MBD?

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Haapiie

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I have a beardie who I think is about 4 months old, I got him from a pet store (yes i know, bad mistake. But I would never want to get rid of him.) he had improper UVB for about 2-3 months, but I was still covering his food with D3 powder. He currently has a 10.0 UVB tube light, 75 watt heat bulb, in a 20 gallon long, eating mostly crickets and sometimes dubias. I fear he may be a bit dehydrated too, I'm giving him baths everyday. He can hold the front part of his body up fine, but he can't stand on his back legs and moving just a bit seems to wear him out. He sleeps quite a bit, and eats about 20 or crickets with dubias combined. He still moves around in his cage, he can move from his basking spot to under a bridge in the shade. I've been treating him for about 2 months now and he has definitely gotten a lot better, I'm just concerned about his back legs and the bumps on his limbs. Are they from MBD? I was pretty positive about it until the swelling in his knees went down, but his arms haven't changed. Can this be fixed? Thanks in advance.
Images-
Right arm-https://i.imgur.com/Vy1rRPv.jpg
Left arm-https://i.imgur.com/a1Xshmv.png
Right leg-https://i.imgur.com/xrE9TrR.png
Left leg-https://i.imgur.com/f0kCSLF.png
Full body-https://i.imgur.com/dP4TToe.png
As I was writing this he was moving all over my desk.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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It's good that he is able to move around. The photo looks like swelling is happening around the joints so it's possibly gout but the leg deformities look like MBD. Which 10.0 UVB tube are you using? Is it a T5 or a T8? How far is it from his basking area?
 

Haapiie

New member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":9j1y3t6q said:
It's good that he is able to move around. The photo looks like swelling is happening around the joints so it's possibly gout but the leg deformities look like MBD. Which 10.0 UVB tube are you using? Is it a T5 or a T8? How far is it from his basking area?
I use this UVB-https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YHSWK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I'm not entirely sure if its T5 or T8 though.I placed it somewhat in the middle so it covers pretty much the entire cage.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
That is a 24'' T8. With a fixture that has a good reflector, it should sit 6-8'' above the main basking area. If it's further than that, you probably want to consider upgrading to a T5 which is stronger.

A good vet can probably take an x-ray and determine if this is MBD and see how his skeleton is developing. They may also be able to draw blood (maybe not, he's still pretty small) or test some fluid from the joints and look for uric acid crystals that may indicate gout. There is medication that can be used to treat gout but it's an ongoing treatment and not a cure. Offering a little dark cherry extract or tart cherry juice may help in the meantime if the issue is gout.
 

Haapiie

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Original Poster
CooperDragon":259ctk6y said:
That is a 24'' T8. With a fixture that has a good reflector, it should sit 6-8'' above the main basking area. If it's further than that, you probably want to consider upgrading to a T5 which is stronger.

A good vet can probably take an x-ray and determine if this is MBD and see how his skeleton is developing. They may also be able to draw blood (maybe not, he's still pretty small) or test some fluid from the joints and look for uric acid crystals that may indicate gout. There is medication that can be used to treat gout but it's an ongoing treatment and not a cure. Offering a little dark cherry extract or tart cherry juice may help in the meantime if the issue is gout.
I just scheduled an appointment to get him checked out, I'm pretty sure he's needed for a while. Thank you so much for your help. :)
 
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