together again.

Soak them in warm water and pedialyte every other day to help keep them hydrated. Be sure they have a hiding place too. Sick geckos don't like being out in the open where they feel extra vulnerable.

Otherwise I wish you good luck. I have poor success with the extreme cases but have had some pull through.

[Steph Scranton]

I wouldn't use the Flukers Product you that was mentioned for undernurished insectivores. I was going to try it one day until I read the ingredients. It is mostly corn and wheat. I wasn't impressed.

I have pulled a couple of animals back from MBD, and the thing you have to realize is that they will be permently disfigured from this. As long as their jaws are not rubbery, go a head and try and give them some liquid calcium. Feed them some pedialyte and babyfood if they are not eating. But if they will eat, hand feed them gutloaded crix and a few waxies. make sure all are coated with calcium dust.

Now the most important, if you want them to make it...get them to a vet.

[ShannanD25]

As an update:
Lucky, the skeleton(14.4 grams adult female), was alert and ran away this morning from my hand! She popped her head up and whoosh...I couldn't believe it! She looks like a spider with her long stick legs. I fed her two waxworms last night coated in reptical and got a few drops of ensure plus in her. This morning she got one was and .15ML of ensure. I couldn't belive she was still alive!

Squishy, Twisty, and Bumpy are very alert and active. They have nice size tails so I know they have been eating. They seem interested in crickets but can't catch them since they crawl so I'll be pulling some legs off. I have mealworms in calcium powder in a food dish but realized this morning they can't see in since they don't stand on their front legs, so I will be getting creative there.

I am going to pull out the credit card and call the vet. The "Twisties" spirits are so high and they are so inquisitive and friendly I have to give them the best chance! Well Squishy pooped all over my hand as I was giving her her .2ML ensure so after she and I have our discussion...:) It was healthy looking poop!

And Lucky really seems to want to live. I can't believe she hasn't given up yet! I'll post updates for those interested in following this. I'll let everyone know how the vet plans on treating it and the details! I have pictures I will be posting on my web site and will update them with their progress! Thanks to all who responded and keep the advice coming!

-Shannan

[ShannanD25]

Update:

I was told, when I inquired about the 3 MBD Leos that there was also a sick carrot tail that wouldn't eat being tossed in along with them to see what I could do with her. The person giving them away only fed crickets. I had a dish of mealworms in her cage with her and at first thought I had only put a few in there( I had in fact filled it) becuase I had looked in and only saw about 5. I looked in again, just now, to find it empty and Lucky had collapsed next to the bowl with one still hanging out of her mouth. She eats on her own, she simply was to weak to catch fast moving crickets. So she had in fact been being starved to death...I don't know if she'll make it. She is still breathing weakly. I got more Ensure Plus in her and some water mixed with pedilyte. It is like the simple act of eating those worms was too much for her. I don't know if she will pull through. I uped her heat and turned out the lights in the room trying to make it as comfortable as possible...

The Twisties are doing fine. They manage to eat their crickets but have no interest in meal or wax worms. I am working on that. I'll be taking all 4 to the vet this week. I am hoping Lucky makes it till then. Everybody send happy thoughts to Lucky...

Thanks again for the advice coming in about how to help them all.

[ShannanD25]

I just checked on Lucky, she had died. Upon examination I noted a think puss like discharge in her throat and close to the edges of the mouth I had also noticed two healing, but there none the less, sores on either side of her mouth. I took a sample of the discharge and it had a strong almost yeast smell to it...Could it have been mouth rot or some sort of throat infection?I wish I had a microscop becasue the geek side of me would have had poop samples and samples of the yellow guck on a slide trying to figure out what killed her.
At this point I'll blame it on an ignorant previous owner.

The twisties are still going strong though!