Please help! MBD 😢

Ambricha

New member
I apologize now for the long post...but I want to save my poor leopard geckos so I'll start at the beginning...
We got our first leopard gecko about 6 months ago (he was 2-3 months old per the pet store when we bought him.) We began feeding him crickets mixed with mealworms then went to just mealworms. He did great with both, ate well, drank well, super friendly and sociable. They did NOT tell us anything about calcium and how important it was �� He did have his log hidey hole and an under the tank warmer kept between 85-95 degrees F.
We then decided we loved him so much (as well as all of the kids) that we decided to buy another 4...one for each kid. They were also about 2 months old when we bought them.
About a month ago we noticed the first one wasnt eating as much...a few days later, he began having difficulty moving his back legs. I began researching on the internet like crazy and found that impaction was common and I had noticed he hadn't pooped in about a week! I began giving him warm soaks/bath and a little bit of mineral oil every day. It just got worse and worse. Slowly progressing to where he couldn't even move. I'm sorry...but I have 5 children ( and 5 leopard geckos!) and felt like a $75 vet visit was ludicrous. I continued to give him baths and belly rubs thinking it was an impaction.
Then....a second one of our Leo's (one who is in a different tank...never handled by the same person) suddenly started having difficulty moving one of his back legs.
I took them both to the vet about 2 weeks ago and they told me they both had MBD. They euthanized the first one and gave me oral calcium and vitamins to be given twice a week. When I went 2 weeks ago, the second one was just barely having difficulty with one leg....still eating and drinking. Now...he can't hardly move any of his legs, base of spine seemed hunched down and is not eating. I bought an over the counter appetite stimulate/food supplement and have given it to him for the last 4 days but it just seems to keep getting worse and worse.
I plan on calling the vet again tomorrow but I really am just looking to see if there is anyone with a lot of experience with MBD that can tell me if there is anything else I can be doing at home or if this is just going to continue to get worse. My kids are young and this is devestating to them. If I can't treat this one at home we will need to re-home the others. I am probably more devastated than they will be because they are seriously the sweetest little animals, but I can't keep watching them die while literally doing everything I know to do and am being told to do by the vet. Thank you in advance!
 
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Geecko123

New member
unfortanantly MBD damge is non reversible but you can stop it, don't just dust with calcium, make sure you have vitamins, espacially D3, Leopard geckos can not digest calcium without D3, no matter how much plain calcium you give them they won't be able to digest it, make sure you have these three supplements, these are the brands I recommend: Zoo Med Reptivite, Zoo Med ReptiCal without D3, and Zoo Med ReptiCal with D3,

for a year and younger you need to dust with Cal with D3 on Monday, Reptivite on Wednesday, and Cal without D3 on Friday, You don't dust on Tuesday,Thursday,Saturday, or Sunday.

a lot of petstores don't tell people about supplementing, all they want is for you to sign the papers, also do you have one leoprd gecko per tank? becuase they will fight for food, no matter what you do they will always look like they do now you can't put them back, As long as you supplement correctly It will not get any worse,

Pics would be helpfull hope they get better:biggrin:
 
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Sg612

Member
You have to provide the appropriate temperature range in the cages as well if not nothing will be absorbed( no food, calcium or anything).
 

Ambricha

New member
I posted a few pics below, I wish I could send a video of him trying to walk but not sure how to do that.
Thank you for your response. When I took him to the vet, they gave me a liquid calcium to give twice a week and a vitamin a & d liquid to give once every 3 weeks. I have been dusting the mealworms with the Repto-Cal, I'll have to see if it has d3. I know leopard geckos don't usually need a UVB, but would that help for him to make his own vitamin d?
 

Sg612

Member
I posted a few pics below, I wish I could send a video of him trying to walk but not sure how to do that.
Thank you for your response. When I took him to the vet, they gave me a liquid calcium to give twice a week and a vitamin a & d liquid to give once every 3 weeks. I have been dusting the mealworms with the Repto-Cal, I'll have to see if it has d3. I know leopard geckos don't usually need a UVB, but would that help for him to make his own vitamin d?
Make sure they are all housed separately so that they have proper access to heating and humidity. Post a picture of this Leo’s cage. It is very important to house him in the best conditions possible. UVB can help but you have to be very careful on its use. He must be able to avoid the uvb rays as needed. Perhaps only turning it on for 2 hours a day and allow him to self regulate. Start by posting the cage picture. Tell the vet to jumpstart the feeding process for you.
 
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