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Q:
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Crested Gecko w/ MBD ... but large calcium sacs???
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I aquired two adult cresteds last night, one male and one female. The female is in bad shape and appears to be severely underweight along with MBD. However, her calcium sacs are quite large. I've been researching this all night and believe it has something to do with D3 in her diet (either too much or too little) but am still unsure. Has anyone come across this before? Any advice? I so want to help this little girl out - she's a fighter! Here's the background that I know of (remember, I just got them last night - but I asked lots of questions). This is what I know ....
The previous owners posted them on Craigslist for free to a good home. They said they are both underweight and need a more experienced keeper. They had apparently had trouble getting them to eat anything other than crickets.
They were purchased as young adults approximately two years ago. They have been kept on "brick dirt", with greenery, rock backing, log hide, and a water bowl in an exo-terra tank (not sure of size). They do get misted and they do poop.
The previous owners tried feeding them "powdered food mixed with baby food", "zoo med appetite cubes", and crickets. They will hunt and eat crickets. They dust the crickets with Calcium W/ D3. They used to breed their own crickets but now because their local pet store shut down and they don't breed them anymore, they don't have crickets to feed them anymore.
They have bred before and she has laid eggs. The eggs appeared fertile and were buried just under the surface of the dirt substrate. Her last clutch was a couple of months ago.
My initial assessments after getting them home last night:
Male - Good color, bones strong, no bones stuck out, seems healthy, licked CGD, seems hydrated (pinch test), one small calcium sac, weighs 29 grams.
Female - Bottom jaw slightly stuck out, back sunken in below rib cage, skin wrinkly, neck and rib bones jutting out, shaky, tail zig zagged, trouble walking, very weak, shed stuck on toes, bones mushy, very dehydrated. She is licking CGD off of a spoon, she rights herself when put on her back, she tries her best to move around and jump (she has a lot of fight in her), and she has very large calcium sacs. She weighs 27 grams. I can't believe this little girl laid eggs a couple of months ago.
I currently have them separated. She is in a large Kritter Keeper, he is in an XL Kritter Keeper. These enclosures are temporary but I want to make sure they can find their food. They are both on paper towels with vines. I will not be feeding any more crickets. I want them eating CGD only. I am almost certain her condition has something to do with the amount of D3 in her diet but I'm not quite sure how to correct it.
Sorry this is so long - just trying to be thorough =)
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Member Comment
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4/22/2012 1:29:04 PM
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imyourscar
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I haven't seen this before, but if she's dehydrated, try giving her a "sauna" every night or every couple nights until she bounces back from the dehydration. That should also help with her stuck shed. At this point, all you can really do (that I know of) is to keep feeding them their CGD; she'll get better, but never perfect. If her previous ownders were only feeding them CGD dusted with calcium with D3, then yeah, D3 could be her problem. Since she has good sacs right now, I wouldn't bother with giving her any other calcium supplements, especially since they're both pooping (calcium deficiency and dehydration can halt digestive tracks).
TL;DR: just keep feeding them CGD and maybe give them a few saunas; they'll get better, but it doesn't sound like the girl will ever be "perfect"
Note: I am not an expert, so definitely get other people's opinions, not just mine
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Member Comment
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4/22/2012 1:36:22 PM
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imyourscar
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(by CGD I meant crickets; I am a dodohead)
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Member Comment
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4/22/2012 1:37:22 PM
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imyourscar
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(Argh! Again I am a dodohead! I only meant CGD to be crickets in this sentence: "If her previous owners were only feeding them CGD dusted with calcium with D3, then yeah, D3 could be her problem.")
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Member Comment
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4/22/2012 4:53:20 PM
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Kitishane
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I second the keep on with the GCD only. I also agree with the "sauna" idea, but I would take it a step farther and mix a bit of unflavored pedialyte in with the sauna water and her drinking water. Make sure, however, that you are changing her water daily, as I've found pedialyte goes slimy after sitting for a while.
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Member Comment
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4/22/2012 6:51:57 PM
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BabyyItsLove
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I took one in (Butter on my deceased list) who had some serious issues with her calcium. She was being fed bugs and baby food from her previous owner. We ceased bugs for a long time and added additional calcium supplements (without d3) to her CGD and hand fed her for a long time.... a few months AT LEAST. Eventually her FTS got so bad that her spine began to curve, so I assisted with a tail drop. Her tail was all rigid and kinked, and just looked painful. Her front feet were curved inward and she had a hard time gripping. After dropping her tail and continuing her on her diet, she eventually became more lively and in good spirits. She put on weight and appeared to be comfortable with her condition. She lived quite a while that way, until she took a hard fall from the top of the enclosure all the way to the bottom. In the end, it wasn't entirely the MBD that killed her, it was what the MBD had done to her front feet, disabling her to catch herself when she lost grip.
All I can recommend is diet, and monitor.
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Accepted Answer
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4/22/2012 10:59:16 PM
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Ihkura
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I would try 15-20 minutes of natural sunshine daily so her body is able to utilize the calcium she has. A lot of vets recommend natural sunshine for the beneficial UV to reptiles with mending bones from breaks, MBD, etc. I'd also consider getting Rescue-Cal, it's a Repashy made product that can help get her on the right track even if she has calcium sacs(a drop or two a week for a month is probably all she needs).
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