Beardy is walking circles and tumbling

tadsz":3r9v7992 said:

Hi! I came home tonight to my buddy walking around in short circles and tumbling over himself. He's circling to the right only and his tail has short twitches. I was thinking of something neurological(CVA/vestibular)

I went to the vet (not specialized in reptile care, isn't open until tomorrow) but they couldn't do anything in terms of diagnosis/treatment.

What can I do? The vet I can go to tomorrow has more experience with reptiles but isn't a beardy specialist. Can this go on or is my beardy suffering immensely and should I euthanise him? I don't want to let him go but I don't want him to suffer throug continuous dizzyness, stress and pain.

<<< HE just needs proper heat and UVA and UVB , and ADEQUATE dietary calcium intake IMO , I wouldn't put him down unless the vet says he's suffering and is unlikely to improve.
So I'd get to the vet ASAP for an examination and maybe some blood tests and checks for paracites and take it from there.

How old is your dragon?
Minimum of 8 years (perhaps 8,5 - 9)
How long have you had your dragon?
8 years
How long is your dragon?
Head to end of tail about 50cm (~20 inch)
What is the sex of your dragon?
Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
150x50x50cm (60x20x20 inch)
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Sand. Same as the past 8 years, it has bearded dragons on it but I'm not sure what kind it is. It's rather soft white sand.
Do you use UVB lights?
I have a UV TL bar across the enclosure. <<<< purple (black light) fluoros are worthless for beardies, if it's a T8 tube , buy a new 10 - 14%UVB tube (the higher the UVB rating the better as your tank is 50cm tall, if it's a T5 tube , a T5 tube with a UVB rating of 10 - 14% will be even better. This is a matter of urgency as your beardie has had no UVA or UVB for years.
see

Your tank is 50cm tall so you will need at least a 120W spot or MVB (better) + T5 12-14%UVB tube with a reflector behind the tube to ensure beardie gets SUFFICIENT UVA AND UVB and the basking and warm zone temperatures are adequate for beardie to metabolise it's dietary calcium and food (protein especially).
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
Fluorescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Not known.
How old is your UVB bulb?
4 years <<<< it's no longer producing any UVA or UVB , or very little, even the best quality UV tubes produced by Arcadia have an effective life of 1 year old before they require replacing.

How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
10 cm (4 inch) if walking up the wall, 30cm (12 inch) if on sand
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
Yes, 100W bulb, white light. (Zoo med)
What are the basking temps?
Not known.
What is the cool side temp?
Not known.
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Neither. The cage was designed by a store with a long history of expertise but I don't have measurements. Nothing has changed in the past years.
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?

<<< highly recommend you visit ebay and buy a few of these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4x-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Thermometer-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Reptile-/391259141696?hash=item5b18dcb640:g .... I've 2 of these in each of my lizards' tanks , I can see the temp in the warm and cool zones at a glance.
and one of these or similar to get the surface temperature at the basking spot , http://www.dshop.com.au/buy/infrared-non-contact-thermometer-with-laser-aimpoi/GM300?gclid=CMvzuLXJk9ICFVAHvAod6moL3Q
as a matter of priority. DON"T TRUST PET SHOPS.
-
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
I have a rock that's heated by the bulb above it.
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Crickets size 8 bought from retailer.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Daily, somedays in the morning, somedays in the afternoon
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
No. <<< highly recommend you gutload your crickets for at least 24 hrs prior to using them as food for beardie , my crickets get fed fresh chunks of carrot (also gives them moisture) and 8 - 10 repcal adult beardie pellets per 60-80 large or med (2/3 size) crickets (pellets are just straight from the bottle) for longer term maintenance feeding, and I add a left of buk or puk choi greens about 2 days before I plan on using the crickets, this way the crickets are plump , juicy , full of nutrition and enriched in calcium .
I also LIGHTLY dust my crickets with calcium powder most days and a 1:1 mix of calcium powder and reptivite powder the other days.
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)?
I did for the first 4 years, but stopped afterwards.How many days a week do you use each of them? -
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Yes.
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Once every few weeks, when thoroughly cleansing the enclosure I put him in a tub with a small layer of lukewarm water
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Yes, a small cup of water and mist every few days
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
No
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
No

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AHBD":z666w31k said:

Just wondering how your boy is doing ?

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