MBD? X-Ray attached

[BECHARD4]

Hi

We took our 2 year old Panther to the Vet because he no longer shoots his tongue, he said that it could be a sign of MBD so we got an x-ray.

He is sending it away for opinions because he said he is not totally sure what it is supposed to look like but he doesn't think it looks normal.( this is a vet recommend here on the forums)

Anyway if it is MDB i am at a loss on what could have happened because we have followed the advice here since we got him.

He is in a 2x2x4 reptibreeze

every feeding the insects are dusted with Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3
Twice a month he gets Fluckers Calcium with D3 and Rep-cal Herptivite

His UVB is a Arcadia 6% which is changed after 1 year

The Vet recommend not dusting at all with any( he said we could use Calcium Sandoz as a supplement) of the calcium supplements and just make sure the crickets are well gutloaded.

All comments are appreciated

 

[jajeanpierre]

What specifically is he questioning?

 

[BECHARD4]

if he has MDB

He said because some of the bones are brighter he said it means they have different density

Our Chameleon shows no other sign of MBD

 

[Carlton]

if he has MDB

He said because some of the bones are brighter he said it means they have different density

Our Chameleon shows no other sign of MBD

I don't see signs of bone deformation or healed fractures in the x-ray which would be an obvious sign of MBD. Our forum vets could suggest whether his bone density looks OK. Why would your vet suggest not dusting his feeders any longer?? That doesn't make sense especially if you are concerned about MBD. Your supplements and schedule look good as well as your lighting. It is always best to gutload your feeders very well and consider dusting as a gap-filler to ensure proper nutrition, as even the best gutloaded feeders won't be complete nutritionally. Each type of commercially available feeder lacks something, so our captive chams don't get the widely diverse diet a wild cham would.

There are other reasons why a cham may not be using its tongue. Tongues can get injured...either temporarily or permanently. They can lose muscle tone due to deficiencies as you know, but they can also lose muscle tone from lack of use. For example, if your cham has always had feeders presented in a cup and never had to shoot them from a distance they can get a bit "lazy" and out of shape. Offering free flying insects like house flies can really get them interested and challenged.

If the cham is having eye-tongue coordination issues that could interfere with shooting prey. But again, that may be nutritional...hard to tell from what we know.

 

[BECHARD4]

I don't see signs of bone deformation or healed fractures in the x-ray which would be an obvious sign of MBD. Our forum vets could suggest whether his bone density looks OK. Why would your vet suggest not dusting his feeders any longer?? That doesn't make sense especially if you are concerned about MBD. Your supplements and schedule look good as well as your lighting. It is always best to gutload your feeders very well and consider dusting as a gap-filler to ensure proper nutrition, as even the best gutloaded feeders won't be complete nutritionally. Each type of commercially available feeder lacks something, so our captive chams don't get the widely diverse diet a wild cham would.

There are other reasons why a cham may not be using its tongue. Tongues can get injured...either temporarily or permanently. They can lose muscle tone due to deficiencies as you know, but they can also lose muscle tone from lack of use. For example, if your cham has always had feeders presented in a cup and never had to shoot them from a distance they can get a bit "lazy" and out of shape. Offering free flying insects like house flies can really get them interested and challenged.

If the cham is having eye-tongue coordination issues that could interfere with shooting prey. But again, that may be nutritional...hard to tell from what we know.

Thanks Carlton

I have doubts thats its MBD, thats why i wanted to get the opinions from here.

The Vet doesn't think the powdered calcium does anything( i wouldn't stop using it)

He has always been cup fed and used to just go up the the cup and eat them( hardly ever using his tongue)

We do gutload pretty good ( follow Sandrachameleons recipes)

thanks again