In most cases, the excess calcium in your blood was leached from your bones, which weakens them. You can also do something called gut loading which involves you feeding insects (like crickets) a very calcium-rich diet, and even including some calcium supplements as well. So it can be hard to gauge exactly how much calcium your dragon is eating based on diet alone. Ultimate List of Everything You Need to Buy for Your Bearded Dragon And Why Its Important, New Bearded Dragon Owner Checklist on What to Buy, How to Choose the Best Bearded Dragon Tank for Your Space and Budget. In this case, a liquid may offer you more control over the calcium and Vitamin D3 intake. Twobeardieguy. Thats because its just not possible to recreate an exact replica of a dragons natural habitat, although you can come close. Metabolic Bone Disease in Bearded Dragon 5 Late Stage MBD Symptoms in Bearded Dragons. See the frequency for dusting (feeding calcium) further down this post. A bearded dragon's beard is also black, his face, limbs, and tail are all pale, and his head is turning black. Expert Tip: If you coat the food in too much powder your bearded dragon might decide not to eat it. Read on for more information on hypercalcemia, how to spot it, and how to prevent your dragon from getting it. There are 2 ways to get vitamin D3. While some are worse than others, none of them are pleasant. How often a bearded dragon urinates is going to vary for each pet. JavaScript is disabled. Many bearded dragons end up with preventable diseases through lack of understanding the basics of calcium and D3 supplementation. Symptoms include: Calcium deficiency also leads to nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (aka NSHP, metabolic bone disease). My parents have a cockatiel who is 36 years old this year. B. G., Heijboer, A. C., van Leeuwen, J. P. T. M., Hendriks, J. P. & Kik, M. (2013). Fortunately, this is an easy thing to fix. Supplementing Vitamin D3 helps ensure your dragon can absorbthe calcium they need. A survey of diseases in captive bearded dragons: a retrospective study of 529 patients. If you wish, you could also add in a secondary calcium supplement to your dragons feeding schedule, but it isnt necessarily something you have to do. Second is, provide UVB bulbs in your bearded dragons housing. If you don't have a mercury vapor bulb (think of the REALLY strong, high-priced reptile bulbs, such as the . Bearded dragons dont poop too often, to begin with, but as their owner, youre likely aware of how often your beardie defecates on a regular basis. Why does your bearded dragon need calcium in the first place? (2010) Effects of vitamin D3 supplementation and UVb exposure on the growth and plasma concentration of vitamin D3 metabolites in juvenile bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). Rep-Cal Phosphorous-Free Calcium with Vitamin D Ultrafine Powder. (2014). Use a designated feeder bin, one that's long and shallow. It also helps prevent metabolic bone disease and keep your dragon healthy and happy. There should be nothing blocking the sun light which includes any glass, plastic or otherwise. B., Leeuwen, J. P. You may find that your dragon isnt moving around as much as it used to and/or climbing around a lot less. Calcium supplementation is necessary for egg production . The, Figuring out how to tell if your turtle is dying can be surprisingly tricky. If you notice any of the following symptoms and are worried your bearded dragon has recently consumed too much calcium, get them to a qualified, reputable reptile veterinarian immediately. Bearded Dragons require an ultraviolet light to be fully healthy (and when combined with calcium supplements helps to prevent Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Metabolic Bone Disease). A fresh look at metabolic bone diseases in reptiles and amphibians. Use aviary wire mesh or similar on outdoor housing. Observations show that bearded dragons experience improved appetite, better growth, remain healthier and more active in provision of sunlight and/or UVB generating bulbs or fluorescent type tubes. Supplementing with calcium helps you have more control over how much calcium your dragon is actually consuming. Proper egg development & good reproductive health in females, Dragons bodies need calcium so much that if the body becomes deficient, it starts pulling calcium from their bones, causing, (MBD). Of course, always check with your vet first, especially if your beardie is a rescue or if you notice any signs of illness (especially MBD). Toxic bugs and plants can cause the quick death of a bearded dragon. (Baines, 2017). Make sure your bearded dragon gets enough water. The rest should take care of itself! This liquid calcium has been carefully formulated for amphibians and reptiles. Unfortunately, MBD is one of the most common diseases among domestic bearded dragons, but its so easily preventable with proper diet and care. Avoid excess sodium (salt) intake. The effects of hypocalcemia mostly involve the muscles being more excitable. . This just means you need to ease off on the seasoning a bit! Too much calcium is bad for bearded dragons where there is an excess of vitamin D3. Theres a long list of nasty health issues that your bearded dragon can develop if it doesnt get the necessary amount of calcium. Klaphake, E. (2010). Thx, Too much calcium can be just as bad as too little. Refer to this post on how much light they need. Hunter Briggs is an experienced reptile breeder who has been keeping and raising various species over the past seven years. Stress is very common when it comes to dragons whether it has to do with first-time relocation or just a small change in the enclosure. Bearded Dragon Impaction: Symptoms and Treatment Causes of impaction in bearded dragons. So now the only other possibilities is calcium overdose or metabolic bone disease. So the early symptoms of calcium deficiency are diverse, and often easily mistaken for other problems. If the urates are not bright white and are of a different color then yes it is possible. (2018) Maders Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery- E-Book. Hypercalcemia is seen in bearded dragons with excessive exposure to UVB light along with excessive oral supplementation with calcium and vitamin D3. Bearded Dragon Accessories and Enriching Life, 7 Tips to get Bearded Dragon to Eat Vegetables [& Refusal]. So its always best to check with a vet first before starting any supplementation. Bearded dragons need calcium for the following reasons: Bone development. (2) Beardies need vitamin D3 to use phosphorus and calcium in their bodies to reinforce bone health. Supplementing the diet with calcium alone is of no value unless you provide UVB exposure to your bearded dragon. Therefore even if you must drive a long distance for a proper vet, itll be worth it in the end. They need both in order to function! This is why its so important to take the calcium factor seriously when keeping a bearded dragon as a pet. Beta caroteneis a lot safer than Vitamin A because of the way your dragons body will absorb it. UVB radiations of only 280-320 nm wavelengths are useful for bearded dragons for vitamin D production in their skin. One, ask your vet who will be able to assess the relevant factors specific to you so they can make a recommendation. One of the nice things about this product is that its super affordable. If your bearded dragon is deficient in calcium, any of the following could be the culprit: Dragons who suffer from metabolic bone disease have trouble doing the simplest of tasks, like walking, because their tissue is deteriorating and their bones are soft and easily breakable. However, where sunlight is provided on a regular basis (i.e. Calcium is pretty useless without D 3. This is because vitamin D3 is necessary in order for your bearded dragon to absorb the calcium. These tend to happen in more serious cases. This symptom isn't always easy to notice and can be very subtle. However, too much of it can impact the beardies health. If youre certain theres something that needs to be addressed, improve it slowly. If they are fed, feed in small portions alternating with other foods. Since in the wild they are able to effectively convert UVB radiation to into vitamin D3, they are able to make use of the calcium they can absorb in their diet. This is a very common sign of hypercalcemia and should be looked into by a vet right away. Dusting refers to coating food (both vegetables and insects) with powder supplements before being eaten. Bearded dragons can get vitamin D3 through the food that they eat, supplements, and UVB light. New and longtime owners alike often wonder if they are providing enough calcium for their pets. While many owners dont have a problem with this, we tend to avoid it because it feels a little cruel. While this isnt always a surefire sign that the problem is a calcium overdose, loss of appetite can be related to another issue. This occurs when the body tissue surrounding the weak bones gets pulled tight in an attempt to fortify the bones resulting in tissue and muscle damage. Also daily baths 20 minutes at a time will help if the urates are hard. Of course. Foods high in phosphorus should generally be avoided. Check your lighting and heating setup against the post on setting up lighting and heating. Its entirely possible for you to be giving your bearded dragon too much calcium without realizing it. Because of this, we feel confident recommending the following two bearded dragon calcium powders. Some of the symptoms of MBD are as follows: Bumps that you can see or feel in the legs. They should have enough space in the enclosure to move around and also something to climb onto to bask. Buying calcium powder both with and without cholecalciferol will provide options for alternate dusting. Blackberries and figs are also tasty treats that have plenty of calcium in them as well. The disease causes serious bone, muscle, and tissue damage, which can result in paralysis or death. Add vitamin D3 for bearded dragons into the mix and it might start to sound a little confusing. Some ppl talk about too much D3 being detrimental tho. ANd i am refraining from the use of calcium for 2 days just in case. Dr Amna Ahmad is a Doctor of Veterinary Science graduated from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Some invertebrates, such as crickets, cannot be kept alive on calcium gut loading diet for over 3 days as it causes impaction in the cricket and subsequently it dies (Thompson, 2016). We'll Fix it. The average bearded dragon's lifespan is 8-10 years, but the oldest ever recorded was 18 years old. #3. Providing foods with vitamin D2 does not replace the need for vitamin D3. A relatively newly recognized and highly malignant cancer is being seen more and more often in captive bearded dragons. 2-3 times a week is the number of times you should sprinkle calcium powder on their food. Some links on this site are paid services or products which contain affiliate links such as Amazon. When you combine that with any other calcium-related efforts, you could end up with an overdose. 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