doesnt seem like hes feeling any better

okay so my beardie's name is yogie hes about 2. my brother got him about a year ago and i have been helping him take care of him. i left for the summer to my dads and my mom was supposed to make sure my brother was taking good care of him every time i asked about him she always said great and yeah..i got home and saw that he was in horrible shape they had gotten the wrong light witch had no UV rays at all it just was a heating bulb. also he had no crickets , veggies , or meal worms .. hes was not really moving and i knew there was something wrong so i called the place were we got him and they told me to bring him in so i did and they said that he was dehydrated, malnourished, and has been diagnosed with bone disease they told me he probably was not going to survive but i did care what they thought about that so i bought what they had told me to buy to try and revive him which was some kind or hydrate reptile water, vitamin drops, and some kind of pellets i would mash them up and give it to him through a dropper 3-4 times a day after 2 weeks i went down to 2 times a day after 3 weeks i stopped cause he was looking better but he hasn't progressed anymore he can walk a little but falls over a lot ..hes still a little in the skinny side i think but i have been feeding him 2-3 times a day his crickets and always has fresh veggies .. is there anything else i can do to help him??

Hello,

If you could review your tank setup with us, that would help. Such as what type & brand of UVB light are you using, is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? Do you supplement calcium?
How much oral fluids are you giving him, daily? Since he was so dehydrated when you got him, it is important for him to be well hydrated before you innudate him with too much protein. Otherwise, his kidneys wont handle the protein intake very well.
What are your temps in the tank, & what do you take the temps with, a digital probe or a temp gun?

Tracie

well the brand of light is called power sun its supposed to give of UVB and UVA as well as heat .. the bulb is 100 watts and its a 20 gal. tank do you think the tank is to big?? idk what the temp is ..my brother broke the thermometer thing ... i do give a calcium supplement.. and i have water in his tank and i squirt him with the hydrate water atleast 6 times a day or more.. am i doing anything wrong??

I'm by no means an expert, but I believe that the PowerSun is a MVB and therefore is far too large for a 20 gallon tank. Is he 2 years or 2 months old? Usually a full grown beardie (if he's 2 years old) needs bigger than a 20 gallon tank, I think the usual MINIMUM is a 40 gallon reptile tank (wider than it is tall). But your main issue right now is the malnutrition and the possible MBD. Beardies naturally get very dehydrated because they are desert dwelling creatures, and don't recognize that they can drink from a standing water source. Are you giving your beardie frequent baths? This will help with the dehydration. Get the correct lights going in there and he will probably start eating a little better. Make sure you are dusting his food with calcium powder at least 5 times a week and a vitamin supplement at least twice a week. The dusting will be in vain if you don't have the correct form of UVB light. The general consensus on this forum is the reptiSUN 10.0 or 5.0 is the best for the job. It is made by zoomed, not exoterra (that is the reptiGLO, you dont want that one.) Also, you could try feeding phoenix worms. They are naturally very high in calcium, so no dusting required, because if your beardie is like mine, he doesn't like calcium powder. you can go to phoenixworms.com and order some. shipping is free and they have AMAZING customer service. Please, other readers, if i have made a wrong statement correct me, im just trying to do everything i can think of to help. keep us updated.
-Courtney

well
now i have stared to feed him 3-4 times a day that mixture
he wont eat his crickets nor will he eat meal worms or veggies
he is starting to try and spit the supplement mixture out ???what do i do about that??
i have been spraying him with water a lot like 8-9 times a day im going to get a thermometer today
i also was thinking should i put more protein into his supplement since hes not eat any thing but that???
and also someone that beardies go crazy if they dont have anything to climb on is that true
cause i would like to take almost everything out of his cage cause i notice when he gets down he like falls
??
this morning is one of his better mornings ..
ive been thinking i want to take him to the vet but i wanted to see what you guys thought first

Hello,

How is Yogi doing today?
How old is the Powersun? The 20 gallon tank is too small for the Powersun. Do you have it on a lightstand or on top of the screentop? How far away is the light from him?
It is very important that you know exactly what his temps in the tank are. If you don't, he might be too hot or too cold which can affect his digestion. That could be one reason that he is spitting out his food, he might not be warm enough. I am just throwing ideas out, but try to get either a digital probe or a temp gun so you can know exactly what the temps are for him.
He really needs at least a 40 gallon tank, minimum, for a 2 year old dragon to be comfortable. I like to see 75 gallons or larger but I realize the cost.
If he is falling off of things, you should take things out that he can climb on right now, so he can't hurt himself by falling. If his bones are weak, he could hurt something. How often are you giving calcium?
How long have you had him for now?
If you take him to the vet, I would get a bloodtest to see what his calcium levels are at. Then, we can go from there. He would most likely benefit from liquid calcium.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

well the powersun is a few months old
i know the cage is small but he is small
hes only 9 in head to tail ...is he to small..
i have had him now since august
my brother had him a year before that. he was in very bad shape with my brother thats why i took him
i have tried my best but i came into this not knowing anything
thats why im asking for eveybodys help
thats what i thought about taking all the stuff out i will do that right away
you can give liquid calcium?? thats way better..
he hasnt had any cause he wont eat the bugs ..
okay i will try and get a blood test on him

