Walking

I have 1 beardie who I've had for about 6 months now. And hes not been able to walk right for about 2 months now.. hes always been given calcium with d3, a deworming powder and also a probiotics powder. Not all at once but I rotate them in. They get dubia roaches, crickets, mealworms, a dry food which is always present, collard greens, carrots, squash, and etc. Brand new zoomed T5 HO uvb light 5.0 and 75 watt basking light since the room there in stays around 75°F.. I've tried everything as far as amount of calcium,, lights, heat, food. but it seems it's something nuerological.. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a video on YouTube on what he is doing.

Watch "Beardie is having issues walking" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/DSTWcjvfXDM

The T 5 5.0 needs to go into the tank approx 6-8 inches from basking spot - the 5.0 is not strong enough for the rays to get into the tank - the screen is blocking 30% of those rays - you can take the screen off if need be and it would still need to be 6-8 inches from basking --- what are the basking temps - they should be 95-110 for a adult dragon --- how are you taking them? I see no digital probes in the tank or stick ons which are not accurate for basking temps -- I recommend getting a 10.0 bulb if hes having issues walking now-----------------PLEASE SEPARATE THE BEARDED DRAGONS ASAP --- the one looks like its attacking the disabled one------------------- put the sick one in a tote and set it up like a hospital tank -------------- get a Reptisun 10.0 bulb T 5 and put it approx 12-15 inches from the basking spot for that bulb it is a strong bulb w/ no cover on it and basking temps of 95-110 --- do this right away -- he is in bad shape
Karrie

On top of everything that Karrie said, (which definitely Separate them ASAP and get that UVB light rigged underneath the screen lid.) but from the way he is walking, It looks like he has a bad case of Muscular dystrophy in bearded dragons.

Which is a very rare but sad genetic or neurological issue with Beardies that occasionally happens, and it is permanent, and there's not much you can really do to Medicate it from what I know, as it is a very rare and new issue in beardies, some survive from it but most rarely do I'm afraid. Which I really hope it isn't that, but he is showing the biggest sign for it, which is his walking, poor coordination, Flipping over, Uncontrollable Limbs, and slight trouble eating.

You can read about it here: http://sarahsbeardeddragonrescue.blogspot.com/2016/09/muscle-neurological-problems.html?m=1

If this is the case then there is a large and heartbreaking chance that he might not survive too long I'm afraid, Especially when so young as well. I'm really sorry about this.

I had a Rescue Beardie who had a mild case of this too I suspected, He was also abused in his past, but he only lived for six months with me until he had to be put down. His name was Thor. So I genuinely hope that your boy doesn't have Muscular Dystrophy.

But I'm hoping that instead of that, that it's a bad case of MBD instead which IS treatable up to a point. Ask any of the moderators and veteran posters about how to diagnose and treat this here, like:
Drache613, ( memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8309 )
Cooperdragon, ( memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=76248 )
ClaudiusX, ( memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=31715 )
And AHBD. ( memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=40059 )

Message any of them and they will gladly help inform you about the best ways to treat him and everything.

I really hope that he can recover from this, I'll be cheering for y'all.

I take basking temperatures with an IR temp gun. Basking area usually ranges from 90 to 110 and the cooler side of the tank sets around 80. I will try to get the uvb under the screen.. the smaller is a rescue that I've had for 2 months now. I have a camera that I watch them with all the time. Never have they attacked each other. The other was one that was on sale at a petco because he was the last one.. I have an adult that's about 4 years old.. never once had any issues with her. I'm beginning to think it's not MBD because the bones on an exray I had done a few weeks ago looked great. They feel good as well..

