Beardie fell on spine and can't use back legs help!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sethdrak3

Member
My beardie recently jumped off of me while was walking with him and usually he falls safely on his tummy usually on carpet but I just moved into a tile house and hadn't set up his tank from moving and didn't want to leave him in the bucket he was in while we drove. I don't walk with him that much bc i don't like it when he falls but if hes holding on I leave him where he wants to crawl but I try not to walk with him. He's about a year old and he's almost 7 inches long not including the tail. When he fell he landed on his spine bc i freaked out and tried to catch him and it messed him up and he landed on tile which he's not used to and he twitched a little bit and i picked him up and ever since he hasn't been able to use his back legs and he hasn't popped since we moved which was the 20th of Dec. But he still eats and walks around when he can just drags his back legs with him. He still twitches his legs ever once in awhile but he can't use them. I've given him multiple baths and one want water bath and gave him a little tummy massage trying my hardest not to hurt him and stopping when he seemed uncomfortable. But he still hasn't gone and no use of his back legs since. Is it possible hell heal naturally? Or did he break something? It doesn't look like anything is different about him. There is a part where he looks like he's got a bumb in his spine but i cant say that wasn't there before.
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
The moment that you realized something was wrong he should have been taking immediately to a reptile specialist vet for x-rays and meds to help with the pain he could be feeling. Spine inuries in most cases are fatal. Its lucky he is able to even want to eat or move.

I recommend making his enclosure as sterile and safe as possible during this time. Which means possibly going for a larger wattage of a heat bulb so he doesnt have to climb much to bask. What you could do is have his enclosures substrate entirely white paper towels which makes for easy clean up of anything and keeps the enclosure more sterile with the basking spot being tile to hold in heat better. If you can find small peices of tile you could even make a small staircase going up higher so he can get up a bit higher if needed but as long as the basking spot is 100-110 it should be okay. Paper towels is actually one of the most common substrates, however tile may be even more commonly used.

He'll also definitely need good uvb during this time and throughout his entire life. Usually you dont need to mount a T5 HO 10.0 tube light underneath the screen however it could help make him feel better, not heal him but it would be good for him. I recommend a 34" bulb with a fitting reflective fixture, however if you cant get that to fit inside you could go for a 22" bulb with a fitting reflective fixture which would definitely fit inside. All you need to do is make sure its stable and wont fall by tying it to the mesh with wire.

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/#vetlist Heres a list of certified reptile vets, even if its far you should still take him to one. After all you'd take another human to a hospital thats far so why treat another living animal any different.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Sorry your dragon took quite a fall, but he does need to see a reptile specialist so you know
what you are dealing with. It sounds like he has a serious back injury. The twitches are
indicative of possible nerve damage.
As suggested, try to lower everything as much as possible for him so that he doesn't have to
climb to bask. I hope he isn't paralyzed. Injuries like this you just can never tell exactly how
they are going to recover.
Spinal injuries cause swelling on & around the spine which compress the nerves & cause the
paralysis. He may have subluxed a vertebra which can cause paralysis too as he is experiencing.
Is he black bearding any which indicates pain or distress?
What foods is he eating right now? Since he isn't going to the bathroom, it might be a good
idea to give soft foods only to help things to pass through easier. Chicken or turkey baby food
mixed with squash or sweet potato baby foods are usually well liked. Just use a plastic dropper
or syringe to drop food onto his snout to see if he will lick any of it off.
You can try to find a vet here:

www.herpvetconnection.com

Let us know how he is doing. Do you have any pictures of him?

Tracie
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Please update us on how he's doing, as this is extremely serious. As Tracie already mentioned, please stop feeding him solid foods if he's not able to have a bowel movement, as this will kill him eventually.If he's broken his spine and is paralyzed from his hips back, then this is why he's not able to poop or move his legs, and you need to get him to either a Certified Reptile Vet or a very experienced Reptile Specialist Vet immediately, as he's no doubt in pain, so for nothing else than to get an x-ray to confirm the extent of his injuries and then make a decision at that point as to how to proceed. Hopefully it's just swelling from a soft-tissue injury putting pressure on his spinal cord that is causing the paralysis, but you need to know if he has a fracture or not.

