Bearded Dragon with arched back ?!

[noviiDragonOwner]

i had him/her for about a yr now, first in a 10gl tank then moved to a 40gl
substrate i used a small wooden chips ...lizard ate fine and pooped but after one day it got an arch on its back and would like to go into the corner of the tank and sit there curved
...right now i moved it to a small 10gl tank cause im cleaning out the substrate from the 40gl , about two weeks ago lizard had a serious impaction but with the help of warm bath and apple souse lizard pooped everything out , but its all better now on 2nd week and pooping everyday
but the arched back is still there .... and it did start before the impaction ...

can anybody give any clues/thoughts on this
thanks

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. I'm sorry to say this , but he/she has mbd( metoblic bone disease). Its permanent and its from not having efficient calcium and lack of uvb light. I would start giving her liquid calcium and get a proper uvb light. The uvb light most recommended on here is a reptisun tue 10.0. I'd make sure you dont have a high basking spot as she can fall and break bones.

 

[AHBD]

Oh my, poor little thing. That is severe MBD [ metabolic bone disease ] What happens in this stage of MBD is that the bones become soft + brittle and pathological fractures may occur. The body tries to over -compensate by depositing any available calcium in those areas, thus developing the lumps. How long did it take to get like that ? And is his mouth open most of the time ? That is probably related as well. Be sure to get him some liquid calcium, and if you can list his exact brand + type of lights it will help to see if you need to adjust things. He is in dire need of proper UVB and calcium D3....the pet stores are notorious for not providing new owners with the proper lighting, and without proper lights + nutrients this is the result. His hump would also be worsened by him being impacted or constipated so be sure that his food items are very small and pretty soft so he doesn't have to strain to poo. Poor little guy, make sure he's hydrated as well, even give him baby food like squash + beans with a little extra water. Vets carry something called Critical Care , full of nutrients + high calorie so see if you can get some of that. Hopefully he can straighten out a bit, but some deformities never go away.

 

[Brezzy99]

I agree with destiny. Have you been dusting his/her food with calcium and multi-vitamins?

 

[diamc]

Oh the poor thing. I agree with destiny that the curved spine is from metabolic bone disease and it's a bad case of it. It takes some time before it gets as bad as your beardie is right now. Has he been able to move around at all? He has to be uncomfortable and that could be part of the reason he has his mouth open like that.

Had you been using a UVB light? If so, what brand & type? Had you also been dusting with calcium & vitamins, if so, how often?

Although there are fat stores at the base of the tail, there isn't any on the top of the head as it's completely flat and he/she looks kinda dehydrated. What have been feeding your beardie as far as feeders & veggies go and how often? If he hasn't been eating, you could pick up some chicken or turkey and some sweet potato or squash baby food to feed that by putting drops on his nose for him to lick off. Are you giving frequent baths?

Your beardie is gaping (holding its mouth open) quite a ways. What are the tank temps and what type of thermometer are you using?

Have you ever taken him to a vet?

 

[noviiDragonOwner]

this is what i been giving it ^
lizard isnt used to me so it opens its mouth whenever i get close
beardie been like this (arched back) over a month or two
i sprinkle it with water every day and make sure it drinks some drops
baths are usually every other day
as for light im using

so that combo has a reptisun 10.0 so thats whats been used ... but it could time to replace to new one
i just purchased Calci-Blast from one of the ppl here on this site

 

[destiny1998]

The reptisun in that combo does not give off the proper amount of uvb rays. The tube 10.0 reptisun is the one thats recommended on here.

 

[noviiDragonOwner]

The reptisun in that combo does not give off the proper amount of uvb rays. The tube 10.0 reptisun is the one thats recommended on here.

this one ....?

 

[destiny1998]

Yep. That's it

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He has severe metabolic bone disease, unfortunately.
The Reptisun 10 tube bulb is a good start. When you get that one, be sure to mount it underneath of the screen so that it doesn't have any screen filtering the UVB. It needs to be directly overhead mounted right beside the basking light. Try to get it within a 6 inch range from him.
How much of the Zilla calcium do you give him? It needs to be dosed for his weight, do you know how much he weighs?
Do you give both the liquid & the powdered calcium?

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

It's really good that you posted here to get the best help for your dragon, and it's obvious that you care about this little one by looking at all the supplements + things you have for him. You obviously spent a lot of money to try + set your baby up the right way. Once you change to the Reptisun tube that will be a good start. For right now, be sure to give him only soft + easy to chew foods. The mealworms + the omnivore mix will be a bit too hard to digest and may worsen his condition [ or at least make it difficult for him to poo ] so if you can get him some small crickets and soft body worms like Phoenix worms that would be good. If he can't chase down the crickets you can hand feed them or put them in a jar to shake them until they are wobbly and then drop them right near him. Hopefully all the good suggestions from the people here can help him out.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Please let us know how he is doing & that you were able to get him the UVB light
that he needs, also.

Thanks.

Tracie