# Leopard Gecko-Metabolic Bone Disease?



## kellyyoungmoney (Jun 20, 2012)

Long story short, I have a leopard gecko in my house (a friend is keeping it with me while she is in the process of moving) that I am 99% sure has metabolic bone disease. She got the gecko about 2 months ago after doing a lot of research. I don't know a lot about reptiles but from my research she is caring for it properly, heat and humidity levels look good and she is dusting crickets with calcium and vitamin D powder. When she got the gecko its legs were all deformed and bent in wrong directions so I am sure it was caused by the previous owners. We're broke college students so when I suggested she take it to the vet when she first got it she said no (I wasn't happy about this but I know how expensive some exotics doctors can be) but honestly I'm not even sure it can be reversed at this point. I can't get any pictures without disrupting the little critter but she looks just like the google images of metabolic bone disease that I pulled up. I guess my main question is, can it be treated when it is this severe? Or is the animal doomed to live like this the rest of its life ( we were told by the previous owner that she was about a year old)?


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Tending on how severe the deformities are would result on if the leopard gecko could recover or not. That being said most geckos can live a comfortable life with some small form of MBD. If the gecko only has some bow legged in the legs or some slight bending of the spine/tail, just keep up with normal husbandry and making sure to give dusted crickets. It would also be a good idea to leave a little bit of calcium supplement out in a small container for the gecko to get additional calcium if needed. However, your best bet would be to take it to a vet that knows reptiles. They would be best in helping you get the little guy/gal back on track and especially if it is some what severe. Make sure that your friend is also gut loading the crickets/mealworms that are being feed. This is important too that they are getting the essential nutrients from feeders. I'm not too sure if leopard geckos need UVB lighting or not, but that might also be something that you could look into. UVB helps with the development of calcium and making it more pliable for cells to turn into bone.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Leo's don't need UVB but they do need Calcium without D3 in it.
Most Leo's don't get as much calcium as they need. My vet had recommended that I use Emeraid (from the vet specifically) which is similar to Fluker's Repta-Boost. She said I should use that as a stable and insects as a secondary. Insects like crickets have too much keratin and not enough calcium in them. They're nice for getting the Leo to run around to catch them but otherwise, they aren't a very good source of food. Using a calcium-rich food like Phoenix Worms (Calcium worms are the same thing from PetCo) or Hornworms (healthier than Waxworms and less addicting but they grow fast) will help the Leo have more calcium in his/her diet and less keratin. My vet had said that the reptiles cannot overdose on calcium but it is a vital source that they need. If they don't get all they need, they can end up with distocia (egg-binding and other complications from lack of calcium) and with the metabolic bone disease. 

I agree with blue that you should take her to an exotic vet. Mine only charged me 75 for the visit so it was feasible to take my old one. The larger the animal of course, the bigger the fee lol. But at least you will get the vet opinion on whether or not it will be reversible for the little one and what you can do to help.

I do recommend for now that you get Fluker's Repta-Boost and use that at the low dosage to help get some calories in her and extra calcium that s/he needs.

I also recommend using more worms than using crickets for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Dusted mealworms is a good staple but using the Phoenix Worms (also known as Black Soldier Fly Larvae) will help tenfold. Some of my guys won't eat them and so instead I give them Hornworms or the occasional waxworm if they're looking less fat than usual lol. It's good to mix up the food. Crickets can still be used but more as a treat, I've found. This is all advice from my own exotic's vet and stuff I've learned along the way.


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## goodgollyitsmol (Dec 26, 2015)

I don't know much about MBD but I noticed my little guy was a bit smaller than he should be so I switched from crickets to superworms and he's now a healthy weight and looking stronger! Hoping the best for him


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