Just normal aging?

I have a bearded dragon named Ember who will be seven in August. She is in a 45 gallon tank on carpet, though hopefully she will be getting a bigger tank soon. I recently got a temp gun and found out that her basking spot was about 92-95 degrees and I am working on getting her a new basking spot that is taller so I can get it to 100 degrees. She has a two month old desert UVB bulb. She is fed collard greens daily and gets dusted insects every other day. I recently put her on a diet as I noticed she was overweight. She uses the bathroom once every 1-2 weeks which I was very concerned about, but her vet told me that if it was normal for her then it was ok. She also has a water dish that she can soak herself in, so I don’t often give her baths. I don’t think she soaks herself as often now so I may start giving her baths. I’ve also owned two elderly dragons Ari (11) and Zayne(unknown(rescue) but our vet seemed to believe that he was elderly). They too were more sleepy/droopy by I just wanted to make sure as they were both elderly when I adopted them, Ember I’ve had since she was a baby and have never seen the aging process for older lizards.

I’ve noticed that within the last year or so she has begun to slow down a little. I know that she is getting up there in years and was just wondering if her behavior was normal. She is less adventurous and explorative. She still like to run around some just nowhere near as much as she used too. She’s always been a cuddle bug, but she seems to enjoy napping on my chest even more now. Ember’s posture is also more slack as she doesn’t hold herself as high off of the ground anymore when she runs. Her beard also seems more droopy now too. Her joints also seem a little more stiff and her leg and back muscles twitch sometimes, which really concerns me. The twitching started a few months ago but doesn’t seem to bother her. I am planning on taking Ember to the vet and to ask about the twitching and checking up on her bump on her back, which I was told to keep an eye on as the vet didn’t find it too alarming.

Ember, within the last year and a half has developed an orange bump on her back. It was originally a orangey-red freckle which she has had several since she was born. This one however has grown into a bump. It has grown very, very slowly and even seems to have stopped growing. It isn’t anchored to her ribs or anything as I can still pick up the skin underneath of it and move it around. I don’t want to put her through the stress of an unnecessary surgery. I only want it removed/biopsied if it is malignant or harmful in some other way and was wondering if anybody had any advice or experience with anything like this.

Her bump:

Sleepy girl:

desert UVB bulb??? What is the brand and bulb ? Is it a coil or tube and where in the tank is it? on top of screen or inside the tank ? The twitching could be caused by the UVB that is why I am asking
the bump your asking about some one else is going to haft to address
Karrie

Her uvb is an exo terra and is a coiled bulb. It is sitting on top of the screen.

Is it the 13 watt or the 26 watt? Here is some info on those coil bulbs
The 26w version of the UVB150 is similar in output to a T8 tube when using a reflector. The beam isn't as wide (depending on the length of the tube) but the output strength is very similar. If it was sitting about 6-8'' above the main basking area then it was likely providing adequate UVB. It's the lower wattage (13w) versions that cause concern since they aren't strong enough to provide adequate UVB at a safe distance.
If you have the 13 watt its causing alot of issues-- I would recommend getting rid of it and getting either a 26 watt and place the recommended distance or change it out to a 24" fixture and the Reptisun 10.0 bulb either a T 5 or a T 8 ---- those at this time are the best on the market
Karrie

Thank you so much,
It’s a 26W. I think I may switch to the fluorescent because after you posted this I read about the differences between the two and the fluorescents seem better than the coiled bulbs. Thank you so much for this help, I don’t think I would have realized anything was wrong with her lamps in the first place if you hadn’t of said anything!