# Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles (UK) — Quick answer

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/reptile-metabolic-bone-disease-uk): Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles (UK) — Quick answer. Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is the most common serious illness in UK pet reptiles. It usually stems from too little UVB light, which blocks vitamin D3 production, so the reptile cannot absorb calcium. Watch for twitching, swollen limbs and soft jaws — and see an exotic vet urgently.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/reptile-metabolic-bone-disease-uk): Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles (UK) — What is metabolic bone disease?. According to the RSPCA, metabolic bone disease is a term covering a range of nutritional diseases in captive reptiles. It is most often caused by a lack of UVB lighting, which leads to vitamin D3 deficiency. Without vitamin D3, a reptile cannot absorb calcium from its food — so the body pulls calcium from the skeleton instead, weakening and deforming the bones. Vet Help Direct's UK vet team describes the same chain: insufficient UVB combined with inadequate dietary calcium and vitamin D3 produces weakness, limb deformities and fractures. The British Chelonia Group adds that in tortoises, soft shell (osteodystrophy) results from calcium deficiency combined with incorrect lighting and excess dietary protein.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/reptile-metabolic-bone-disease-uk): Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles (UK) — Why it happens. MBD is a husbandry disease — almost always traceable to one or more of these: - No UVB, or a dead UVB tube — output fades long before the visible light fails; glass and mesh block UVB - Wrong UVB strength or distance — too weak a tube, or mounted too far from the basking spot - No calcium supplementation — undusted insects and no calcium bowl - Poor gut-loading — feeder insects with empty guts pass on little nutrition - Temperatures too low — a cold reptile cannot digest food or metabolise calcium properly - Dietary imbalance — excess protein or foods that bind calcium, such as spinach

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/reptile-metabolic-bone-disease-uk): Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles (UK) — Symptoms to watch for. According to the RSPCA, MBD symptoms include: - Muscle twitching — often the first visible sign - Swollen legs and reluctance to walk or climb - Soft, rubbery jaw or misshapen mouth - Fragile bones — fractures from minor knocks or normal handling - Permanent deformities of limbs, jaw, spine or tail in advanced cases - In tortoises, a soft or misshapen shell; in geckos, a low-slung, shuffling gait Any of these signs means urgent exotic vet attention — do not wait for them to worsen.

Source: https://pethealth.org.uk/health/reptile-metabolic-bone-disease-uk