New dragon with early signs of MBD?

Hello,

I just adopted a new dragon and noticed some signs that worry me a bit. His lower lip is pointed a tad upward and his mouth is a bit saggy on the sides. (I'll post pics tomorrow, he's sleeping now.) When running about he did mostly fine but occasionally his back legs would go a bit limp as if they'd tired out when the rest of him hadn't. His skin is saggy as well but I think that might be dehydration. Does this sound like it could be MBD in it's early stages?

Background: The family that gave him to me told me that they bought him as a baby and have had him for a year. He was kept in a room that didn't look like it got any sunlight and he had a single screw-in uv bulb (75 watt) on one side of his tank. He also had a basking light but no way to climb near it. The terrarium is a 36w x 16h x 18d. Apparently he had been eating meal worms and was 'given kale which he didn't eat.' His terrarium was largely covered in feces as well. There was no available water.

I've cleaned the terrarium thoroughly and given him a bath. He's got proper uvb and access to various levels near his basking lamp, as well as a shallow water bowl that he's able to soak in/drink from. He's very active and quickly ate the offered red cabbage and dubia roaches and drank some water. (He also pancaked in the bath so he got some water there.)

I would like to do everything I can to be sure that his condition is improved and then maintained. Any suggestions would be very welcome. I do have ReptiCal dust and will put that on his roaches.

Oh, and he's quarantined from the other reptiles for the time being since he's new to the home.

Sorry for the lengthy post, just wanted to cover everything! Thanks!

Poor guy. I'm glad he is in a better home now. Cleaning the tank up will help a lot. It does sound like lack of UVB has caused MBD. That can be halted with a good diet and a high quality UVB light. What did you put in for UVB? How far is it from his basking area?

Does he have any trouble moving around? It's a good sign that he is eating well. If he's over a year old, try focusing on calcium rich foods like collard and turnip greens along with calcium dusted bugs. Try to get him eating a nice wide variety of veges for a good nutritional balance.

@cooperdragon

Thank you for responding! The UVB I had available yesterday is an All Living Things UVB50 so that's in there now in a spare 18-inch hood. I'm getting him a larger hood and a ReptiSun 10.0 to replace that. Would have had it ready for him but I didn't know ahead of time that I would be taking in a new baby.

As for the basking light, he can get anywhere between 6-11 inches as he chooses. That one is a Zoo Med 100watt.

The only trouble he's had moving is that his back legs seem to wear out quickly. He looks fine running about and then he collapses onto his behind for a few moments before taking off again. Not the normal stop-and-go but more of a falling down. The legs don't look any different from the norm however which I'm glad about.

I'll get some collard greens today since we have those readily available.

Here's a pic:



I'm just barely touching his lip here, not pulling down at all. Also, I only have one other beardie to compare to and his nose/jaw is straight forward. Could they just be differently shaped and this is natural? I would love if that were the case!

Hello,

He looks cute, great colors too. They all have different genetics & snout shapes so I think the
shape of his is just fine. I don't see any evidence of an underbite or an overbite.
If his mouth or gum line is that loose it is possible he could be a bit weak from calcium issues,
perhaps. Him not having the proper lighting does take a toll on their health.
Be sure to mount the Reptisun 10 tube directly overhead so that the UVB light directs downward onto your dragon for full UVB exposure.
He has a wonderful home now so I'm sure he will be happy! Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

I agree that he looks pretty good! I would still get a stronger UVB light for him in the long run. Consider one like this http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/ A 24'' T5 in a good fixture. You can use the T5 ReptiSun 10 bulb in a fixture like that as well. The one I linked to is sold as a kit with fixture and bulb.

For now, I'd keep that T8 between about 6-8'' and make sure there isn't anything like a plastic cover or mesh top between the bulb and the basking site for best results.

@cooperdragon @drache613

Oh good! I’m glad his face isn’t in bad shape. That’s a great relief!

I bought a hood similar to the one linked about an hour ago along with the 10.0 bulb. It’s nice and bright in his tank now.

I truly appreciate the help and I’m sure Louis (finally chose a name) does too!

OK great. That should help quite a bit. Please let us know how he progresses.

Hello,

Excellent! I hope he likes the new light. When it's nice & bright, they just love it. I agree,
in the future you can try one of the T5 tube bulbs, they are very strong.
Louis is a great name! Definitely keep us updated on him.

Tracie