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i think my baby bearded dragon fell off the side of his tank from his basking spot and landed wrong. keep in mind i have idea if thats what happened but its my best guess.. he is kind of moving his whole arm but he isnt putting weight on it :( i know you guys obviously cant tell me whats wrong other then to go to a reptile vet but im wondering if there is anything i can do to help him be comfortable or things to look out for? theirs minimal swelling if there even is any at all.

my boyfriend says its my fault because he thinks i am giving him to much calcium but i am not a newbie at this.. my other two beardies who are almost 2 years old now are just fine..

in the back of my mind i am a little worried he could have been over eating because i do have the tendency to just throw a handful of baby dubia roaches in his bowl and walk away but theirs never more then like...30 in there and he doesnt even go through that in one sitting it lasts him the whole day. and if he got paralyzed wouldnt that be from the waste and not just one arm? this is the first time for me feeding dubia through beardie childhood last time i had my girls on crickets is it actually possible im over feeding him protein or somthing?

this is the worst timing because my phone just got stolen and i have no way of taking a picture right now,

hes in a 40 gallon breeder
temps are in the high 90s
hes got a brand new tube uv light bulb and fixture
there are tall places he can get up to he ususally hangs out up close to the top of the tank in the suction cup vines i put up there which i have up there in case he needs to get a hotter basking area so hes always almost up at the top of the tank

i took the vines down as well as his branch basking spot so he cant climb anything and make the situation worse.. hes eaten and drank all perfect tonight as well so at least there is that.

i feel so horrible i didnt even realise anything was wrong until he bit my son and puffed up at him :( thats not typical behavior at all for baby moose and then i inspected him and sure enough he wasnt using his arm :( darn it. if this is how 2019 is really going to go for me im skipping this year.
 

KevinsMom33

Hatchling Member
Is he moving at all?? Or just not putting weight on one leg?? Which leg ?? How old is he. I don’t see how giving too much calcium could make him fall. How far did he fall?

I have a rescue dragon that has deformed arms - his hands are twisted inward and he walks on his wrists - I occasionally have to wrap his wrists if they are getting sore or raw from walking in them - I use self sticking elastic medical tape - kind of like k-tape -or sticky ACE bandage — but it doesn’t stick to him but to itself to stabilize his wrists. You can try that.
He may just be very sore also and a tad freaked out from the fall.
Btw - I would raise the temp at his basking area to 105.
As for the Dubai’s - as long as they’re the correct size for him - they should be fine.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
If he's having trouble moving around, I'd make basking areas and food dishes low to the ground and easy to access. Putting down a soft substrate like fleece may help ease pressure on his arms and legs as well. If he is moving it then it's not as likely dislocated but could be injured in some way. As you mentioned, it's probably best to have a vet check it out if he continues to avoid putting weight on it over the next few days, but in the meantime I'd just make things as soft and easily accessible as you can so he doesn't need to strain much.
 

Lovinonmybell

Member
Original Poster
the swelling has already gone down ALOT but hes not really putting to much weight on it still and we are now on day 4 of his mysterious injury

we took moose into the vet today and with an xray we were able to rule out any broken or fractured bones so im really happy about that he also told me that his bones are looking healthy to..
BUT
the doctor told me that he didnt think it was possible for any swelling to come from a fall from that amount of distance from just him falling from inside his tank.. ( i have a 40 gallon breeder ) and that he was concerned about a possible infection on the inside happening and IF that was the case that he wanted to start off antibiotics FAST because these things can get super out of control with reptiles that are this young and small.. :( so im suppose to give him injections of Tazicef every 3 days on alternate front arms for the next two weeks AND if it doesnt get better by the end of those two weeks then i need to make another appointment.

he also warned me about leaving roaches in the tank with him because they will bite him, and that i needed to have a water bowl in there at all times or he could get dehydrated and die from kidney failure and that me bathing him every 3 days just wasnt enough
and insisted a 40 gallon was okay for a baby but a grown beardie needs at least 75 gallons
and that i am supose to feed my dubia fish food 30 min before feeding them to my beardies
and told me that even though i was keeping my room at a steady 75 at night wasnt enought that he needs a che when the lights arent on at all times sick, or not.
and he told me small meals are better during the days because in the wild they wouldnt get like 10 crickets put in front of them..
insists that dubia arent the best way to go because they have alot of karitin so they are harder to digest.. and the same goes for crickets.

