Metabolic Bone Disease - need help

[Kossyra]

I need some advice, please. How do I help my beardie going forward? TL;DR metabolic bone disease, how do I prevent it from getting worse? Details below.

I got a baby beardie (6 inches, 8 grams at time of purchase) 08/24 from a local reptile store. The owners of the store breed their own beardies for stock, so I know the parents are healthy and well cared for. The siblings that are still in the store all look perfectly fine and mine is larger than all of them.

This morning I took mine into the vet because she's been knuckling over on her wrists and dragging the back feet and I got a diagnosis of MBD via x-ray.

I'm stumped. I've got a 40-gallon terrarium with a screen lid and a hammock to get her up to a good basking area (110-115*F) and a Reptisun 5.0 T8 that I just swapped for a 10.0. She's been getting calcium+D3 dusted crickets and collard greens. I have been avoiding spinach and kale. She has no issue getting around and jumping and has a great appetite and regular BMs.

The vet takes issue with crickets and wants me to get her outside more for real, actual sunlight. He wants me to quit using the powder because he thinks she isn't absorbing it and wants me to find better, higher calcium insects/worms and veggies for her. I don't really like his advice much. I cannot afford to feed exclusively silkworms and hornworms.

I took a picture of the x-ray with my phone. I don't know what I'm looking for. I asked if the x-ray could be emailed to me but I didn't really get an answer and I haven't received it yet. Sorry for the potato quality. I was expecting him to say maybe she had dislocated something or has a parasite. I brought a fecal sample and offered it twice but they didn't want to run it.

 

[Salvatorethebeardie]

So I would recommend a arcadia pro t5 uvb kit. They come with both the dome and light for a fair price. About 70 dollars. Make sure that if you have a fine screen top you put the uvb on the inside of the tank and if you have a wide holed screen then you can put it sitting on the screen but make sure all the decor is 8-10 inches away from the light. Make sure you are giving them calcium and vitamins. Calcium with every feeding, vitamins a couple times a week. So yeah, hornworms and salikworks can be very expensive and hard to find sometimes. They are both pretty fatty tho and can make ur beardies easily obese. Maybe give them a couple a day. I'm not an expert on these things but thats my thoughts. Please get advice from other people too. I know Sadie on this is very good. Wait to see if she'll reply.

 

[Salvatorethebeardie]

@Sadie

 

[HoomanSlave]

What calcium powder are you using? If it contains phosphorus, it could be the root of the problem. LArge amounts of other high phosphorous foods can also be problematic. Are you using a reflector fixture for your UVB lights? Reflector fixtures maximize UVB output and are very helpful.
P.S: Kale is a safe green to feed, the myth that it was unhealthy was debunked a few years ago. I like to mix it in with other types of green for variety.

 

[HoomanSlave]

For a staple feeder, I recommend switching to dubia roaches or black soldier fly larvae. Unfortunately, the larvae are small so you will have to buy large quantities for each feeding. Dubia roaches have been proven better than crickets in many ways, including calcium levels. Although the start-up costs for them are pricey, they are extremely easy to breed and easier to maintain than crickets. In the long run, they're cheaper than crickets, and certainly less money than hornworms. Hornworms can be well over $1 each and are basically sacks of fat, water and calcium. I suggest giving them 1-2 times a week as treat food if you can afford it.
You might want to go to a second vet if you can't figure out what the cause is. A second opinion can be very helpful for sorting out your husbandry and what your beardie will need to remain healthy and happy.

 

[Kossyra]

I use a T5 reptisun 34" bulb and I believe the fixture has a reflector, or at least there's a shiny piece of metal behind the bulb.

Dubia are illegal in Florida, but I have been feeding discoids as a treat. My pet store charges $16 for 40 small discoids and they take a year to grow to maturity and breed, therefore not much help currently.

I'm using the zoomed brand calcium with D3 5x a week and 2x a week with zoomed reptivite

 

[HoomanSlave]

What kind of basking bulb do you use?