Metabolic Bone Disease is a terminal condition. But, if caught in time, the chameleon’s life can be saved. Today we talk about living life with a special needs chameleon.
Cheryl Garcia runs the reptile section of an animal rescue called Another Chance Sanctuary in the state of Ohio. Her daily duties are to manage the rescues when she is not traveling across the country picking up reptiles too sick to ship. One thing she sees on a consistent basis is Metabolic Bone Disease. If you have been following our series on MBD you know this is a condition where the body does not get enough calcium. The most visible effect of this is rubbery bones and the degrading of the skeleton structure. It is a painful condition and, by time the inexperienced keepers gets the clue that something may be wrong, the chameleon could have gone through multiple bone breaks and jaw disfigurement. The point the keeper decides to get veterinary help, or give it to a rescue, plays a great factor in what the rest of this chameleon’s life will be like.
Today, I talk with Cheryl about what life is like when you take on caring for a chameleon that has suffered from MBD in the past. MBD can be stopped and calcium levels can be replenished and the body will do an amazing job with healing. But there is only so much that the body can do. Unfortunately, disfigurement of the legs and jaw are permanent. So what is life like with an MBD chameleon? We bring Cheryl on and find out.
Nutritional disorders in chameleons, like Metabolic Bone Disease, are a result of us not providing natural conditions. Today, John Courteney-Smith joins me to discuss preventing illness through proper environment.
Welcome, chameleon wranglers, to episode 95 where we are continuing our discussion into Metabolic Bone Disease, or MBD. MBD is important enough to get multiple episodes worth of attention because it is so prevalent in our hobby of chameleon keeping. The good news is that it is preventable and that education is readily available.
Metabolic Bone Disease, or MBD, is one of the chameleon world’s leading causes of death. And it is completely preventable. Join me in the “Scare Away MBD” campaign and let’s make MBD a story we tell from the chameleon dark ages. In this first episode we are joined by Dr. Rob Coke, the head veterinarian from the San Antonio Zoo who explains what MBD is and what is going on.
More and more chameleon breeders join our ranks every day. And you may be one of those curious about starting a chameleon breeding business. There are scores of instructional materials on how to start a business. But we have an extra twist that our product is a living creature. And with that comes added responsibility. Today we will talk about the basics of pricing your chameleon babies and how your choices affect much more than how quickly you sell the clutch.