# lower jaw hanging



## slowdowngsxr (Sep 25, 2008)

im sure this has been asked already but im in the process of moving and dont have time to look for it. i got a frog in may from a local breeder and was fine until yesterday. now his lower jaw is hanging down showing a black mouth like its broken. he is still plenty fat and active. ive been feeding him fruit flies and crickets and dusting the crickets. any help would be great


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

sounds like a rubber jaw, but it could also be broken, i have seen this in calcium deficient animals, how often are you dusting calcium


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## slowdowngsxr (Sep 25, 2008)

i dust once a week, is the rubber jaw cureable and if so whats the best and fastest way to get him healthy, thanks for the info


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## Nubster (Jun 16, 2008)

I had an iguana when I was younger and I was not told about using supplements and UV lighting when I bought him. He did fine for a while then developed a rubbery jaw and his back legs became very swollen. I took him to the vet and I was told that it was calcium deficiency and the lack of UV light. So I immediately bought some supplements and a UV light and he recovered nicely. I know we are talking about different animals here but the point of the story I guess is that yeah, if your frogs problem is from a calcium deficiency then yeah, it should be fixable. Just for the record, I alternate dusting. I feed everyday right now since my frogs are juveniles but I do multi-vitamins one day and calcium the next and alternate like that. So my frogs are getting calcium 3-4 times per week.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

How old is your dusting supplement? Remember to use calcium with D3, unless you are using UV. Also, remember that it's a good idea to get new supplements every 6 months, and not mix them previous to use. I also keep them in the fridge, in airtight containers.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

dusting once a week is ok, but i woudl dust a little more often like every other feeding.


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## melissa68 (Feb 16, 2004)

Calcium deficiency is what they are referring to. When the bone doesn't have enough calcium it becomes flexible & is referred to as 'rubber jaw'. 

Metabolic bone desease (MDB) is the Dx that usually goes with calcium deficiency.

It could also be a broken jaw and there are some other potential issues as well. 

I would suggest refining your supplement (dusting) to see if that helps. Mix 50-50 herptivite & repcal. I dust at every feeding - but everyone has different opinions regarding that too.

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do but sit back and see how he does. If it is a calcium deficiency the frog might get better or not.


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## scream-aim-fire (Mar 1, 2008)

i had a leopard gecko a while back, and also wasnt told i needed to dust my crickets with calcium, it developed MBD, by the time i figured out what was wrong with it and started dusting its food it died a few months later. i guess the MBD was too far taken over. now i make sure my frogs always get there vitamins and calcium.


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## slowdowngsxr (Sep 25, 2008)

i want to thank you all for your info but a few days after the move he died


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