How does MBD Work?
There’s no doubt that
MBD can be a confusing thing to understand, so I want to try and explain things
as simple as possible - so simple that I was finally able to truly understand
it.
There are various causes
to how a reptile gets MBD. One is the reptile is getting an inadequate ratio of
calcium to phosphorus in their diet. They should be getting a ratio of 2:1, and
if they don’t get enough calcium, their body pulls it from the bones instead =
the bones become weak and subject to breakage.
Another cause is the
lack of UVB exposure. UVB synthesizes vitamin D3 so that the body can use it →
Vitamin D3 is needed in order for the body to absorb calcium.
So basically there are
four main things to think about:
Calcium
Phosphorous
UVB
Vitamin
D3
Of course like anything,
there are several other causes, but they more or less link back to these MAIN
causes, and by simply making sure your iguana has the proper diet and proper
habitat, the odds will be in your iguanas favor.
Now back to the list
that y’all came here for….
We have all seen those
heartbreaking cases of Metabolic bone disease. If you or someone you know is
dealing with an iguana with serve MBD, this is what I recommend to you:
I knew iguanas rarely come back when they are
that far gone. I kept telling myself that he could get better if I did
everything right and didn't give up on him, but I also made sure not to forget
that if it went on long enough, there would come a point where I’d need to let
go.
2.
Soak and don't get
discouraged!
This is especially for you iguana people dealing
with the inability to poop, which mine was. Because of nerve and spinal damage,
he was unable to control that end of his body.
I gave Arcadius a nice long soak 1-2 times a day
for weeks. There were days I thought what's the point, because they never
seemed to do anything, but who am I to say they didn't help. I did it, and my
iguana turned around - so it doesn't hurt to try!
3.
CALCIUM / PROPER DIET
Pay attention to what you are feeding your pet!
The Green
Iguana Society has a great chart with
all the foods listed and their calcium to phosphorus ratio. Ideally you want to
feed them foods with a 2:1 (ca:p) ratio, but when you are battling severe MBD
definitely offer those foods higher in calcium!
Your greens can be a great source of calcium, so
during this time I did 60% greens, 40% veggies, and a tiny treat of fruit.
Making sure your iggy gets protein during this time is important too. A good
source of this is alfalfa. If you don’t have this available to you, you can buy
the alfalfa treats you would find for rabbits and shred them into a powder like
consistency. Then you just have to sprinkle it on your iggys food!
You can also use a calcium supplement, but try
to find one without D3. Your iggy gets D3 from its UVB, and too much D3 can
cause other health problems.
 |
|
This is a post recovery meal. I do
not recommend this much fruit for someone
going through MBD. He was just getting spoiled this day. |
My top recommendations:
·
Collard greens (!!!!),
mixed with turnip greens, mustard greens, watercress, and/or dandelion greens.
(Always collard greens).
·
Green beans, butternut
squash, acorn squash,
·
Papaya and mango
·
Alfalfa
Stay away from treats and occasional foods
during this time.
4.
UVB
Make sure your iggy has UVB exposure, and that
it is the correct distance away from the bulb to be getting what it requires.
Most importantly, get a good UVB bulb!!! This means spending some $$$, but it’s
worth it if your iguana is healthy again right?
I recommend a mega ray - this bulb is heat and UVB combined AND has a
long and wide beam for maximum efficiency. Also highly popular, are Arcadia
lights and zoo med’s powersun lights (these can be found in petsmarts).
5.
Patience
Your baby won’t heal overnight, or even in a week.
Reptiles can take months to heal, so just be patient while their body does its’
thing.
6.
Always seek vet help
Some vets know more about reptiles than others,
but it doesn't hurt to try and get assistance from them. In my case, I was not
all that impressed with our vets enclosure set up, but he knew how to manually
poop an iguana and that was all I really needed.
He was able to show us how to do it at home, and
I believe this manual pooping is really what helped his body get back on track.
Plus, he wasn’t full of sh** in the healing process (LOL) !
7.
Handicap everything!
Take away any obstacles that could potentially
cause more injuries or damage to your iguana until the healing process is well
underway.
When this all happened he was temporarily in a
20 gallon tank. We put a towel down to not only pad everything, but to give him
something to grab on to with his front legs, since he couldn’t use his back
legs.
Arcadius’ enclosure we built is all ramps,
because he was in the middle of recovery when we built it. His enclosure at my
parent’s house now has branches and vines, because he is stronger now and can
handle it better than before, but he is still tipsy on them.
IF YOUR IGUANA ISN’T
DEFECATING ON ITS’ OWN
8. Increase water
This means making sure
the humidity is up and adding water filled substances to their diets.
A good source of water
is cucumber and watermelon. Also, getting an eye dropper to physically give
them water to drink is a good idea. Sometimes we created fruit infused water to
encourage him to drink the water.
And as I mentioned
before - baths! Lots and lots of baths! Iguanas typically go to the bathroom in
the water, so this could be another form of encouragement.
And as always, don’t let
your iguana go too long without defecating. A reptile vet should be able to
help manually poop your iguana. If they are nice like ours, they’ll have you
come back every couple of days to repeat the process (until they think you have
a lost cause and show you how to do it yourself so you stop throwing money at
them).
*Side note: I do not
recommend pooping your iguanas yourself, unless it comes down to it and you
have vet assistance the first time around. That is a last resort situation and
it takes two people*
It is important to
remember, that your iguana may not go back to its totally healthy able iguana
self. Arcadius suffered spinal and nerve damage, so he will forever have a
curve in his spine and he can’t use his hind legs as well as a healthy iguana
can. This being said, he is pooping on his own and living a completely spoiled
life full of love and happiness! All you can do for them during these hard
times are give your full love and support!
I’m
hoping for the best for all of you MBD fighters out there!
Do
you have any experience with MBD or any questions? I’d love to hear from you!
