Inherited 8~yo female beardie, general concerns

28 hour update!

So a week ago I inherited Lady, who is around 8 years old. I’m currently rehabbing her entire lifestyle as she is food spoiled (super worms only, no greens/anything), has an incredibly bare-bones terrarium setup, and has not had any preventative care in the past few years at least. I have her new diet and living situation in the works, however her actual physical health is worrying me.
1.) She doesn’t seem to be able to (or maybe doesn’t want to) support herself or walk, she simply basks all day and occasionally turns around. (She does use her legs with quite a bit of force to flail when being picked up initially)
2.) She’s constantly in a flattened state and her abdomen is concave on the underside, she’s at around 17 inches, yet has no substantial bulk to her at all.
3.) I’m concerned about worms/Coccidia as she has a bowel movement around every two weeks, which is accompanied by quite a bit of fluid and has a very strong odor, plus her lack of bulk despite her diet of super worms.

Update: I’m going to have a fecal done when I have the chance next, I got ahold of her vet and the poor thing has only been to the vet once in 2014. As for her tank, I have stuff coming in the mail tomorrow (eco carpet, a hammock, a wooden arch, etc.) to make a more comfortable/accessible basking area.

* I have been giving her baths every few days to help her rehydrate and she is already looking and acting much better.

Please post pics of her tank and lighting and we will get you set up w/ the proper husbandry- mind you it might be a little expensive-- if your concerned about parasites / worms etc -- see if you can find a local reptile vet and call them ask tell them you have inherited this bearded dragon etc and you want to know if you can drop off a fecal for testing - w/ out bringing her in and go from there -- my guess is she has severe MBD so post pics of her as well
Karrie

Hello,

She looks in good condition overall.
So she is just a bit weak & doesn't really want to move much? I agree, she is probably a little
bit calcium deficient which is not surprising if she hasn't had any or limited UVB & nutrition for
awhile.
Is her tail slightly bent in that one picture, or, is it just the angle of the shot?
A fecal would be a good idea. Don't let them medicate her without cause or especially if she is
dehydrated as most meds are a little hard on the kidneys. Which UVB light do you plan on using
for her?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Yes please get rid of the coil UVB -- they are so harmful to dragons--- this is what is most recommended on the forum
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- she does look good however-- the new UVB will help w/ the no movement-- please invest in a new UVB
Karrie

Drache613":1nt0v3uf said:

Hello,

She looks in good condition overall.
So she is just a bit weak & doesn't really want to move much? I agree, she is probably a little
bit calcium deficient which is not surprising if she hasn't had any or limited UVB & nutrition for
awhile.
Is her tail slightly bent in that one picture, or, is it just the angle of the shot?
A fecal would be a good idea. Don't let them medicate her without cause or especially if she is
dehydrated as most meds are a little hard on the kidneys. Which UVB light do you plan on using
for her?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Click to expand...

Her tail is in fact crooked, which made me concerned of mbd, however it has been that way with no other indicators for the four years I have been around her. I intend on upgrading her tank (from 20L to at least a 40) and switching her UVB to a reptisun 10.0 tube from the reptisun 10.0 coil she currently has.

KarrieRee":3np7fj3j said:

Yes please get rid of the coil UVB -- they are so harmful to dragons--- this is what is most recommended on the forum
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- she does look good however-- the new UVB will help w/ the no movement-- please invest in a new UVB
Karrie

Click to expand...

No worries, I fully intend on not only getting a bigger tank but switching to a fluorescent tube ASAP. It also seems that dehydration was a contributing factor to her immobility, as she moved quite a bit today. Thank you!