lumps on baby skinks HELP!

Question
QUESTION: hello
my names kaitlyn and i currently have 8 baby blue tongue skinks, but for some strange reason half of them have started getting lumps up there spine, and are walking funny, i know that its a calcium deficiency but i need help as to what to do and how to help the poor little things, thank you so much

kaitlyn

ANSWER: Hi Kaitlyn, I assume that your babies are still feeding. Their diet needs to be supplemented with both calcium and vitamin D3. The D3 will help them effectively absorb the calcium. Without it the calcium will mostly just pass through them. There are powdered formulas of cal/D3 made for reptiles. You give it to them by "dusting" their cricket or other insect food. Place the insects in a plastic bag with just a small pinch of the calcium powder and shake it gently to  coat the insects. Offer them to the skinks right away. If they are not feeding well you can add some powder to some fruit or chicken baby food and dab it onto their snouts. They usually respond by licking it off. They might also benefit from a UVB light which are sold for reptiles. Exposing them to unfiltered sunlight will also work (if you happen to be writing from Australia!)   Exposure to UV will allow them to manufacture their own vitamin D3. The process is the same in humans. Good luck

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi
they are still all eating and i am feeding them silkworms(as reptile experts suggest) and calcium powdered crickets, i am also taking them outside in the sun for an hour each day.
they are also getting bok choy and grapes and other fruits(dusted with calcium powder).A reptile specialist sugested i give them cooked chicken strips? is that all right?
having 2 adult bts this is a surprise. and how long do u think it will take them to recover?,  am i doing the right thing?.Also can you get an actuall light with the bulb because i have bearded dragons as well and only 2 lights. i need another one.
thank you so much
i really appreciate this :)

kaitlyn
sorry if im being a pain

ANSWER: Hi Kaitlyn, The silkworms are a good choice, they are high in calcium. In order to metabolize and absorb calcium reptiles need to have more calcium in the diet then phosphorous. The ratio should be about 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorous. The outer body of crickets and most other insects is very high in phosphorous and low in calcium. That is why we have to dust them with calcium, in order to bring the calcium/phosphorous balance back to 2 to 1. Some greens like collard, kale and dandelion have a proper calcium/phosphorous ratio already and are good choices. Chicken meat will have to be dusted to correct the ratio, it is higher in phosphorous then calcium.
The vitamin D3 (which is also called cholcalciferol) helps them absorb the calcium but this is one of the 4 fat soluble vitamins. That means that it can become toxic if too much is given. You may want to alternate between a plain calcium supplement and one with vitamin D3 to avoid this problem. Cuttlefish bones that are sold for pet birds are a source of plain calcium, just scrape the soft side onto the food.
This is more likely to happen to babies because they are growing  and have a much higher demand for calcium in order for the bones to form properly.
Do you happen to know the history of your two adults? Are they related by any chance? The reason I ask is that the other reason that I have seen bumps forming along the spine of young reptiles is due to an inherited deformity. I have seen this  mostly in related snakes that have been bred together to pass on a desired mutation. The parents themselves did not display the bumps but their offspring developed it. When it happens due to this reason it cannot be corrected.
I'm sorry I didn't fully understand the question you were asking me about the lights/bulbs. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like, that is why I am here!

Thea

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hey
bluey and lucy are not related (the blue tongue adults) bluey is white with brown eyes i think hes a northern ive had him ever since he was a week old and i never had any problems with him...and then when bluey turned 2, a lady didnt want lucy any more so i took her off her hands, bluey and lucy are not related(lucy is an eastern) but i have also just found an abandoned bluey and i think she is gravid shes a bit cranky but she looks like a balloon but she has a good nature, how can i tell she is gravid?, back to the babys...they are starting to get better i think..3 of them are showing no signs of MBD, and there is only 2 that i am concerned about...i will see if i can send u a photo next time so you can see for yourself, how long do u think it will take them to recover?? will i be able to sell them?
and also one of the babys is...runty because her tail(half of it) got chopped of when she was a baby and shes turned out to be the runt is it because of her tail.
and all of the bts ribs are sticking out really far
im a tad bit worried bout them :( does that have to do with the calcium disorder?
thank you so much, your making it easier for me to cope

kaitlyn

Answer
Hi Kaitlyn, If the new female is large then that may be your best clue that she is gravid. It can be difficult just to tell male from female with blue tongues.  She may also go off her food for a few days just before she gives birth.

Back to the babies. The fact that they are babies is in their favour. Any deformity that you see will become less and less obvious as they grow and normal bone growth occurs. Only time will tell whether there will still be any sign of this when they are adults. You should still be able to sell them but it would be ethical to advise the buyers of this earlier problem.