And please, not to scold you (I could tell from the way you wrote your post that you already feel very badly about what happened) but I'm going to say this not so much for you, as you've learned this lesson the hard way unfortunately, but for anyone and everyone reading this post who EVER carries their bearded dragons around on their shoulders or anywhere else on their bodies, please never, ever do this again. This is why you cannot carry your dragons around without holding onto them with your hands securely or inside a container/tub. They can jump or fall off at any moment, and it doesn't matter whether it's carpet or a hard flooring that they fall onto, a small lizard falling over 5 feet onto any surface can result in severe injuries and death. So please, please, only carry your dragons in your hands securely, and NEVER PUT YOUR DRAGONS ON YOUR SHOULDERS, YOUR CHEST, YOUR HEAD, ON YOUR ARMS, OR ANYWHERE ELSE BUT EITHER SECURELY IN YOUR HANDS OR INSIDE A CONTAINER THAT IS SECURE.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Any updates on your dragon today for us?
Please let us know how he is doing. I am hoping he can recover from this, but it is going to
take some time.

Tracie
 

Sethdrak3

Member
Original Poster
Hello everyone I'm sorry I did not reply sooner I got sidetracked with life and taking care or my beardy. He's still doing good same as before but a little more movement from him. He can't move or pick him self up but i see him trying a little to move his back legs especially if i pick him up and he's uncomfortable but for the most part he can't move them but everyonce and a while I'll see his tail go up like he's happy which I've never seen his tail go up before. It's not quite in scorpion mode but it's striaght up in the air which leads me to believe he s doing it especially when he's basking comfortably in the light. But i kinda believes it's involuntary bc he doesn't seem to have a choice it's just up for no reason. He's been eating fine and basking fine. I have removed the desert tile substrate as I'm worried it's scratching his tummy as he walks so I tried a pillow case bc it's easy to clean and sterilize and rescue and i don't have anything else rn. He didn't like it he kept trying to remove it with his paws. I haven't taken him to the vet bc im worried about the cost and am gonna have trouble getting there. I was only able to find a reptile vet within an hour away from me but I have little transportation and little money. I was hoping it was something small he could heal on his own but I want to get him checked out to be safe but im not sure that'll happen im worried about him but he seems to be doing OK he's alert and moves fine he just has to crawl with his front legs I try to pick him up and put him where he wants to go like if he seems cold i put him closer to the basking light or just move him there to be sure he's warm and wait for him to either try to move or gap then i move him out. I'm still bathing him but it's hasn't helped and he doesn't enjoy it anymore I've never seen him stressed out before but I'm starting to understand what it's like. He's full creamy on his tummy and beard and rest of body is normal but when I pick him up or he's uncomfortable hell go slightly dark and have dark stress makes. I was unsure of this bc i hadn't seen a difference in the white and the stress marks but now I have what threw me off is everytime I tried to find a picture it'd show a full on black beard but my beardy doesn't its just a very dull mix of black and white which leads me to believe she is female as she's doesn't have the full on territorial black beard. But i have yet to been able to identify the sexual organs by checking with a flashlight like most people do. He did poo a little in his tank so I was thinking he'd continue to try and go normally so I have been feeding him super worms bc i can hand them to him directly without worry of it running away. But he hasn't gone since so I'm going try to transition to something else softer any suggestions? He's a little picky and I can't see him eating mush unless he's staving and it's basically in his mouth. Other than feeding and an occasional check up I don't touch him as to not stress him out but before I was sure of all his behaviors I was trying to hold him (after injury) and I set him on my bed and just left him there. Eventually he gaped at me and I was curious why I tried petting him and he stopped any time he's gaping and I touch him he stops immediately. He's always been the nicest lizard and never even thought about biting. He won't even eat from my hand at all. But i was surprised to see him gap at me multiple times as to say "don't touch me I'll bite" but he never does anything else just gaps and stops he even stopped when I put him on my tummy while I layed down and he seemed calm while with me and I pet him. But i have never even seen any type of joy or happiness in him from me petting him holding him feeding him bathing him anything. He's really just been the Chillest lizard ever almost no character just sits there he doesn't wave like I've see a lot of lizards or head Bob or wag his tail he's never done anything beside eat and sleep and bask really. Is this bc he's alone and doesn't have another animal to be territorial with is this good? Or do you think he's lonely? I know it's off topic but I'm curious to here opinion for future references.
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
To answer your question about him being lonely, hes not. If you put another beardie with him he would die within that day or within the following months as he would become stressed, hes already injured so he would be bullied around even more, he would stop eating, he wouldnt get any uvb/heat as he would be forced away from there by the other dragon.

Beardies are solitary, not even a 8x2x2 enclosure is big enough to house two beardies comfortably together as if they can see each other they feel threatened. Even a juvenile bearded dragon will try attacking a much larger grown adult. If any of my adult beardies come near my juveniles enclosure she goes in full attack mode, flares her beard up waits for a bit, if they dont go away she attacks the glass until they do.
And this juvenile is actually the sweetest bearded ive ever had, shes calm, doesn't run or bite you, and she snuggles up as soon as you put her on your chest. Literally the sweetest bearded ive ever had, yet the moment she sees another beardie she goes into attack mode.


