Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, I was just wondering.. through reading several articals on the internet and such i have read that iguanas can develop a disease such as metabolic bone disease...anyhow my question is.. Can iguanas get rid of MBD>? I have read/heard that it can be reduced and i was wondering.. can they ever get rid of it completely or is it with them forever. Not that my lil green monster has it or anything. I'm just trying to research everything there is to know about iguanas to ensure that I give him the best life possible and have him around for as long as possible. Thanks for reading..

- Nicole

Hellos,

The general consensus on MBD is that it is curable if caught early enough, but the disfiguring damage in permanent. In other words, if it goes for so long that the spine gets twisted and the bones get deformed, you can always put calcium back in the bones by they will never straighten themselves back out again.

My Xander was diagnosed with mild/early MBD almost a year ago. The only signs we had were stunted growth and a broken leg. When we took him in for the leg, the vet noticed the poor bone density on the x-ray, and mentioned MBD to us.

We re-researched everything iguana... read every book we could get our hands on and bought three... changed his lights, diet, humidity, and added calcium and regular sunlight exposure. Three months later, he went back to the vet for another X-ray and his bone density was 100% better. Today, he has completely recovered, but he is smaller than the average 2-year-old and may never grow to reach his full 6' potential just because he was stunted so early on in life.

I've read that females who have had a history of MBD may have problems with egg binding in the future, even if they have fully recovered.

Hope that answers your question.
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~Alika~
1.0.0 green iguanas
0.1.0 cockatiels
1.0.0 senegal parrots
0.1.0 blue-fronted amazons
0.0.1 red belly piranha

i have an iguana with mbd. he has an s shaped spine which causes him to walk as if he were drunk. his top lip is slightly longer then his bottom. but he is still a beautiful iguana. his body will never go back to normal. i dont know what age he is but he is pretty big. 4 foot 1 and a half. he was at a pet store cramed in a fifty gallon tank. cuts all over his face. that is how the owners droped him off. you would never know this iguana was abused so much by humans because he is the sweetest iguana i have ever met. loves to be cuddled. will wobble right over to you and clime on your lap, stick his head high in the air to be petted. he gets alot of care and special attention now. and i think he knows we saved his life. -brandy
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brandy

awwe.. i cant stand to hear that people abuse animals like that. and neglect them... you did a wonderful thing...

thanks soo much.. btw..i have a well less than a year old iggy. im not sure how old he/she is or the sex of it is yet.. i got him from a pet store at the end of july.. how old do they have to be in order to be put in a pet store?? he was about 4 inches snout to vent and had a perfect tail but it broke since then from my dumb brother who was being rough.. that really made me mad but anyhow yah his head has shed about 3 times since ive had him and his tummy once and his tail once.. so he must be growing. well thats about it..i want to know his age!!!! lol ive had him from july on. its february now.. almost march so thats at least 7 months.. then however long he was in the pet shop.. any suggestions???

nicole