Baby Beardie with MBD?!

I recently got a baby bearded dragon about three weeks ago, and everything was going fine. However, this past week, my pet store ran out of crickets and wasn’t getting any new shipping’s because of weather. So the only thing she was eating were meal worms and veggies. She doesn’t prefer meal worms, so she wasn’t eating as much as I would like. Everything was fine until three days ago when she began trembling and then having full blown seizures. I did some research and found out it’s calcium deficiency, so I started her on some oral calcium drops. Nothing is getting better though and I’m really scared she’s going to die. Someone please help!!!!!!!

Hi. Sorry this is happening. Can you go over the lights you are using? How are you taking the temps? What size is the enclosure?

destiny1998":bk3q7cms said:

Hi. Sorry this is happening. Can you go over the lights you are using? How are you taking the temps? What size is the enclosure?

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I only have her in a 10 gal because she is small but I do plan on sizing up soon (if she lives ?). I have a heat lamp that also includes uva light and a uvb lamp. I have a thermometer on the hot side and cool side of the tank and the temp is always ideal. I also have a hygrometer to keep track of humidity. I am almost certain these conditions are ideal, but if I’m doing something wrong please let me know ??

You definitely need a bigger tank asap. Its very hard to get the proper temps in one that small. You need a Reprising T5 long tube for the uvb and a bright white basking light. What are the temps? Make sure she's not over heating in such a small enclosure. How are you taking them? Stick on thermometers are inaccurate. You want a temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe.

Yes 10 gallon tanks are hard to get temps in --- and the MVB is what wattage? Can you please post pics of the dragon --- https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on the XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post
Why do you think the dragon has MBD? It is awful young to have that but I suppose its possible -

destiny1998":ptsgr7u8 said:

You definitely need a bigger tank asap. Its very hard to get the proper temps in one that small. You need a Reprising T5 long tube for the uvb and a bright white basking light. What are the temps? Make sure she's not over heating in such a small enclosure. How are you taking them? Stick on thermometers are inaccurate. You want a temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe.

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I took your advice and got a 20 gal yesterday! I haven’t moved her yet tho because I don’t want to creat stress...
The basking spot is usually around 95-110 during the day and the cool side is at 75-80. At night it goes down to 80 over all. I have a temp gun (I don’t really use it tho) and a digital thermometer. I have stick on thermometers too, but wasn’t sure if they were accurate.

KarrieRee":1tz8r9cq said:

Yes 10 gallon tanks are hard to get temps in --- and the MVB is what wattage? Can you please post pics of the dragon --- https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on the XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post
Why do you think the dragon has MBD? It is awful young to have that but I suppose its possible -

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I have a Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent Bulb. It’s worked well so far. The heat bulb is 75 w. I’ll post pics soon!
She has seizures sometimes. They have gotten better since I started her on the calcium. She twitches and can choke when she eats ?. It’s really scary!

We need ahbd to help w/ this but I would recommend is get her into the 20 gallon tank ditch the compact UVB and get a 20 inch or 18 inch long tube fixture you can get a zilla but you must change the bulb out to a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 that bulb is going to help w/ those seizures- it sounds neurological and can be caused by lack of calcium - the 75 watt bulb should be going for the 20 gallon tank - please let me know when you get the new uvb-- I can help you set it up -- the compact bulb is inadequate and I cannot stress enough to get rid of it especially w/ her having the seizures

Hello,

How is your baby doing tonight?
Since he is a baby giving calcium 4-5 times per week would be recommended. It is difficult
to see them have seizures but hopefully she will continue to improve for you.
As Karrie suggests, lighting is of the utmost importance to help her be able to absorb her
calcium more efficiently.
Are you also using a Mercury vapor bulb,too?
The stick on type of thermometers are ok for measuring ambient temperatures but not for
the basking spot, so continue using the digital probe or a temp gun to help more accurately
measure the temperatures.

Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

Thank you for all the help! She had a hard day yesterday. She ate about 15 crickets without problems, but had several seizures throughout the day. She also seems to be dehydrated, so I gave her a warm bath and she drank a lot. I noticed she began shedding last night, could this be part of the problem??
I took your advice Karrie and moved her to the bigger tank and she seems to like it. Where can I find the bulb your telling me about??
Drache, thank you for your advice. What are the benefits of a mercury vapor bulb? I’ve heard of them but wasn’t sure what they were for.

You can get the 24" fixture on line try Amazon and use the 5.0 on the 20 gallon tank or get the fixture I posted earlier at PetSmart or Petco- I would send you to a website to order the 24" hood but they are sold out--- eventually you will need to upgrade the 18 or 20" house that is why I suggested the 24" now- please let me know what you decide so I can help you place it

KarrieRee":3a9166mo said:

You can get the 24" fixture on line try Amazon and use the 5.0 on the 20 gallon tank or get the fixture I posted earlier at PetSmart or Petco- I would send you to a website to order the 24" hood but they are sold out--- eventually you will need to upgrade the 18 or 20" house that is why I suggested the 24" now- please let me know what you decide so I can help you place it

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I have GREAT news!! My baby had a great day today! Not one seizure or any type of twitch at all! She ate a ton including her veggies. She had a bath and her shed is coming off nicely! I did a ton of research on the light your telling me about and I planned on getting it, but I’m not sure now based on her progress. I’m going to see how tmrw goes before buying anything!

Please get rid of the compact bulb I cannot stress this enough -- I am glad she had a good day!!!