Recent loss of limb strength??

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Background:

1.) 2 yrs old bearded dragon - we think male
2.) 40 gallon tank with T8 lamp inside the tank (changed every 6 months), CHE and Heat lamp on top to maintain warm side mid 90's during day, mid 70's at night
3.) Substrate was shredded coconut husks (approximately for 6 months, with carpet previously) but removed for carpet now.
4.) Feed - green salad of either turnip/mustard/collard greens topped with zucchini/yellow squash/bell peppers daily, with 5-10 crickets dusted with calcium or 3-5 superworms daily. Last 3 weeks exclusively superworms.
5.) Bowl water in enclosure changed daily.
6.) Eating habits - loves his insects but will still eat the greens, so no eating issues.
7.) Tolerates baths fine, will walk around the tub when in it.

Problem is that within the last 1.5 months I've noticed him getting wobbly on his legs. Started VERY mild but has gotten progressively worse. He still likes to climb on me and ride on my shoulder, chase after food but last few weeks he has been laying with his legs in odd angles. A week ago I took him to the vet, she said that it could be low calcium so she gave him a Vitamin A/D/Calcium shot, did an x-ray to confirm no impaction or in case we were wrong and it was a female was egg-bound. Everything looked good, healthy weight, mouth clear, vent clean, color not bright due to shedding, but otherwise looked and acts healthy. Told me to take him home and watch for a couple weeks, up his calcium powder by sprinkling on greens and superworms and watch for a couple weeks. I'm concerned and do not know what to do. Ideas on other things to check or do? Not noticing improvement yet, but is it too early to see that?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

What brand of T8 tube UVB are you using & what is the distance from him to the UVB lamp?
It sounds like he has been developing metabolic bone disease for some reason. Increasing the
calcium may help, but let us know what brand of UVB you are using. Not all are created equal.
How is his appetite?

If you have pictures, you can post pictures of him & the tank setup also.
Tracie
 

tlpiorkowski

Member
Original Poster
87545-8293264717.jpg
Here is the tank - 40 gallon tank

87545-2859650944.jpg
standard salad

87545-4707794827.jpg
Shot of his back leg in an odd position that I don't really like

87545-1243760428.jpg
the bulbs we use

87545-152549353.jpg
Fluffy

Thanks for helping me out. I am changing out the bulb today just in case it isn't producing like it should, and since it's warm enough outside, I've been putting him outside for a couple hours a day for the last day or two, and I have been putting additional calcium powder on the salad and the insects, but I'm not sure what else to do.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Thanks for posting the tank setup with the lighting.
The Reptisun 10 tube is good & I'm glad to see it mounted on the inside. Is it mounted on the
back wall or to the screen, it's hard to tell?
He basks on top of the rock area, correct?
Maybe try to reposition his basking area more strategically so he can get more direct UVB. Is
it 6-8 inches from him?
Taking him outside daily should help immensely along with giving extra calcium. That coupled
with a new light should be enough to increase his strength again.

Tracie
 

tlpiorkowski

Member
Original Poster
The light is mounted in the middle on the top screen, not the back wall. Usually he is hanging out on the log or the rock, he goes all over the place. Yeah, it is about 6-8 inches from him when his on either of them.

Do you have any idea as to how long to keep the extra calcium up before I can realistically expect to see improvement? I don't want to let it go too long before taking him back in.

As for taking him outside, I'm brainstorming some ways to create an outdoor enclosure for him, so he can be out there for several hours at a time. We live in No. TX so right now it is 90-100's and he would love being out there as long as I can make sure there is the ability for him to have some accessible shade as well as the sunning spots. If you have any suggestions on that, I would love it.

Again, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Ok, great thanks! It was a little hard to tell where it was mounted. Directly overhead is good,
so maybe it isn't emitting much UVB now. If you are going to replace the light, then hopefully
that will help him out. The distance of 6-8 inches is fine. Maybe you could move the basking
log area more towards the middle of the tube for better coverage.
Definitely be sure you have some portion of the tank that is in the shade. Those temperatures
are good but he could get overheated without shade & access to water.
If it is a calcium issue, then changing the UVB light & increasing the calcium should bring some
improvement pretty quickly. I would keep up with the calcium increase for at least a month or
so.
How is he doing today?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

tlpiorkowski

Member
Original Poster
Tracie,

Just updating you. Fluffy is still about the same, even with several hours a day outside (natural sunlight with ability to get into shade) and the calcium supplements. Still following up with the baths. A local reptile guy looked at her and suggested that it might be a neurological issue if we don't start seeing an improvement so I'm looking for a specialist around here.

She seems to be in good spirits, always looks for her food and the appetite is good. Was concerned because I saw some red in the feces but I think that was due to her eating a lot of red bell pepper around that time. So, keeping an eye on her since she isn't getting worse. If you have any more ideas or suggestions, please let us know, shared knowledge is always welcome.

Thanks, Terri
 
The red is likely from the food, which is fine. Your tank looks great and sounds like you are doing an amazing job with everything. Maybe it was damage done beforehand or like the guy said, neurological.

Either way, you’re doing as much as you can and it’s people like you who ensure happy dragons.
 
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