metabolic bone disease?

[Karibell85]

So Hector is almost 5 months old and he is a very good eater. I recently found a couple of bulges on his body. One up by his front right leg and one by his hind left leg. When he is completely straight they are very noticeable. I give him calcium in his food and he gets plenty of protein so i am not sure what exactly is wrong. Have any of you guys seen this before? should I take him to the vet? Any help would be appreciated.





it doesn't really seem to bother him tho

[Fatal_S]

Does he get lots of UVB and/or vitamin D3? What's his main diet like? It looks like it could possibly be MBD, but I couldn't say for sure.

I have several skinks with mild-moderate MBD because my original diet was lacking in calcium and I didn't supplement. Thankfully, now I have a better diet and I add nutrients/calcium/D3, and my skinks are much better off (though the bumps will probably always be visible on mine).

[Karibell85]

I use the Fluker's Calcium with D3. He eats Collard greens, carrots, and acorn squash all chopped up by a food processor and then i mix in the calcium/D3. i use Iams Cat food for his protein (he doesn't like anything else) and i put the Calcium in that too. He also has a UVB light across his entire setup. I don't know what else i could do... I researched the hell out of BTS before i got him so i could take the best possible care of him. Do you think i should take him to the vet and see what they say?

[critterguy]

an x-ray would be useful to determine this. I think this is very unusual as it seems you are doing more than most people do as far as preventing MBD. Many people raise BTS with no UV whatsoever. If it is skeletal deformities it could just as easily be oversupplementation or perhaps something you are feeding inhibiting calcium absorption. Again-without an X-ray can only guess.

[Katrina]

Given the diet info, it sounds more likely that it is back bending from climbing or perhaps a birth defect rather than calcium deficiency. Does he spend a lot of time climbing up the side of the enclosure (or trying to?).

Here is a recent thread on MBD / calcium etc for interest: http://bluetongueskinks.net/forum/viewt ... hlight=mbd

Kinks and minor bends seem to be not uncommon in healthy skinks, so I'd be more inclined to think it is that rather than MBD given all you are doing to prevent MBD.

[Musoke]

Elliot had MBD when I got him.

If you gently pinch your skink's jaw you can feel if it's soft or not.
If it's rock hard then you're fine, if it's soft then you may have a problem.

I fed him small portions of a well-rounded diet every other day for awhile, adding calcium powder every time. Also crushed egg shells and sprouts are good to use!
I got a UVB and UVA lamp and didn't handle often, and now his bones are strong as steel!

Hope I could help...

[Karibell85]

Thanks everyone. His jaw is not soft in fact its very hard. I'm going to take him to the vet and get him x-rays to see what it could be. He has started shedding so i have not had him out yet but ill check on him today and see how those lumps are doing

[SapphireTigress1]

awww hope its not MBD. definitely let us know if you take him to the vet and what the vet says.

[El Lobo]

I don't follow why any bump is presumed to be MBD. From the pictures it seems the lumps are reasonably remote from the heavier bone of the spine which I would think to be the more likely point to encounter MBD.

[ssr]

I'm thinking on the same line as El Lobo. The locations of the lumps don't seem like likely places for MBD to show itself. If you do get xrays let us know the results.