Setting up for metabolic bone disease

Hey guys, I'm rescuing a beardie that was found on a train track. He has metabolic bone disease, I need tips on the best tank set up for him.
The vet said he needs to be in a smaller tank, with flat ground. He gets anxiety in anything bigger than a 40 gallon (it looks like, I'm used to fish tanks so thats what I'm basing it off of) and is currently staying in a 20 gallon. I'm going to look for a 30ish one.
What substrate would be best ideal, along with lights? I plan on getting a repti sun uv light for him as well.
This is my first time having a beardie as my own, can anyone help me with specifics on how to set things comfortably up? Taking special care regarding the size of enclosure as well.

Most times a tank of at least 40G would be advised. But I'm not going to second guess a vet, maybe he/she doesn't want the BD to run around too much because of its issues. Maybe you could use a 40G breeder and section it off, or provide some hides and cover to help the beardie feel more comfortable. Then you could expand the open space if/when the BD recovers or acclimates.

I would use a textured non-adhesive shelf liner for the substrate, that will be flat and easy for a compromised BD to move around on.

I would highly recommend going with the T5 10.0 Reptisun tube since it tests out to have some of the highest, and most effective, UVI readings at a reasonable price. And your beardie needs that for sure. Then add a halogen bulb(s) for heat.

Yeah, he cant move a lot really at all. Plus when he was found his front arms and his one back leg was broken, along with some ribs. So the movement he has is limited but can still hunt and move as long as he has that grip support. I called to ask if I could use that idea for the tank, they tried to put him in a 40 gallon section off and he apparently started freaking out and trying to flip himself on his back. I'm not sure what that indicates.
Hes a year and a half old they predict, is there still room for recovery what so ever?
Could you provide me some links to buy the lamp/bulbs? My pet stores dont carry good ones, and most sites I find are not trusting. Tommy (bd) seemed to get actually scared of hiding spots, I'm not sure if its because of his past or what.

I was also told calcium powder will be the best to dust on crickets, and that there are multi vitamins?

I don't have the knowledge to answer your questions about MBD and recovery. I defer to your vet and the more knowledgeable people here.

Reptisun T5 10.0:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26061-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HAO

Reptisun T5 fixture:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=pd_bxgy_199_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00AQU8F2O&pd_rd_r=6Z44WDT6P6274VT9WQ0F&pd_rd_w=fdPPu&pd_rd_wg=5KZfU&psc=1&refRID=6Z44WDT6P6274VT9WQ0F

You should adjust the size of the tube and fixture based on the tank size you decide on.
I assume your beardie cannot climb well so make sure the T5 bulb is about 10", maybe less, above him. He will benefit from moderately strong UVB and that will help his chances of recovery and survival.

ZooMed Deep Dome:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Deep-Fixture-Black/dp/B000QFVYEU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1495512077&sr=1-3&keywords=zoo+med+dome

Get a 75-100W halogen bulb for this fixture. Again, depending on the size of the enclosure. Buy a household dimmer at your home improvement store, or Walmart, for the dome light to help you fine tune temps.

I'm sure your vet can advise you better but I assume warmth, high UVB and a good diet will give your BD the best fighting chance. Give him a place to easily escape the heat and UV also.

I don't know a lot about supplements but I use a calcium powder and a multi vitamin powder a couple of times a week.
Your vet can better advise what special needs your beardie might have as far as what and how much it needs.

I would recommend reading as many enclosure setup threads here and get familiar with what those "in the know" do to ensure a proper setup. Your needs will be the same except you will need to get the light and heat to your BD since it can't get up to the lights. And you need to get the lighting correct for your BD to recover. There is great info here...keep reading and asking questions.

Good luck.

You've been extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

My pleasure.

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people on this site. Maybe search the Health forum for more info on MBD. Or start a new thread asking for info on MBD. Someone might be able to help you gain more information on how to best help your beardie.

Did your vet give an indication on how far along the MBD is, or its chances of survival?

She told me its pretty progressed, since he never had a uv light when he was a baby (they guess) but it shouldnt advance with the proper care. He wont have a full life span, but will hopefully live up to 6-7 years as his diet is very strong, and hes getting healthy at a rapid pase.

That's good news. Reptiles are extremely resilient creatures with a strong ability to survive difficult circumstances. There's a reason many reptiles have been around for so long relatively unchanged.

I'm just curious...
Where do you live that a bearded dragon was found alive on train tracks? :?

Winnipeg Manitoba, canada.
He wasnt expected to live. Be was syringe fed for a month straight, and they had to do so many xrays. He had so many ribs broken that they couldn't tell how many were. His tail is cut off at the end, too. I feel really bad for him. Tommys back is a bit collapsed too, they think someone threw him on the track for a train to run over
I'm going to give him the best few years I can, I just love the way he sits on his arms. They were going to put him down if no one wanted him. I couldnt do that

Wow, sounds like he's lucky to be alive. I'm surprised he survived the cold temperatures there, in addition to the abuse.

It's 35° and snowing here in Colorado. In a couple hours he would be a beardie-cicle.

Yeah its been very rainy here lately, I'm very surprised. The vets are outstanding that hes made it this far. Thats also why I intend to be his best pal for his remaining time here, I dont have a lot of $ but I'm going to make it work for him. Hes a trooper. I'm so glad The Reptile Report on fb led me here.

Tommy is lucky you found him. At least he's not deaf, dumb and blind. :wink: