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Dont have money for vet. Is there a homeade cure for MBD??

H

hectorakacrisco

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title pretty much says it all...im pretty broke and i can t afford to take my lizard to the vet. he absolutely has MBD...i had him without a UVB light for a while and it got really bad...i know i messed up so spare me the lectures...i just want to know if there is any way i can get calcium into him at home. I was thinking of making a little yogurt thing and mixing in some gatorage for electrolytes, crickets, and some of that calcium thing birds chew on..and some collard greens. Id do this via syrenge in the mouth..Let me know if this is ok or not cuz i really wanna help this little guy...he has seizures for a while and VERY often. i do have the temps and lighting good now but i think it may be too late...he hasnt eaten a thing in 2 weeks or more....Please let me know of anything i can do to help this guy without spending money or too much money
 
Sorry the poor thing is so sick. It reall does need a vet, because there may be other issues going on. What you CAN do is mix some calcium powder that's made for reptiles with a little water [ if you use yogurt, it must be SOY, not a dairy product!] Or a tiny bit of baby food, like squash or peas or chicken. But if he's so ill that he can't eat, I would possibly just use a tiny bit of water with the calcium, just getting that in him for now.In a drug store you may find liquid calcium which would be absorbed quickly called Neocalglucon. You could order liquid calcium for him, but it would take days to come in. You could also get him out in the sun, since you are in CA., during the warm part of the day. When dragons have the beginning of calcium deficiency, they can improve with 1 single day in the sun. So, if you take him outside, put him in direct sunlight but monitor the temps. and stay with him. Use common sense, I know this time of year is not too hot in Ca. so get a small plastic toter and put a little towel in it if he's too weak or clumsy to bask, and let him soak up some sun. This can help a great deal. BUT....he really does need a vet.
 
Oh, and by the way, I don't mean that he should be wrapped up in the towel, just laid on it. I actually Googled your temps. so if it's in the 60's during the day, which I know sounds on the cool side, use a dark color plastic tote because it will absorb the heat, the clear totes stay cooler and would be used if it were hotter than 75. Make sure the sun IS out, otherwise it would be too cold. You can actually put the dark tote in the sun and put the dragon directly on the plastic, which will be warmer than a towel because it will absorb the heat, kind of like a car hood gets warm in the sun. The sun can be very important to help him absorb the calcium.
 
I JUST went through finding out that one of my juvenile dragons was in the early stages of MBD. The sun is an excellent idea, as long as your temps are AT LEAST 60-65. I was scared of a Hawk getting my girl so I just stood in the sun for nearly half an hour with her on my arm (I was lucky enough to get a single sunny day that reached mid-60's, a couple of days after we had snow on the ground!!). Just as Angie explained about how great the sun is, my vet explained that 15 minutes in the sun would provide about a weeks worth the calcium from her artificial light!

Since you expressed that you have no money for the vet and his/her medicine, this might help. Thomas Clarke just described this method to me. Dip your finger in water so that it's wet, but not dripping. Stick your finger into the calcium jar (that you dust your bugs with) and let it "clump up" on the tip of your finger. With your other hand, GENTLY pull on your dragon's beard (skin below it's chin). With just a little coaxing, it's mouth should open and you can get some of this calcium directly into it's mouth.
 
Wanted to add that I truly hope your little one turns around. I'm not trying to lecture you, as I know what it's like to be broke, but if there's ANY way that you can manage to get it to a vet, a full-recovery should be quicker.

Last Wednesday I cleaned my juvi beardies' cage (I've had this young pair together since they were about 2 months, and they're now 7-7 1/2 months). They seemed fine with I put them in a warm bath, but when I returned them to their cage, the little girl just laid in the substrate, all four limbs splayed out. Her little limbs twitched uncontrollably and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something was wrong!! (Good thing too, cause there ain't one here!!)

Vet told me to expect to see the twitching for 3-4 weeks, as I administered concentrated calcium 2X/day. The twitching totally subsided early in the weekend and she's now CLOSE to normal, eating crickets and not trying to hide all day (I actually quit letting her because it neglected any light--calcium--to get to her).

Best of luck with yours!!!
 
You can go to wal-mart an pick up a bottle of "liquid coral calcium". Give it to your dragon through a syringe. Another good calcium boost.
 
well kind of....ive taken him out into the sun for about 30 mins to an hour for 2 days..and yesterday i crushed up 2 crickets...some water and crickets calcium powder...mixed it in and put it in his mouth...i almost killed him actually...i think. He stopped moving for a while
and is just super lazy
but when hes under the sun hes completely different he is active and everything.. I was trying to feed him through a little tube but i think i was choking him with food so i tried to get most of what i put in..out. either way..i thinki the sun is really helping. Do u guys approve the cricket powder as a cure if i keep doing it repeatedly and having him under the sun?
 
hectorakacrisco said:
well kind of....ive taken him out into the sun for about 30 mins to an hour for 2 days..and yesterday i crushed up 2 crickets...some water and crickets calcium powder...mixed it in and put it in his mouth...i almost killed him actually...i think. He stopped moving for a while
and is just super lazy
but when hes under the sun hes completely different he is active and everything.. I was trying to feed him through a little tube but i think i was choking him with food so i tried to get most of what i put in..out. either way..i thinki the sun is really helping. Do u guys approve the cricket powder as a cure if i keep doing it repeatedly and having him under the sun?
Click to expand...

A cure, no. A assisted way of living, well its all you have.

If your choking your dragon, your putting to much in his/her mouth. little bits at a time just like a baby. If he/she has MBD. they also have a "soft jaw" and cannot properly chew like a normal dragon. Take it slow.

Do you have a uvb bulb over the tank? what wat is it?
 
His best chance would be if you could get him to an experienced reptile vet. On your own the best you can do is give him the calcium, get him in the sun,and get the proper UVB bulbs, also the right temps. in the tank. Basking area around 100-105 and cool end around 80. If you give him baby food, maybe squash or peas until he gets stronger [ hopefully he will] you can mix the calcium powder with it and just give a tiny bit at a time., like Tom said. You don't want to choke him to death.
 
Since he is so low on calcium, you probably should switch that bulb out for a 10.0 UVB
 
dang...i just bought that 1....Fine...if i were to take him to the vet...any idea how much theyd charge me for the calcium injections??? i think it willl be cheaper and less time consuming then wat i am curently doing.
 
hectorakacrisco said:
dang...i just bought that 1....Fine...if i were to take him to the vet...any idea how much theyd charge me for the calcium injections??? i think it willl be cheaper and less time consuming then wat i am curently doing.
Click to expand...

Yeah, these little guys can be expensive to take care of properly. I have no idea what your vet will charge you, but I just paid $80'ish (don't remember the exact, but it was $80 something). There was no "injection" in my case, but could have been, had mine been further along in her deficiency. My fee covered the office visit and calcium concentrate to administer 2X/day for 30 days. After that, I'll still have to administer 1X/day until the vet says she's good without it.

If you JUST bought your bulb, maybe the pet store will swap it for the one you need??
 
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