Re: Egg bound & calcium deficient ........HELP!

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Posted by PH Meliss on November 06, 2002 at 13:21:02:

In Reply to: Re: Egg bound & calcium deficient ........HELP! posted by PH Meliss on November 06, 2002 at 12:57:15:

Grrrr...I hit POST instead of EDIT

:First off: If a gravid iguana develops MBD it is not just because the development of the eggs and shells demand so much high calcium.

I meant to say that a little better: it isn't that the development of eggs and shelling consumes so much calcium: gravidity-induced MBD is not normal for iguanas, other than as an artifact of improper captive husbandry. Since the igs are dependent upon us for making sure their diet contains everything they need when they need it, it is our fault if they are deficient in calcium because we didn't anticipate the onset of breeding season and take steps to ensure their calcium intake was boosted in time.

One last thing: spaying isn't a magical solution to the difficulty igs have during breeding season (most of which are often artifacts of captivity and what the keeper is or isn't doing). Also, it shouldn't be done as a way for the keeper to avoid the headaches and stress associated with iguana breeding season. We are only just beginning to understand the role all hormones play in body, not just as they relate to reproduction. Science and medicine are still largely clueless on how to treat menopausal women, including those who have gone through age-related menopause, as well as surgical, chemical and illness-induced hormone changes similar to those caused by a spay. No one's done--nor will someone be doing any time soon--any research and drug trials on spayed iguanas to find out how to successfully maintain post-spay females. We haven't had enough spayed females around long enough to even begin to pinpoint all the problems that may be arising in the next decade.

Getting back to the ending of my first post, preventing gravidity-induced MBD and diet- and/or environment-related dystocia is far better than trying to cope with the demands and risks of treating a hypocalcemic gravid female. Spays should be an action of the last resort, not prophylaxis.

Not, y'know, that I have any strong feelings about this... ;)

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PH Meliss
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