Hello,

I understand, it is not your fault. You are doing your best trying to learn all of the proper care.
So, he is 2 years old & 9 inches long, does that include his tail? Can you post a picture of him? Are you sure he is not a rankins dragon? Yes, he is pretty small for a 2 year old dragon.
Yes you can use the liquid calcium. If you would like to get some, you can order it from: http://www.beautifuldragons.com Click on the medicine & supplement link.
Well, the Powersun is a decent light, & you shouldn't have to replace it until the 8 month mark. It should be 10-12 inches from your dragon. Do you have it sitting on top of the screen top, or are you using a light stand? If you can afford it, go ahead & upgrade to a 40 gallon tank, if possible. That would support the heating from the Powersun light.
You can get a digital probe from http://www.reptilesupply.com or from Walmart, & it is the acurite brand there.
You can get a temp gun from http://www.tempgun.com or http://www.reptileuv.com
Is he eating much right now, or nothing at all, other than what you are feeding him? He is not interested in chasing any food?
Make sure that he is staying warm enough since you are lowering his basking spot by taking his climbing things out.
Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

hi

im sure he is a bearded dragon my brother got him from some lizard store
hes 9in head to tail
i ordered the liquid calcium and temp. gun
right now the light is on top of the cage but i will get a stand
i cant afford a 40 gal. right now but im sure i will be able to after Christmas
is there a certain temp. gun i need to buy???
hes not eating much maybe a cricket here or there but mostly its just the mixture [hydrate water,bearded dragon monster diet,electro3ize,and soon the calcium]
nope hes not interested in chasing his food he just lays there then the cricket walk on him so i take him out
idk how to post the pics i have been trying for hours

Hello,

Well, a rankins is a bearded dragon, it is just half the length & size of a conventional bearded dragon. If you will go to http://www.photobucket.com & sign up for a free account, you can upload your pictures to there, then, copy & paste from the URL there to download the pictures here.
If you ordered a temp gun from one of the places that I suggested, then that is fine. You can get the smaller one or the larger one, either one will do.
If he is not eating the crickets just take them out so they wont bite him or stress him out too much.
Ok, that is fine, I understand about money. I am anxious to find out what the temps are running. If they are acceptable, then you can just leave the Powersun on top of the screentop then so he gets the maximal exposure. How far away is the light from him? If it is not closer than 12 inches from him, & the temps are ok in the tank, then he should be fine. However, if he is overheating then you will need to adjust the light for the 20 gallon tank. So, hold off on the lightstand for a bit until you get his temps measured.
You can also make a simple stand out of PVC pipes, it is cheap. Just use a hook to hang the light, & you have a lightstand.
I am happy you ordered the liquid calcium. I will help you with the proper dosage when you get it.
How is he doing today? Good he is at least taking in some fluids though, that is important, also.

Tracie

oh hahaha well i think that hes a regular bearded dragon but i dont know now..
okay i ordered a temp gun
he is doing okay today
he usually brightens up after i feed him

yesterday fed him and he pucked it up i told him he needs to eat and so i fed him a squirt more he kept it down
i noticed he was having a hard time pooping so i gave him a bath
was that an okay thing to do??
and i noticed also that his bearded was a dark color is that bad??
i still give him the option if he wants a cricket now and then and last night he went after one didnt get it but he touched it
with his tongue=/
http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp16/ilove10_9_2008/?action=view&current=DSCF2872.jpg

Hello,

Well, maybe he is just small then.
Great that you ordered a temp gun, that will help alot.
At least he did not throw up today & kept some food down. Yes, bathing him is fine, if he is dehydrated. He may be low in calcium & dehydrated so he will have a harder time going to the bathroom.
You are doing your best & hopefully the liquid calcium will help him out. It just takes time for them to recover, & they recover very slowly.
How is he doing today? If the beard is black or darker, then he is either not feeling well or stressed out. How is it doing today?

Tracie

okay well what if his whole body is darker then usual??
cause hes really dark right now..
hes okay its time to feed him again and he will perk up a little more
what did you think of the pictures??

I only saw 1 picture. How long ago was that taken? Does he look like that now? If so, he is extremely thin, dehydrated and very weak. It doesn't seem like the beardie in the picture could be 2 yrs old. I am absolutely shocked by the condition of that beardie and I don't understand how someone could let it get to that condition. I will post the picture here to make it easier for others to view.

Oh my he is extremely thin.Has he gotten any better since that pic was taken?Does he have any energy or strength at the moment?Can you post updated pics?