What to do in an emergency
Send me a photo of your pet!
Contact us
Send an email
Our address
Phone number
Map
Opening hours
The latest news
Pet photos
Home page
Virtual guided tour
Small animal section:
Our latest newsletter
Oncology referrals
Pet Health Plan
Continuous care
Pet portraits
Travelling abroad
Pet passport
Export certificates
Vaccination
Dentistry
Ultrasound scans
Spaying a bitch
Castrating a dog
Dog breeding
Bitch caesarean
Reptile care basics
MRSA
Puppy parties
Pet insurance
Ferret pages:
Ferret spaying
Foreign body
Farm section:
Farm newsletter
Farm consultancies
Antibiotic failures
Information leaflets
Meet the staff:
Veterinary surgeons
Nurses
Office staff
Events at Orchard
Animal News
Conference facilities
Keep fit classes
Careers
Vacancies
Links
Terms of trade
Site map:
As a general practice we see quite a mixture of animal species including more than a few reptiles. While we are in no way reptile specialists we are able to help with a variety of problems in this class of animals including parasite control, trauma, skin and mouth infections.
There is one particular problem that we see with regular monotony in lizard species
and that is Nutritional Osteodystrophy or metabolic bone disease. This is caused
by an imbalance in the correct ratio of calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D in the
lizard’s system and results in extremely weak, soft bones which, when x-rayed, can
hardly be distinguished from surrounding muscle and ligament (as in the x-ray of
the bearded dragon bottom right). Eventually the bones get so soft that they start
to fracture following even normal movement and gentle handling.
This condition is particularly frustrating for us (and the lizards aren’t too happy
about it either) because it is extremely easy to prevent - it is a condition that
we should never need to see. So what follows is a ‘potted version’ of:
How To Avoid Metabolic Bone Disease in Your Lizard:
1/ Feed the right stuff
The basis of avoiding dietary problems is to have a good, balanced diet at the outset. Even a meat (including insect) eating reptile needs a source of vitamins and minerals in addition to just meat. Dark, leafy vegetables are best at providing these extras.
Do your research and find out what your particular pet needs and give it to them.
That means give it ALL to them, not just the crickets because it doesn’t like the
cabbage, not just the fruit because it doesn’t like the mealworms - it needs everything,
not just the stuff that is easy to give.
2/ Provide UV light
Vitamin D is one part of how you ensure good bone strength. The ingredients for vitamin D are contained in a balanced diet or supplements but diet alone is not enough. You also need a source of Ultra Violet radiation to allow the reptile to make Vitamin D proper from the dietary ingredients you are providing. Without these UV rays your reptile will not get enough vitamin D no matter how much you are giving in the diet.
To supply UV rays AT THE CORRECT FREQUENCY you need a proper strip lamp in the vivarium
which is specially manufactured for use in reptiles. Using one designed simply to
show up the colours of aquarium fish will not do the job. Once you have installed
the reptile lamp you must change it every 6 months. Just because a lamp is giving
out visible light doesn’t mean it is giving the correct wavelength to create vitamin
D - you can’t tell by looking whether it’s still working.
Run the UV lamp along the length of the vivarium, with the heat (basking) lamp at one end. That way the reptile will get UV rays no matter what temperature zone it’s in.
3/ Give BALANCED supplements
The three dietary ingredients you need for strong bones are Calcium (Ca), Phosphorous (PO4) and Vitamin D. The ratio, or balance between these ingredients is vital so pick a supplement with all 3 of these ingredients. If you give any one on their own or in the wrong balance you will do a lot of harm and will make soft bones worse, not better.
‘Straight’ supplements are available with just calcium or just phosphorous or just vitamin D but if you try to mix and match these yourself you will get it wrong (unless you have a qualification in reptile nutrition in which case I bow to your superior knowledge). It is much better to buy a supplement with all 3 ingredients already in it, in the correct balance. This type of supplement will tend to be more pricey than single ingredient supplements. “Calcium”, for instance is usually sold, on its own, in the form of powdered chalk (though it won’t say that on the tin!), really cheap but fatal if given on its own; vitamin D is available in the form of cod liver oil, again very cheap but give it on its own and all you’ll get is rickets and soft bones.
If cheap or easy is your highest priority you should not be keeping reptiles.
4/ Do your research
There are some extremely good and helpful specialist petshops full of reptile enthusiasts
desparate to go on at great length about the intricate details of husbandry - talk
to these people. There are an even larger number of specialist web-sites in cyberspace
- read this information.
Once you’ve read the information and taken advice FOLLOW IT. The advice won’t always be easy or cheap but, as I said, if you are looking for cheap and easy then you’ve got the wrong pet (in fact you shouldn’t have a pet of any description).
Lizard care for dummies -
1/ Feed a BALANCED DIET. Bearded dragons need veggies and tortoises need a bit of meat occasionally.
2/ Provide a UV strip lamp and change it every 6 months even if it looks like it’s still working.
4/ Be aware of the risk of catching Salmonella (a food poisoning bacteria) from reptiles
of any sort -
© Orchard Veterinary Group
An x-
Some Reptillian Basics (scroll down for more)
Lizard Links (all links are to external websites and will open in new windows)