Bearded dragon is dying need help might have MTB

Ok let me get right into it, I believe my bearded dragon has impaction. He keeps having spasms and keeps looking up and curling his back. And his back legs are like paralyzed? Also near his legs he has a hump there. Could this be something else?? Also I'm new to this site I don't know how to put images but I'll gladly show pictures but please help I hate seeing him like this... feel so bad also I tied warm water bath multiple times and trying to help him and nothing

Hello,

I am sorry your dragon is having trouble. How old is he?
What do you think has impacted him? Do you have him on loose substrate or did he eat too
large of a feeder?
Please do post pictures of him as well, if you can.
Are you using a UVB light for him too?
Go ahead & get some sugar free applesauce & some canned unspiced pumpkin. Mix that with
a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help move things along. Use a plastic dropper or syringe
to get that into him a couple of times a day. Coupled with warm baths, that may help out.
If he is that badly impacted, you may need to get him to a vet.
Don't let them give an enema though because too many do it improperly & can cause horrific
internal injuries & many times it is fatal.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

I'm sorry this is happening, it may be an impaction, but it also sounds like it may be a nutritional deficiency due to him not getting adequate UVB light, like MBD. So if you could post the photos of both your dragon and his complete tank/set-up including the lights, and list exactly what UVB light you are using, this will give us a better idea about what's going on.

EllenD":3owuck4s said:

I'm sorry this is happening, it may be an impaction, but it also sounds like it may be a nutritional deficiency due to him not getting adequate UVB light, like MBD. So if you could post the photos of both your dragon and his complete tank/set-up including the lights, and list exactly what UVB light you are using, this will give us a better idea about what's going on.

Click to expand...

I'm using the med zoo light and the 10.0 uv light. I think it might be this instead of impaction because his stomach isn't hard or bloated up and I look it up and it seems like it could be MBD also idk how to do pictures I could put them on my Instagram and I could tell you my ig

Hi there, here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

Spasms like that can also be linked to atadenovirus.

Is your Reptisun 10.0 UVB light a long, fluorescent tube inside a long tube fixture, or is it just one of the compact or coil bulbs that fit into a regular light bulb socket? If it's not a long tube, then yes, this is the cause, as they are not at all adequate for a Bearded Dragon, they are far too weak, and on top of that if you have the compact or coil UVB bulb sitting on top of a mesh lid, then the mesh is blocking quite a bit of the already far too-weak UVB bulb. So this is causing a calcium deficiency, that is causing the MBD.

You need to get him a long fluorescent UVB tube and a fixture with a reflector inside it, and since he's already starting to exhibit the signs and symptoms of MBD, I'd totally skip over the much weaker T8 UVB tubes that have to be mounted inside the tank under the mesh and be within 6" of his basking spot/platform, and that need to be replaced once every 6 months. I'd go straight to the much stronger and more adequate T5 strength UVB tube and a T5 rated fixture with a reflector inside it, as he needs this very strong UVB light, and this and his bright-white colored Basking Bulb need to be left on for at least 13-14 hours every day. The T5 UVB tubes can sit on top of the mesh lid as long as they are within at least 10-11" of his basking spot/platform, and they only need to be replaced once every 12 months, so you'll save money that way too.

It must be at least a 10% UVB T5 tube, or a 10.0 T5 tube (cannot be a 5.0 or lower UVB tube). The cheapest way to go about this is to order both the 10.0 T5 UVB tube and a T5-rated fixture with a reflector online from a place like Amazon.com or Drs. Fosters & Smith, they seem to be the cheapest places.

You can buy a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube on Amazon.com for around $24 on Amazon.com, and they also sell one 24" T5 tube fixture that includes a reflector (crucial and a requirement) for around $28.

Also make sure that he's getting calcium 5 days a week and a multivitamin 3 days a week...

