URGENT - beardie not using front legs

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My beardie, Charlie, is fairly new to our house. We've had her for about 2 weeks, from a pet store, and she's 6 months old. She's an absolute sweetheart and warmed up to me fairly quickly, and I love her dearly.

The day before yesterday, I left to go to school as normal. She even jumped down from her basking rock to say good-bye to me before I left, and seemed very happy and content. I took a picture of her right before I left:
image0.jpg


However, when I got home, she seemed off. When I gave her the crickets, she didn't chase them and only ate one, who happened to get close to her. She was laying down. I didn't think much of it because that's exactly what she did when I first got her, so I assumed she might've been spooked from something, or just wasn't hungry, and I decided to wait for her next feeding.

Fast forward 3-4 hours, and I notice Charlie is laying down again, with her front arms spread out behind her. Usually she's very eager to be handled and will crawl up my sleeve using her front legs, but this time she pushed herself up only with her back legs, and this is when I notice her front legs are completely limp. They would respond yo being touched and she would sometimes move them, but for the most part they were limp and she didn't put weight on them.

I was fearing this would be MBD, as I ruled out impaction (she's pooping/eating regularly), not caused by a lack of calcium but rather too much D3. It wasn't until this happened that I learned D3 overdose could be a possibility. I feed her crickets twice a day, and for the first feeding I dust the crickets with a calcium and D3 powder. I have since instead bought a calcium powder without D3 and a multivitamin powder.
She has a linear reptisun 10.0 UVB light, and aside from her legs has not shown any signs of illness.

Yesterday, my mom and I took her to the vet. We ended up waiting 5 hours and paying $230 just for the visit only to be told what I already suspected (without certainty, they didn't find out the cause), and they told us that to find anything further they would need to do an x-ray among some other things that could total to $2k+ in USD which we can't afford. So we found out nothing from the vet trip, but we were given syringes with a calcium supplement to give to Charlie orally.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be wrong and if she can recover fully? From the day before yesterday to yesterday she showed improvement and started using her front legs a little more.

Here's some additional information in case it helps:
-She has a basking rock and heat lamp which reaches 105 degrees F
-Her cool side is usually around 80 degrees
-She eats crickets and kale, and occasionally blueberries
-Her humidity is around 30-35%
-She has a hide under her basking rock and a fake plant
-She has a water bowl that she can swim in

please let me know if there's anything that can be done. Thank you.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, Charlie is a beauty , I'm so sorry to hear about this trouble ! There are a few things it could be but vit. D overdose is not one of them. Continue the cal. with D3 at least 2 X a week. Your vet does not have a clue and just agreed with you so big waste of money. The most common cause is lack of uvb exposure. Is your Reptisun a t8 or t5 ? Here's how different they look if you don't know :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30010/full

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30068/full

The f24T5 is the thinner but STRONGER bulb. If you have the thicker t8 bulb it's not as strong and depending on how you mount it, it may not be producing enough uvb that reaches in to the tank effectively. Can you post pics of the set up, showing the lights ? Another thing could be a fall that injured her legs but that's really unlikely unless they were already weak from calcium deficiency. Right now it would be good to get Charlie in the sun, but if it's hot just set her in the grass next to you. Never take her out in a glass tank. If it's only around 60F outside + sunny you can put her in a plastic storage tub that will warm up in the sun + be a good temperature for her.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

It's not uncommon for them to sprawl their arms backwards like that. It's possibly MBD related but to be honest I doubtful.

Are you 100% positive she cant actually use them? If you place her on her front legs will she hold herself up?

I know sometimes mine simply just get lazy like that.
Do you ever use a multivitamin powder?
It would be a good idea to also add some more variety to the salads. Try adding some collards or mustard greens to add new nutrients to her diet.

I agree, I'm sorry the vet was a bad experience for you.

-Brandon
 

TyrannosaurusWreck

Member
Original Poster
Thank you both for your input.

Unfortunately, I think I have the T8 as I was unaware one was better than the other. I'll get the T5 ASAP.

I have my doubts about it being MBD as well as she's shown improvement over the last couple days. I am positive that her arms are injured though. The first day she got like this, she would walk around and even climb with only her back legs with her front legs dragging behind her. Today she can put some weight on them and has even used them to walk, but I'm still concerned.
 

Terry15

Sub-Adult Member
Do you have a green mesh hammock ? She could have gotten her nails caught I it while she was jumping down. Just a thought.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your dragon doing this evening, are her arms doing any better now?
I think that upgrading to the T5 will help immensely for her, especially if she does have
the beginnings of metabolic bone issues. I am glad to hear she was putting some weight
on her arms instead of dragging them along.

Keep us posted on her.
Tracie
 

TyrannosaurusWreck

Member
Original Poster
She's been doing great recently, actually! Now it's just one arm that seems to be having trouble. The first two days I had to hand feed her the live crickets because she couln't run, but now she's almost back to her old self :) She has a bit of a limp on her right arm, but it seems to be getting better as she can chase the crickets now.

I'll see if I can upgrade to the T5. Thanks!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T 8 is fine as long as its in the tank and not expired and is 6-8 inches from basking area-- the bulb expires after 6 months old
Karrie
 

TyrannosaurusWreck

Member
Original Poster
It's roughly 6 inches away from the basking area and is brand new, but it's on top of her terrarium (it's wire mesh on top, no glass), so I think I need the T5. Thanks everyone
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
It is up to you if want the T 5 and it can go on top just make sure the basking area is 10-12 inches --
Karrie
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is great news she is doing much better today & walking on her arms. If she has just a
little limp, she should hopefully get back to normal.
It is up to you, as to whether or not you want to upgrade to the T5. They are excellent lights
& they do last longer than their T8 counterparts do, also.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
 

TyrannosaurusWreck

Member
Original Poster
Good news! It seems Charlie had made an almost full recovery :) She can climb and run around, chase crickets, and all that. She just has a bit of a limp still but she's getting stronger every day!
I am SO glad it was nothing major and that she's almost better less than a week later. Thanks everyone for your advice! I apologize if I got paranoid.
 

vrenee1018

Juvie Member
So glad to hear about Charlie! Wishing the best for you two! Never feel paranoid or bad for asking questions about your beardie. That's what this forum is here for. And sometimes your questions are the same questions as someone else who may be too afraid to ask!

Go Charlie and human!

Vanessa
 
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