so im like... on the fence about believing this half diagnosis that isnt really a diagnosis because we walked out of the the clinic with NO diagnosis just a $200 vet bill for what this COULD be.. so i wanted to ask you guys.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Can you post a picture of the swollen arm? If it's around the joints, perhaps it's gout. The vet can take a sample from the area and test it for both gout crystals and for a bacterial infection (in order to provide the correct antibiotic). It's good to hear there are no broken bones or a dislocation though. I'm glad that's ruled out.
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
Lovinonmybell":3kd5mx17 said:
the swelling has already gone down ALOT but hes not really putting to much weight on it still and we are now on day 4 of his mysterious injury

we took moose into the vet today and with an xray we were able to rule out any broken or fractured bones so im really happy about that he also told me that his bones are looking healthy to..
BUT
the doctor told me that he didnt think it was possible for any swelling to come from a fall from that amount of distance from just him falling from inside his tank.. ( i have a 40 gallon breeder ) and that he was concerned about a possible infection on the inside happening and IF that was the case that he wanted to start off antibiotics FAST because these things can get super out of control with reptiles that are this young and small.. :( so im suppose to give him injections of Tazicef every 3 days on alternate front arms for the next two weeks AND if it doesnt get better by the end of those two weeks then i need to make another appointment.

he also warned me about leaving roaches in the tank with him because they will bite him, and that i needed to have a water bowl in there at all times or he could get dehydrated and die from kidney failure and that me bathing him every 3 days just wasnt enough
and insisted a 40 gallon was okay for a baby but a grown beardie needs at least 75 gallons
and that i am supose to feed my dubia fish food 30 min before feeding them to my beardies
and told me that even though i was keeping my room at a steady 75 at night wasnt enought that he needs a che when the lights arent on at all times sick, or not.
and he told me small meals are better during the days because in the wild they wouldnt get like 10 crickets put in front of them..
insists that dubia arent the best way to go because they have alot of karitin so they are harder to digest.. and the same goes for crickets.

so im like... on the fence about believing this half diagnosis that isnt really a diagnosis because we walked out of the the clinic with NO diagnosis just a $200 vet bill for what this COULD be.. so i wanted to ask you guys.

Wow. I have never heard such terrible advice from anyone ever. I take my Tampico to an exotic animal vet and the vet says that the dubia roaches are one of the best for them along with Phoenix and silk worms. I've never heard of roaches biting beardies. Crickets yes, but not roaches. The whole water bowl thing is odd too as it raises humidity in the tank (some people do leave water bowls in the tank and the humidity isn't an issue for them, so it's not wrong to leave one in there) and not every beardie drinks from standing water because they don't realize it's there. Just make sure you always have greens in there. They'll hydrate when they feel it's necessary. Beardies are naturally dehydrated because they live in an arid desert, so it's not necessary to keep giving your beardie water daily. He should get just enough from his greens and dubia. Especially if you're giving water droplets to your dubia while housing them as beardie food. Also, as long as your house drops no lower than 65 degrees at, your baby will be just fine. The CHE is good to keep humidity out at night and to heat up the tank if your tank drops below 65, but it's not necessary. As far as tank size, I've been told by multiple sources that between a 55 to 75 gallon is a good size for an adult beardie. You can make a good size one from an old dresser and it'll be a ton cheaper than buying a new glass or even plexiglass tank. That's what I did for my Tampico. Cost us about half the cost of a nice brand new 75 gallon tank. I don't think all vets are equipt to handle and give advice on exotic animals such as a beardie and you should take this vets advice with a grain of salt and do your own research. Perfect that you're reaching out to the peoples in this community to help with advice. :)

On a side note, I'm glad he's doing better and the swelling has gone down!
 

KevinsMom33

Hatchling Member
I agree with vrenee - you got terrible advise. Dubai’s are full of nutrition, don’t bite, make no sound and can’t jump - crickets bite, are noisy and smell.
I would follow the advise that you get from the people in this site than your vet.
There are lots of previous posts from new owners as well as care sheets on this site that are created by the real beardie experts that deal with these incredible creatures on a daily basis.

I’m glad your baby is doing better and nothing is broken - but really - your vet gave you bad advise. I’m sorry it cost so much - but unless they are a exotic animal vet or someone that specializes, I would follow the advise given on here.
 

Lovinonmybell

Member
Original Poster
I know that roaches are the best option and that they don’t bite but I’m not sure if I should give him the meds now based on the doctors half butted diagnosis. What would you guys do? The person we went to see is suppose to be an exotic vet :( he’s got pictures all over his office of him with frillies and other types of dragons as well and exotic birds to. I don’t think I will see him again because he actually make me feel very bad about not putting a water bowl down in any of our enclosures would you guys still give your beardies the injections?

I have a large dubia colony :) and even though they are feeders I have grown quite fond of the the little buggers.
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
Lovinonmybell":uqsd3ick said:
I know that roaches are the best option and that they don’t bite but I’m not sure if I should give him the meds now based on the doctors half butted diagnosis. What would you guys do? The person we went to see is suppose to be an exotic vet :( he’s got pictures all over his office of him with frillies and other types of dragons as well and exotic birds to. I don’t think I will see him again because he actually make me feel very bad about not putting a water bowl down in any of our enclosures would you guys still give your beardies the injections?

I have a large dubia colony :) and even though they are feeders I have grown quite fond of the the little buggers.


Did the vet actually confirm an infection in the little guy? How is the little one doing since you've seen the vet?
 
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I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
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i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
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Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
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Scenery decals for back of tank

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