HELP!!!!! AAAHH!!!!! DRAGON NOT EATING, WALKING FUNNY...

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HELLO!
MY 2ISH YEAR OLD DRAGON, KAIDA, HASN'T REALLY BEEN EATING. SINCE I GOT HER BACK FROM A FRIEND, SHE REALLY HASN'T BEEN "NORMAL". HER APPITITE SEEMED TO SLOWLY DECREASE. NOW, SHE SEEMS TO BE HAVING TROUBLE WALKING. IT SEEMS TO BE MORE IN HER BACK LEGS THAN THE FRONT. NOT SURE IF THE APPETITE AND WALKING ARE RELATED.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

THANKS!
 

RolandKyramere

Sub-Adult Member
Hi, and welcome to the forum.
If you could provide us with a few pieces of information, that will help us help you.
I'll list them below:
What size is your tank?
What do you use for substrate?
How large is your dragon?
What kind of UVB light do you use, and how old is it?
What are the temps in your dragon's tank?
What do you normally feed your dragon?
How long have you had your dragon for?
 

kaylasubtrunk10

Member
Original Poster
Thanks!
I have a 10 gallon tank
I use multiple rocks and a piece of slate on one side of the tank, and the care-fresh subtrate on the other.
My dragon is about 6in long without tail, 13in with tail
I do not use a UVB light due to fire hazards, but she is out every day to every other day and gets some good sun-time from the window.
The tank is about 75 degrees
I normally feed her meal worms, greens, strawberries, and she will eat crickets when I can get them.


My previous roomate and I bought her from Petco a year ago. Over the summer, my roomate took her with the intention of keeping her. Before then, she was is fine health. I got her back in the beginning of September and since then she has seemed a bit "sluggish"
She really enjoys snuggling under things, like my blanket or pillow. She is alert when I take her out, but she has no interest in eating (she evens looks at the food and just disregards it).

Thanks a bunch!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Based on your description & your setup I would say that she has early stages of metabolic bone disease.
To start, not using a UVB due to fire hazard is robbing her of needed UVB exposure to help maintain bone integrity. The UVB from the sunlight will not penetrate through glass so, unless you have screen, she is not getting any UVB. Even through fine mesh screen, she still wouldn't get enough UVB.
Are you using a basking light at all? If not, that is extremely important for overall health. They need a nice warm basking spot of a range from 95-110 measured with either a digital probe or a temp gun for accurate readings. If they do not receive heating, it will suppress their immune system, & affect their body's ability to digest & metabolize food as well as excrete uric acid as waste.
A 10 gallon tank is very small & virtually impossible to maintain proper temperatures. She needs a "hot" spot & a "cool" spot. The basking end should be maintained at the range mentioned above, with a cooler end of around 78-82.
Do you supplement calcium? She does need calcium, but, without any UVB light, calcium will be rendered useless in the body.
The best UVB that you can get right now, is the Reptisun 10 fluorescent tube bulb. You can get it from www.petmountain.com
Please stay away from the compact/coil lights as well as the Reptiglo 10 tube & compact/coil lights. The Zilla/ESU/Fluker lights are no good as well.
This behavior is indicative of developing metabolic bone disease, & if it is not corrected, her health will continue to deteriorate. So, please try to get a UVB light & a basking light. If it is setup properly & has plenty of ventilation the chances of fire are nill.

Tracie
 

kaylasubtrunk10

Member
Original Poster
wow thanks!
When she is in the sun, she is out, so no interuption from the glass or mesh.
I will get her the basking light most definitely.
She does have a calcium supplement put on the food, but clearly it isn't useful if she doesn't have the light.
Thank you so much! I'll make the changes and hopefully she'll get better.
Thanks again!!!!!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Well, that is good she does get a little bit of sun, but it just is not enough now.
I would however, recommend that you try to upgrade the size of your tank to at least a 30 gallon so the temperatures can be maintained more easily. The UVB light that I recommended is very important. When you get that, make sure that it is mounted directly beside the basking light. The basking light needs to be a bright white light, not a colored light. One end is where the basking light will go, with the Reptisun 10 tube bulb alongside of it, to go about 3/4ths the length of the tank.
Please let us know how she is doing. I hope that she gets better soon!

Tracie
 

kaylasubtrunk10

Member
Original Poster
Thanks again for your help!
I set up just the basking light, and she is already a bit more lively. She ate 1 worm today, which is way better than the past couple of days. She also jumped up while climbing on my blanket today. She still isn't as strong as before, but the UVB light should help.

Thanks for your help! I'll let you know how she's doing in the near future!
 

beardie parents

BD.org Sicko
Just so you know, our rescue, Goldie, didn't have any uvb on her, except when the people who gave her to me took her outside for real sun. She wasn't eating or growing for them. As soon as we got her we put a reptisun 10 tube on her and her appetite immediately increased and she started to grow. About 3+ months later her appetite diminished again and we noticed that the reptisun 10 tube that was on her then had been in use for 4.5 months. We changed it immediately and within a day her appetite increased again.
 

munchkins9802

Gray-bearded Member
kayla--make sure you have BOTH a basking light and a UVB light. To digest food and grow properly,both are needed. Basking can be a standard white (non soft) household bulb and the UVB should be the repti sun TUBE (never the coiled lights)
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is great, I hope that she will begin getting better for you. Please keep us posted on her progress. The UVB light will help her out greatly. Remember also, that the tube bulb will need to be replaced every 5-6 months to maintain optimal UVB emissions.

Tracie
 

kaylasubtrunk10

Member
Original Poster
Thanks all for your help!
The UVB light is on it's way. I gave her the basking light, and she has become more active already. Today, I spraid her down with water and she stood up on her back two legs and took it all in! Wish I could figure out how to post the picture! She is already a bit more lively and has some more strength. yay!
Thanks again for all of your help!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Great news that you have your UVB light on the way. That really will help her out a lot, along with better calcium supplementation also.
I hope that she continues to improve for you. Please keep us updated on her & her progress.
Thanks!

Tracie
 

kaylasubtrunk10

Member
Original Poster
Hey!
Just to update yal: The UVB light (Reptisun) has been set up and she is LOVING it! Her appetite is slowly coming back, but she is already way more activie. When she is out of the tank, she is all about exploring, jumping from thing to thing, walking around, etc. Thanks again for all of your help!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is wonderful news to hear that she is doing much better. The UVB lighting is very important. She definitely needed it very badly.
Remember, it needs to be changed every 6 or so months, to maintain optimal UVB emissions for her.
I am happy that you acted so quickly in getting her a UVB light. Are you still giving calcium daily, right now?
Great that her appetite is better as well. Let us know if you need anything.

Tracie
 
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