Swollen Beardie hand!

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kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
FYI all
UVindexReptisun5lamps.gif


UVI shown in the chart at 3.5" from the source is inside the range wild bearded dragons routinely experience mosyt days in summer in their natural range.
The UV Index at solar noon In Australia is generally in the range of 12 and values above 11 are considered extreme. In Australia, peak daily values in summer are regularly in excess of UV Index 14, and can reach UV Index 17 at more northern latitudes (north of the Tropic of Capricorn ( draw a line though Rockhamption QLD- Alice Springs NT- Hedland WA ).

Chart doesn't address the surface temperature of the UV source at all.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Drache613":1ns47k8u said:
Hello,

Reptiles are indeed hard to figure out sometimes!
They are complex creatures! Many times it takes awhile for them to show external signs of
illness such as metabolic bone disease. A lot of it depends on genetics but overall, they do
have specific needs in which have to be met to maintain a minimum level of health at best.
Low calcium levels can be maintained for awhile before any type of physical signs are seen.
Only when the bones begin to be leached is when they start to show muscular weakness or
strange twitches.
I hope he is feeling better soon!

Tracie

Only way to be sure if the dragon is suffering early stage MBD and is vulnerable to bone damage in normal activity is to get a reptile vet do xrays and assess the bone density (might be a tall order for such a young dragon) or have a blood sample tested for indicators.

Since the dragon is so young, I would not put it through that kind of traumatic experience, I'd instead make PREVENTATIVE changes
>> to the husbandry
--- selecting insects and greens rich in calcium
--- longer photoperiod ( 15 hours say )
--- make sure temperatures are right
--- remove opportunities to fall and leap from height to hard surfaces (reducing risk of subsequent injuries if the bones are compromised)

>> supplement with CalciVet daily orally in leu of dusting the insects (caution - watch the colour of the urates , if they take on a orange tinge ==> excess calcium in the diet and it's being excreted in the urates as calcium oxalates , can go too far and result in hypercalcemia) .

>> make sure the UV source is correctly installed , in this case , assuming a 10% UVB T5ho tube , this means
--- under the mesh
--- good reflector (slip on) or good reflector hood (essentially doubles UV at any distance)
--- basking spot about 10 to 11 inches from the UV tube.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I think that we know how to determine metabolic bone disease, via x-rays, bloodwork,
etc. However, depending on resources or other reasons that isn't always feasible. I
have known some who did analysis & metabolic bone disease wasn't properly diagnosed.
So, in some cases it's best to closely watch your dragon for any type of early signs of
MBD that you can usually see.
In all cases, we can all agree that prevention is best, but there are other factors that come
into play quite often that are out of our control, too.

Let us know how your dragon is doing.

Tracie
 
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