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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tortoise Tom" data-source="post: 137460" data-attributes="member: 27883"><p>Lack of D3, lack of calcium, and poor calcium to phosphorous ratio, are all causes of MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) in captive lizards and tortoises. Sadly, MBD is fairly common and well documented. It is less common than it was 20 or 30 years ago, but vets still see it regularly due to ignorance or neglect. The consensus seems to be that carnivores and some omnivores like snakes, some turtles and tortoises, and some lizards get and use D3 from their prey items, while herbivorous and insectivorous reptiles like bearded dragons, iguanas, chameleons and most tortoises, for example, do not get dietary D3 and so must be either supplemented with dietary D3 or given a good UV source like real direct sunshine, so their bodies can manufacture their own D3.</p></blockquote><p></p>