Onto the more important thing though, if you dont get him proper help he's never going to get better. Possibly see if your family members can help you out at all and if not maybe see if the vet will allow you to slowly pay them instead of all at once.
Reptiles are one of the most expensive and hardest to care for in all honesty. They arent the easiest pet like some people have you believe, they require tons of care and tons of research and money.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I'm so sorry about this sad situation, my heart goes out to you + your beardie. Many peple don't realize that beardies can't be carried like that without a possible accident like this.

To help him digest + pass his food more easily, get some baby food squash, sweet potato + prunes. Canned pumpkin [ with no spices ] will also be good and he may like the taste of all of these. If not, add a few drops of raw honey and or unsweetened fruit juice. Add a bit of water to all of this as well . Cut out the baths for now unless he gets very dirt, then gently put him in for a warm soak. Avoid rubbing his belly at all, this can put extra pressure on the spine. That may be why he's gapng at you now.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I agree, he is probably uncomfortable from his injury. It would be best to not do any tummy
massages because it is likely causing some pain.
When handling him, be very gentle. I really hope that you are able to get him to a vet soon
because he really does need an x-ray & some type of pain medication to help him out.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
The fall happened nearly two weeks ago , why are you delaying a vet visit ?

IMO this is very bad form .... This is not going to mend without vetinary intervention , there are no home remedies for his injury.

He REALLY needed to be assessed by a very within 12 hours of the fall , the fact that he cant use his back legs all this time is an OBVIOUS INDICATOR that he has a serious spinal injury and will be in great pain , especially when handled and when he tries to move.

Heck a vet assessment and xrays wont cost much , nor will getting a course of anti-inflamatories and pain relief injections .... please do the right thing (even now if belatedly) by your dragon, he's depending on you.
If the nearest Reptile Certified vet is over an hour away , this is no a REAL obstacle to your getting your very seriously injured and deteriorating dragon to a vet . Any vet can take xrays and do a physical assessment , once that's done the extent of his injures are diagnosed , the regular vet can easily consult over the phone , by skype or email with a REPTILE VET regarding the best way forward and treatment.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Again, not to "scold" you, but please do not even think about getting another bearded dragon right now. First of all, you cannot house 2 healthy bearded dragons together, they are solitary animals, and when you house more than 1 together, one of two things always happens: #1) They become very aggressive and physically fight, attacking each other or one attacking the other, and one bite to the skull usually ends it, or they lose legs, eyes, tails, etc. So obviously a paralyzed beardie in pain cannot handle this...or #2) more commonly, one dragon takes the dominant role immediately and the other the submissive, in this case the injured dragon would definitely be the submissive, and they basically become highly stressed 24 hours a day, all day long, and have to compete for everything from food to the best temperature spots to the strongest UVB spots, etc. He isn't lonely, they want to live alone, they live completely alone in the wild, coming together only to mate, then separate.

In addition to that, and I'm not trying to be critical here, but if you cannot afford to take the beardie you have to a vet after he breaks his spine and is suffering, then getting another dragon probably isn't the best idea. That being said, it's been 2 weeks since his accident, he most likely does have a fractured spine (and possibly a severed spinal cord), as if it was just soft tissue swelling it would have improved drastically by now.

By not taking to a reptile vet, you've probably eliminated any chance he had for a full recovery, assuming it was only a spinal fracture and not a spinal cord tear. Had he gotten an x-ray right away and a fracture of the spine was seen, the reptile vet could have set the spine to relieve the pressure of the broken bone pushing on the spinal cord, which would have eliminated most if not all of the paralysis. Now even if it is just a spinal fracture that could have been put into traction and reversed, his spinal cord has been compressed far too long and he likely will not ever be able to walk again. And this is forgetting that no matter what is wrong with him, he's had to have been in horrible pain for the weeks since this happened. That's what's really killing me, I can't imagine breaking my spine and not even getting any pain medication, let alone having the fracture set or put into traction to relieve the neurological damage. This is just a really bad situation, as Knobbys has already said. Again, I don't mean to be rude or hurt your feelings, actually my heart does go out to both of you, but there comes a time when you need to make a very hard decision because you know it's the correct decision for your pet.

