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Hi, I bought my iguana long ago, when iguana care manuals were not as much (he is 5-6 years old). I saved the little guy from MBD when he was 1 year old, by supplying him calcium & light. However, he still has a problem with the lower jaw. He eats (though just a little bit hard bc of the swollen lower jaw) well and exercises. He has a huge cage and I also take him out when it is hot. What can you say about his jaw condition now? Would he continue to have it as he gets older and older?
Hello,
Have you have his jaw X rayed to see how much damage was done?
Is he under a good UVB light now? Do you change it every 6 months?
Is he still getting a calcium supplement dail?
Have you had a calcium draw done?
What type of diet is he on?
Joan
I don't live in the US, and in here, X-rays to iguanas are not possible. He had a jaw deformation and was very inactive when he was very small. After I increased the Cal supplement and bought a UVB light he became much better. However, his jaw deformation became more visible when he grew. Currently he is more than a meter long and his jaw is about 60 milimeters pulled inside. He is under a good UVB light and it is changed once per year. He gets calcium + vitamins everyday (Repcal). I donot know what a calcium draw is. He eats mostly veggies. I give him fruits and a little bread every week.
The UVB looses potency after 6 month and should be changed at 5 months with the issues that you Ig is having. The diet should be high calcium veggies, like Mustard Greens, Collard greens, Dandelion greens, Butternut squash and various fruits as treats. If you get him under the UVB that is effective it may offer some help. Once the Reptile is full grown it is very hard to do any corrections, but we can keep it from getting worse. This is a great food chart to help with a good balance of what will help with the MBD: http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm
This is some information on MBD: http://www.greenigsociety.org/mbd.htm
If you get the bulb corrected we may see some improvement, but overall it will keep him from getting worse. You can always grind or puree the veggies if it makes it easier for him to eat.
Make sure you do a good soak for hydration at least once a day to help prevent kidney disease.
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Experience: I have been doing Reptile Rescues for 15+ Years