From what I saw on the video the healthy one was attacking the sick one --- please separate them - and from what HippieLizards thinks and has had experience w/ is Muscular dystrophy --- did this come on all of a sudden and when you had the dragon to the vet he was not acting this way at all ? Dragons should never be kept together ---- they are territorial and I can only guess that the healthier one now has been dominating the UVB that there was --- something is going on w/ that dragon for it to be all of a sudden acting this way and to be honest it was heartbreaking to watch for me ------------- please send a PM to one of the people she posted for TracieDrache613 is the vet moderator but I would look at getting that dragon back into the vet ASAP ---
Karrie

KarrieRee":1cjqfmrx said:

From what I saw on the video the healthy one was attacking the sick one --- please separate them - and from what HippieLizards thinks and has had experience w/ is Muscular dystrophy --- did this come on all of a sudden and when you had the dragon to the vet he was not acting this way at all ? Dragons should never be kept together ---- they are territorial and I can only guess that the healthier one now has been dominating the UVB that there was --- something is going on w/ that dragon for it to be all of a sudden acting this way and to be honest it was heartbreaking to watch for me ------------- please send a PM to one of the people she posted for TracieDrache613 is the vet moderator but I would look at getting that dragon back into the vet ASAP ---
Karrie

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I Second that.

TGibbs":1cjqfmrx said:

I take basking temperatures with an IR temp gun. Basking area usually ranges from 90 to 110 and the cooler side of the tank sets around 80. I will try to get the uvb under the screen.. the smaller is a rescue that I've had for 2 months now. I have a camera that I watch them with all the time. Never have they attacked each other. The other was one that was on sale at a petco because he was the last one.. I have an adult that's about 4 years old.. never once had any issues with her. I'm beginning to think it's not MBD because the bones on an X-ray I had done a few weeks ago looked great. They feel good as well..

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Seeing as you said that the bones look great from a x-ray, which if you could provide a photo or two of said X-rays that might help us with Diagnosing this. If you say they look great, then on the left is what healthy dragon bones should look like as opposed to one with MBD, which one does his look more like? View media item 60862
But if you say they look great and this happened suddenly then There is a big chance that it is Muscular Dystrophy.

Which the big issue is that it's a very rare and not well known or well researched condition, so there's very little information about it to go on, which is the problem.
People don't really know what causes it (usually a genetic defect or a neurological issue), or if there is any known treatment for it.
Which based on that sadly enough proves out a very low survival rate for beardies. Most of them not being strong or stable enough to do basic things like eat poop or bask, so they usually are put out of their misery due to this. Which is really really sad. I had to make this sad decision with my Thor, which really was one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life.

Now, I do not want your dragon to have to come to this. I Want him to put up a good fighting chance for as long as possible for this, so no way in heck am I saying just put him down, I still believe that he has a chance to live a decent life for a while, I hope.

From what you're saying he's still active, he's still trying to eat and bask (has he pooped though?), so that means he still has a lot of fight left in him. If he was lethargic, not eating, and hiding all the time then I'd have to say otherwise, but from what you're describing he isn't.

So I have faith that he can still live pretty well if you take the right procedures for caring for him and treating him.

These are the things I did that helped Thor:

•He's going to need to be checked on frequently to make sure he hasn't gotten himself stuck anywhere or fallen onto his back.
•He's going to need low things in his tank that he can easily get on and off of without having a risk of falling and injuring himself more, as he will probably be a lot more susceptible to damage from falls.
•He MUST be housed separately from the other dragons.
•He should be hand fed too, as it will most likely be too tiring or stressful for him to catch food on his own like a normal dragon would, Which you also should add calcium to every other meal he has.
•You should occasionally give him baths once a week or so and let him try and swim around in it to gain muscle strength, that can help him greatly. But use lukewarm water that is no deeper than his elbows, and keep a constant eye on him and be ready to take him out as soon as possible if anything happens.
• He should have the best possible UVB that is uncovered and around 6-10 inches away from him.
• This is optional but you can give him a couple fleece blankets or soft things for him to relax on, my Thor always loved to curl up in a fleece blanket, which it always just calmed him down wrapping him up in it, Especially when administering medications to him.
View media item 60388
These things all really helped my Super special needs Beardie Thor, So if you do these things as well for yours, which you really really should, Then He should do good.

But please, keep us posted frequently on how he is doing.

Hello,

How has the little dude been doing today? Any updates? I hope all is well.

-HippieLizards.

Hello, seems to be the same. Still chasing his roaches, eating fruits, dry juvenile food.. poop is good, he just shed. Curious to what all is going on around him. Always watching

Well that's good to hear. Have you found a vet for him yet?