If I were you, if you cannot get him to a certified reptile vet by tomorrow, as this is still an emergency and any reptile vet will get him him ASAP once you tell them what's happened and how long ago it did happen, then I think you need to consider surrendering him to a proper reptile rescue that can take him to their certified reptile vet on the spot and either get him the medical help that he needs, or make a decision on how to proceed, based on his imaging test results and the nerve conduction tests they would run. I have worked for a very reputable and certified reptile and bird rescue for years, and I can find the closest certified reptile rescue to you with one phone call, and I can also make arrangements for the rescue to pick him up if you don't have transportation, they will drive to get a dragon in this situation, even if they are hours away. And I can also get them to waive their surrender-fee/donation that they usually require for you too. This is a very difficult decision that you're going to have to make, as he is suffering greatly and has been this entire time, whether you can see it or not, how could he not be with a broken spine that has caused paralysis...I am more than willing to do everything I can to help you out, all you have to do is PM me and tell me where you're located, and I'll get on the phone immediately.
 

Sethdrak3

Member
Original Poster
I have talked to some people about getting me to a vet and I'm going to get to a vet soon as possible I'm not worried about cost more on if he's gonna be ok. He had a nice sized poo today and I'm happy about that. I live in the palm coast area in Florida where is the closest vet to me? And by the way when I asked about him being lonely I was just asking from people experience because I already know not to put the together or near each other bc they dominate each other and they'll die it happened to my brother to couple months after he got them. But i was just curious bc I know of situations where they could have friends and in almost all stores they have all of them together so why can't they have friends? Is it possible they could have preference to certain beardies or do they just all dislike eachother? That's what I'm curious of. I was never considering putting two together even if he wasnt hurt. I have multiple setups for multiple species :)
 

talktothetail

Hatchling Member
Sethdrak3":6uggoqgk said:
I have talked to some people about getting me to a vet and I'm going to get to a vet soon as possible I'm not worried about cost more on if he's gonna be ok. He had a nice sized poo today and I'm happy about that. I live in the palm coast area in Florida where is the closest vet to me? And by the way when I asked about him being lonely I was just asking from people experience because I already know not to put the together or near each other bc they dominate each other and they'll die it happened to my brother to couple months after he got them. But i was just curious bc I know of situations where they could have friends and in almost all stores they have all of them together so why can't they have friends? Is it possible they could have preference to certain beardies or do they just all dislike eachother? That's what I'm curious of. I was never considering putting two together even if he wasnt hurt. I have multiple setups for multiple species :)

Ok, listen.
Bearded dragons, are territorial, pet stores have little to no knowledge on how to take care of them, hence you will find wrong set ups. HOWEVER they are together in pet stores because it is temporary and too expensive to get them all in separate vivs. And yes, they are all territorial, its in their genes and ancestory. The ONLY exception is when you plan to breed them. ANY OTHER STITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE.
You need to take your little one to the vet asap or expect higher chances of fatality by the day. you are asking for help. take him to the vet, it wont heal on its own, even if it looks like it. he is probably in great pain.
I am not trying to be harsh or hostile, but he needs a experienced herp vet asap
 

Sethdrak3

Member
Original Poster
talktothetail":3bycekwo said:
Sethdrak3":3bycekwo said:
I have talked to some people about getting me to a vet and I'm going to get to a vet soon as possible I'm not worried about cost more on if he's gonna be ok. He had a nice sized poo today and I'm happy about that. I live in the palm coast area in Florida where is the closest vet to me? And by the way when I asked about him being lonely I was just asking from people experience because I already know not to put the together or near each other bc they dominate each other and they'll die it happened to my brother to couple months after he got them. But i was just curious bc I know of situations where they could have friends and in almost all stores they have all of them together so why can't they have friends? Is it possible they could have preference to certain beardies or do they just all dislike eachother? That's what I'm curious of. I was never considering putting two together even if he wasnt hurt. I have multiple setups for multiple species :)

Ok, listen.
Bearded dragons, are territorial, pet stores have little to no knowledge on how to take care of them, hence you will find wrong set ups. HOWEVER they are together in pet stores because it is temporary and too expensive to get them all in separate vivs. And yes, they are all territorial, its in their genes and ancestory. The ONLY exception is when you plan to breed them. ANY OTHER STITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE.
You need to take your little one to the vet asap or expect higher chances of fatality by the day. you are asking for help. take him to the vet, it wont heal on its own, even if it looks like it. he is probably in great pain.
I am not trying to be harsh or hostile, but he needs a experienced herp vet asap

Thanks for the help
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
As I just replied to your PM, I made a phone call to a reptile rescue in St. Augustine, and they use

Atlantic Animal Hospital Ormond Beach
1640 Ocean Shore Blvd.
Ormond Beach, FL
(386) 441-7387

They have a very experienced reptile specialist on staff, as well as all necessary diagnostic equipment, lab, and surgical suite on site. Open until 6 every night.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,903
Messages
1,255,709
Members
75,967
Latest member
Newbeardiemom09
Top Bottom