bearded dragon's arm get swollen

hi, couple days ago I noticed my beardie's right arm is a bit bigger and a bit more stiff than his left arm...as if it is swollen. He seems to walk and run around normally and doesn't have any signs of limping. When I touch it I feel a little bump about 1/2 cm above the wrist... but he doesn't pull his arm back nor seem to be in pain.

At first I thought that this might be a deformity since he was born with a deformed tail...But I don't want to underestimate the problem...

I let him roam free in my backyard everyday with another beardie under my watch. They often chase each other around and I always grab him out of the fight before they bite each other...but he doesn't seem to have any problem putting pressure and stand on his arm so I don't think he got his bones broken...

I'm worrying that this might be the start of gout since he is 14 months old, has stopped eating veggies when he turned 8 or 9 months old and has been eating mainly crickets, canned grasshoppers, and superworms (5-10 mixed insects a day). I tried several ways to put veggies in his mouth but he always spitted them out so I feed him baby food squash, sweet potatoes, green beans and peas occasionally.

As for his living environment, I house him in a screened cage outdoor (separately from the other beardie) during the day and take him inside after sunset.

I know that the best way to find out his problem is to get a check-up from the vet but there is no reptile vet in my area. Please help if you have any ideas what my beardie's problem is.
Also, I want to train him to eat veggies again. Any advice or suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

here is the pic of the swollen left arm conpared to the right arm

Hi there....it doesn't look like gout [ which is often painful ] but it may be. Some owners give pure cherry extract and extra hydration. How do you hydrate him ? Offer water via spray bottle/eyedropper on his nose....drip, stop, repeat until he hopefully drinks. As for feedings, cut back on the bugs and offer mixed greens like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion,arugula and squash. Try cutting up a few blueberries on the top. If he gets hungry enough, he should eat some but you have to hold off on insects a few times a week to spark his appetite. It's good that you keep him outside, you don't need a uvb bulb if he gets constant natural sun, just a heat bulb.

AHBD":28msxlgl said:

Hi there....it doesn't look like gout [ which is often painful ] but it may be. Some owners give pure cherry extract and extra hydration. How do you hydrate him ? Offer water via spray bottle/eyedropper on his nose....drip, stop, repeat until he hopefully drinks. As for feedings, cut back on the bugs and offer mixed greens like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion,arugula and squash. Try cutting up a few blueberries on the top. If he gets hungry enough, he should eat some but you have to hold off on insects a few times a week to spark his appetite. It's good that you keep him outside, you don't need a uvb bulb if he gets constant natural sun, just a heat bulb.

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Thank you for your advice. Is it ok to feed him fresh cherries instead of cherry extract since I happen to have some on hand? I offer water via syringe and little fruit everyday (strawberries, cherries, mango, cucumber, apple...). His poop looks firm, has excess water and the the white urate looks normal so I don't think he is dehydrated.

I will starve him for a few days and try the mixed veggies that you suggest. How long can adult beardies go without food?

I don't know if it's just my imagination... but he's putting less pressure on his swollen arm and sometimes takes it off the floor to relax.
just in case the swelling is caused by broken/dislocated bone or maybe he got bitten by the other dragon, I've just ordered serrapeptase and grapefruit seed extract. Is it ok to use a combination of them on him? I did some research online and learned that they're natural substances and won't cause any side effects...

I suppose a few cherries would be fine, but the extract is recommended by some, I imagine that the strength is much higher being concentrated. The other supplements are used by some owners on here , mostly serrapeptase, but I don't know much about the other and can't advise on either of those personally.

So did you see the other dragon actually get ahold of the arm ? Were they together when you weren't watching and it possibly happened ? I would think that a bite would definitely show a surface wound, so it's unlikely that he was bitten. Is your outdoor cage tall enough that he might have fallen or is there wire/fence that he could have gotten his arm stuck + twisted it ?

AHBD":2yqpltub said:

I suppose a few cherries would be fine, but the extract is recommended by some, I imagine that the strength is much higher being concentrated. The other supplements are used by some owners on here , mostly serrapeptase, but I don't know much about the other and can't advise on either of those personally.

So did you see the other dragon actually get ahold of the arm ? Were they together when you weren't watching and it possibly happened ? I would think that a bite would definitely show a surface wound, so it's unlikely that he was bitten. Is your outdoor cage tall enough that he might have fallen or is there wire/fence that he could have gotten his arm stuck + twisted it ?

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ah no...usually the other dragon would aim for the back of the neck and the tail or run really fast to hit its snout on the side of his body. I forgot to mention that there were couple times this month when I was away from home, I housed them together indoor in a 60 gal tank with 2 separate basking spots. They are the same size, grew up together and seemed to get along well in the tank (the dragon with the swollen arm is more calm and submissive) when I was around so I trusted them....but now that I think about it...they might have been chasing each other around and fell off the basking spot or something...

the outdoor screened cages are only 40 gal...not that big...
there's no bite mark or discoloring of the arm...When he stands up and walks around the swollen arm looks a little bent...no signs of limping though
But if it is a case of twisted arm or broken bone...will time heal it?

Hello,

It is possible that he fell & hurt himself, if the other one was chasing him. Are they both males or a male & female?
Serrapeptase is all natural & so is grapefruit seed extract so they can be used in combination with each other. I hope it isn't gout & is just a minor injury.
I would lower any higher basking areas so he can't fall & possibly hurt himself more.
Is he eating very well right now?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Drache613":1nun40l9 said:

Hello,

It is possible that he fell & hurt himself, if the other one was chasing him. Are they both males or a male & female?
Serrapeptase is all natural & so is grapefruit seed extract so they can be used in combination with each other. I hope it isn't gout & is just a minor injury.
I would lower any higher basking areas so he can't fall & possibly hurt himself more.
Is he eating very well right now?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

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thank you for your response
they're both males
I'm going to have a tank divider soon and will def lower the basking spot
yes, he goes crazy for the worms but refuses to take in any veggies. He does eat some fruit but I have to put it next to his mouth and wait for him open his mouth to stick it in there :|
I'm trying to starve him for a week or so to see if he'll finally eat veggies again.
Once the serrapeptase and gse arrive I'll update more

Hello,

That could just be an injury, hopefully that is all!
Great, a divider will help for now. Eventually you can get them their own tank so they can have more space.
How is he doing today, is he using that arm?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie