swollen joints ! Help ! MBD or Gout?!?!

Hi , my bearded dragon is around 8 months old and is currently going into shed( this could be the cause but I’m not so sure , I’ve heard about their joints swelling during shed) I was holding him today and realised he had rather swollen joints , hes also been not as active as he usually is. I’m sure from the picture you’ll also be able to see I’d say he’s a pretty healthy beardie. I will give him crickets
doused in calcium every now and again during the week (although i could be overdoing it) He poos like every other day. And honestly it’s not that much compared to what I’ve seen him poo before.
His diet consists of wax worms , crickets & locusts , he’s very picky with his greens so usually I don’t add them in his diet.
his basking spot is the perfect temperature around 38° and his UVB light spans the whole of his vivarium at the back, should I move this so it’s positioned in the middle? (It’s a long one spans almost 4ft. ) as for baths , I usually only bathe him when he’s shedding but everyday 2x a day I’ll spray him in a lot of water.

I watched him walk and he was practically limping with his front legs , almost hopping along , dragging his back legs. It was really sad to see , he doesn’t start proud like most beardies do it’s almost like every chance he gets he stays pressed to the floor. I don’t like seeing him like this. I’ve heard about black cherry and allopurinol , should I consider using these?

I obviously don’t want this to get any worse or to cause him pain ( I hope he’s not in pain at the moment) any suggestions as to what I can do to decrease the swelling?

Dragging the back legs is not good
what UVB are you using? Brand and bulb and is there a reflector on the fixture?

KarrieRee":spvmuz2p said:

Dragging the back legs is not good
what UVB are you using? Brand and bulb and is there a reflector on the fixture?

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He’s not really dragging dragging but he’s almost hopping in a way. Bit by bit he’ll limp with his front legs and then press against the floor again and repeat. I don’t have a reflector on the uvb and the brand is Arcadia and emits 10% UVB ,https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009127COU/ref=psdcmw_3544400031_t1_B0006L11D8

Ok the Arcadia bulb I would change out to a Arcadia 12% Desert bulb and I cant stress this enough but get a reflector --- https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/quick-search.html?q=UVB+reflectors I would get a fixture that does not run the full length of the tank --- you only need 2/3 of the tank or a 24" fixture will work -- he needs calcium D3 5 x per week dusted on his insects ONCE per feeding - and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week dusted on his insects ONCE per feeding -- the only way to find out if he has gout is to have a blood test done for a uric acid level -- when you get the new UVB please post back here and tell me what you got -- distance and placement is crucial -- the top of the tank is a screen or a wood top -

Hello,

It could be a combination of metabolic bone issues or the development of gout, too.
Dragging the back legs or back leg weakness indicates discomfort & possibly the kidneys
being sore or swollen.
As far as the calcium intake, 3-4 times per week should be sufficient, along with a good UVB
light combination.
Can you post some more close up pictures, so we can see if other areas are more swollen.

Tracie

KarrieRee":m4jheqi1 said:

Ok the Arcadia bulb I would change out to a Arcadia 12% Desert bulb and I cant stress this enough but get a reflector --- https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/quick-search.html?q=UVB+reflectors I would get a fixture that does not run the full length of the tank --- you only need 2/3 of the tank or a 24" fixture will work -- he needs calcium D3 5 x per week dusted on his insects ONCE per feeding - and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week dusted on his insects ONCE per feeding -- the only way to find out if he has gout is to have a blood test done for a uric acid level -- when you get the new UVB please post back here and tell me what you got -- distance and placement is crucial -- the top of the tank is a screen or a wood top -

Click to expand...

This is the placement of the UVB light fixture , I will order a reflector ASAP, should i move the UVB in the middle so it’s directly above? I’ve also heard that it can because he’s also getting too much UVB ?
I will also find a UVB light fixture that isn’t as long as the whole span of the 4ft vivarium

Drache613":1w00qry8 said:

Hello,

It could be a combination of metabolic bone issues or the development of gout, too.
Dragging the back legs or back leg weakness indicates discomfort & possibly the kidneys
being sore or swollen.
As far as the calcium intake, 3-4 times per week should be sufficient, along with a good UVB
light combination.
Can you post some more close up pictures, so we can see if other areas are more swollen.

Tracie

Click to expand...

As u can see the back right let us far more swollen than his other one , I’ve heard that one joint more swollen than the other can be an indication of gout ? His back leg here seems to be the issue with his walking

Yes getting a new fixture w/ reflector placing it in the basking area or closest to w/ a distance of 12-15 inches directly overhead- dragons will move away from the UVB if it's too much if they have that option- if they don't have that option then yes they can get over exposed- but w/ the 24" fixture he should be able to get away from it--- gout can start in one limb and move to others- the best way to determine is to have a uric acid level done - I would get the UVB corrected and see if it goes away

Hello,

How is your boy doing today, any improvements?
I do see some swelling yes. Has it not gone down or changed at all, has it gotten any
worse?
I would be proactive & start him on a black or tart cherry juice extract daily to help with
flushing out the kidneys initially.
Have you decreased his protein some to help in case he is developing gout at some level?

Tracie

KarrieRee":4p9rcy6d said:

Yes getting a new fixture w/ reflector placing it in the basking area or closest to w/ a distance of 12-15 inches directly overhead- dragons will move away from the UVB if it's too much if they have that option- if they don't have that option then yes they can get over exposed- but w/ the 24" fixture he should be able to get away from it--- gout can start in one limb and move to others- the best way to determine is to have a uric acid level done - I would get the UVB corrected and see if it goes away

Click to expand...

I have a feeling it’s to do with his UVB light , he’s always hiding away in the shade burring beneath the wood chips whenever possible. At firsts I thought he was trying to Brumate but dragons shouldn’t brumate at 8months old , Should I downsize the UVB light ? Or buy a reflector and see how that goes?

Get a 24" fixture w/ reflector and the Arcadia 12% desert bulb - this fixture would be for a 40+ gallon tank and a height of 18 + inches - he needs to be able to get out of the UVB rays w/ out hiding from it- the benefits of the reflector are it projects the rays downward toward him it does maximize the rays which is good - I am not sure why hes trying to bury himself w/ the bulb having no reflector other than the fact those rays are bouncing all over that tank --