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Posted by Les4toads on August 09, 2002 at 15:29:51:
In Reply to: Metabolic Bone Disease posted by lucia on August 09, 2002 at 08:50:47:
:I have 2 HL that I have had for almost 2.5 years. One I rescued from a petstore and the other I got out west. I have them in a 125 gallon tank with calcisand substrate. The have a sun lamp, underground heat source, and, a medium-sized heat rock (of which I monitor the temperature). I feed harvester ants, wax worms, and crickets dashed with calcium powder. All of this, and my petstore HL developed MBD. I've taken him to the vet on several occasions, given him calphosan injections, and nothing has helped. I love them both, but I don't think I am doing a good job of raising them and I don't know what to do next. I am considering contacting my fellow herps out west and requesting that he release them. Will they be able to survive in the wild after so long in captivity? Any suggestions?
:Lucia, I have worked with HLs for 15 years and have never seen MBD in HLs. How was this diagnosed? Blood work? Xrays? MBD is primarily a dietary deficiency disorder (and sometimes may have a genetic basis). What species of HLs are they? One is probably a Desert HL, Phrynosoma platyrhinos. After 2.5 years in captivity, I would not recommend releasing them back into the wild because of bacteria or viral exposure in captivity. What may appear healthy and "okay" may not reveal the actual fact. Wild populations exposed to bacteria and virus infections or carriers may not have sufficient protection. How old are the HLs? One issue is that they may be "senior" HLs and are degenerating. Let me know. Lester G. Milroy III