Hello,

How is your boy doing today, he is a youngster it looks like too & has great colors! Poor
boy, I am sure he is having a tough time. So, he did not eat anything too large correct?
I'm glad to see also that you don't have a loose substrate to contribute to impaction issues.
The Reptisun 10 tube bulb is fine but it does need to be closer. The screen mesh top is
blocking 30% at least of the usable UVB for him. Can you try to mount the tube bulb/
fixture underneath of the screen to give him a stronger exposure to it?
How often have you been giving calcium supplementation for him? Even if you have been
giving supplementation, if he isn't getting strong enough UVB exposure, his system just cannot
process the calcium properly which will eventually lead to bone issues.
Since he is growing, he is in need of a lot of calcium intake for bone support as well as the
neurological functions, too.
I agree, if you can, upgrading to the T5 version of either Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12% or
14% would be ideal.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Tracie beat me to it, yeah, if that's a T8 UVB tube, then it must be mounted underneath the mesh lid, and be within 6" of the basking spot. That's your problem, and that's why I suggested the upgrade to the T5, as it can sit on the mesh and be as far away from the basking spot as 11". But as of right now, your dragon is not getting much UVB at all because of the mesh blocking it and because it's way too far away.

Also, you don't want the UVB tube against the back of the tank, as even when you get it strapped to the underside of the mesh lid and you get the basking spot/platform within at least 6" of the now unobstructed tube, you're going to be automatically losing half the UVB right off the back glass. So when you strap the tube fixture to the underside of the mesh, using zip ties, wire, twine, etc., move it up towards the center of the lid and away from the back of the tank.

Thanks for the feedback!
I had a lot in there for when he was basking but I removed it because I don't want him to fall off if he had a spasm. Also it seems like when ever he tries to move he gets them spasms also I been keeping him wraped up in a blanket to keep him warm and also he doesn't get those spasms so when ever I leave him in the cage he starts getting those spasms cause he tries to move I think. Also I have I another bearded dragon and I change there uv bulbs with each other to try and see if it might of been that also we couldn't give him any calcium every time we would put some on a criket he would not eat it! Yesterday I mixed some of that stuff in some water and he drinked some of it

Well I found the issue, the "uv" light we had for him that my mom bought awhile ago was a fish heat lamp light... I fixed that right away and for now I threw that away and gave him the uv light that my other bearded dragon had. I had the small guy all tucked up in the blanket on the ground and my other lizard on my bed and when I was changing the lights let lizard jump off my bed and bite him!!!! Right on his neck!!! My heart droped... I have no idea how he knew!!! He wasn't moving and there was no way he could have saw him cause he was covered. I quickly took his head out of his mouth took the blankets of and I thought his was dead... But he was still breathing and he wasn't cut and didn't really seemed nothing broke? But I think what got him the most was the rapid movement when he got picked up and almost eaten! But it's been like 5 hours and his still like how he was yesterday maybe little worse cause of the bite... I feel like such a bad owner... I was crying for like 2 hours for the poor thing. Also the reason why we can't take him to the vet cause my dad makes the money and he doesn't care for it and my mom doesn't want to surrender it to the vet yet cause it's her lizard, but we might have to it depends how his doing tomorrow.
And also his name is tank, my mom named him that and I think it really suits him now..

Is there anything we can do for him?

Hello,

Oh dear, I hate to hear that, is your small one still ok today? Please let us know how they are
both doing.
So, originally you didn't have any UVB at all, just a fish aquarium light? That is good you you have
a T8 now. Did you get it mounted closer & underneath of the screen for him?
The tank looks nice & bright for him, so he should be getting enough light, but just try to get the
UVB all organized to help out his bones.
Did he eat or drink anything today?

Tracie

It looks like the bite did not injure him but definitely would scare him quite a bit. If you see any wound at all you can put some raw honey on it but make sure there are no loose insects in the tank, they would go after the wound to bite it.

Nick, if it's warm where you live take the little guy out in the sun, setting him on your lap or in the grass. BTW, what type of uvb bulb do you now have ? Be sure to see the brand name written on it. And to get the best uvb exposure in the tank, mount the light under the mesh by poking holes in the screen and looping string, twine or wire through to attach the uvb fixture like this.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

He passed away this morning... I think that bite may have did something but at least he isn't suffering anymore