My bearded dragon’s mouth

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Leonitis

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I’ve noticed that my bearded dragon’s mouth seems to protrude out a little and when I looked inside, it looks as though he has plaque buildup or something. Is this something I need to be concerned about??? Also, his fat pads on his head are depleted...what can I do to help him restore his fat pads???
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AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, the prominent jaw means there's a degree of MBD [ metabolic bone disease ] so be sure to dust his food with calcium powder + have a good uvb bulb. Can you show pics of his set up + list the exact type + brand of lights you have ? It's very important.

I don't know if that's plaque or the pus that comes from mouth rot. Get some Maxi guard oral gel + lightly brush his teeth, but try to pull the plaque out so he doesn't swallow it. If it looks bad and/or he doesn't eat you'll need to get him to an experienced [ only ] reptile vet. Does he eat well ? What + how much does he eat ? They generally just need a bit more food to plump up.
 

Leonitis

Member
Original Poster
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Here are pictures of his enclosure. He doesn’t eat very much...usually less than a tablespoon of fruit/vegetables. He doesn’t eat if it’s not blended and he will eat a roach about once every other day. His hind legs and bottom portion of his body are also very weak from MBD so he has trouble pooping. He was a rescue so already had MBD by the time I got him. I’ve taken him to the vet twice within the past 6 months and she gave me calcium for him and supplemental food. That was back in April so he no longer consumes as much of the supplemental food and that calcium medication. I do give him liquid multivitamin and calcium though
AHBD":58tptkqr said:
Hi there, the prominent jaw means there's a degree of MBD [ metabolic bone disease ] so be sure to dust his food with calcium powder + have a good uvb bulb. Can you show pics of his set up + list the exact type + brand of lights you have ? It's very important.

I don't know if that's plaque or the pus that comes from mouth rot. Get some Maxi guard oral gel + lightly brush his teeth, but try to pull the plaque out so he doesn't swallow it. If it looks bad and/or he doesn't eat you'll need to get him to an experienced [ only ] reptile vet. Does he eat well ? What + how much does he eat ? They generally just need a bit more food to plump up.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
The compact uvb is not giving enough uvb for him to benefit, he really needs a good long tube bulb. Get the Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia 12% D3 . They are much stronger than the compact uvb bulb. Get one ASAP....he needs it to help him absorb calcium, without a good uvb bulb even lots of calcium won't help because he can't metabolize it properly.

Is it sunny where you live ? If so, take him out in the grass to get natural sun, or of you have a porch that you can set with him at an open window with the sun on him. That will help right away while you wait for your new bulb.
 

Leonitis

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3jx6wy0x said:
The compact uvb is not giving enough uvb for him to benefit, he really needs a good long tube bulb. Get the Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia 12% D3 . They are much stronger than the compact uvb bulb. Get one ASAP....he needs it to help him absorb calcium, without a good uvb bulb even lots of calcium won't help because he can't metabolize it properly.

Is it sunny where you live ? If so, take him out in the grass to get natural sun, or of you have a porch that you can set with him at an open window with the sun on him. That will help right away while you wait for your new bulb.

Thank you for your advice!!! I got him a new bulb and the long tube like you mentioned. I take him out every few days to get some natural sun and I also soak him in warm water almost every day. Is there anything you can advise about his eating habits? Is blending his food okay to do? Or should I try to get him to eat solid fruits and vegetables? He’s also been sleeping a lot longer than usual but I think that is more related to brumation.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It's good that you take him out in the sun, helps greatly to halt the MBD. As for the veggies, if he'll eat them without being blended up then that's fine but if he prefers them like a smoothie that's fine too. You want him to keep eating, and esp. if he has trouble pooing the smoothies can help him to have an easier time. Use greens like turnip, mustard, collard,endive, dandelion,some green bean , sweet potato and squash. Any and all of those can be used.
 

Leonitis

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":2dwik0za said:
It's good that you take him out in the sun, helps greatly to halt the MBD. As for the veggies, if he'll eat them without being blended up then that's fine but if he prefers them like a smoothie that's fine too. You want him to keep eating, and esp. if he has trouble pooing the smoothies can help him to have an easier time. Use greens like turnip, mustard, collard,endive, dandelion,some green bean , sweet potato and squash. Any and all of those can be used.


Thank you for your help...is there anything I can do to help restore his fat pads on his head? It’s also getting cold where I’m at. Should I still take him outside for walks? He just clings to my chest or shoulders...he doesn’t actually walk
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
He hasn't been eating because you did not have a proper UVB tube, and this not only completely blocks them from absorbing any nutrition, vitamins, or minerals, but it also stops all appetite. You had a compact bulb sitting on top of a mesh lid and something else it was sitting on, and he was getting absolutely no UVB light and he already has MBD, so he got none of the Calcium you were giving him, and all of this compounds into no appetite and depleted fat pads.

What UVB tube did you buy? What brand, model, strength (T8 or T5) and length, and what long fixture did you buy to put it in? And do you have it sitting on top of a mesh lid or is there anything else between the open, exposed UVB tube inside the long fixture and him while he's basking? And how many inches away is the UVB tube from him? Not only do you need to buy an adequate UVB tube and fixture for him, but it must be mounted correctly and within the correct distance from his basking spot for it to be effective, that's why we need to know what UVB tube you bought, so we can make sure you have it set up correctly.

His fat pads will restore themselves and his MBD symptoms will lessen once you get him an adequate UVB tube and fixture, and it's set up correctly, because this, along with correct temperature ranges within his enclosure, will bring back his appetite quite rapidly.
 

Leonitis

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":3qa87v88 said:
He hasn't been eating because you did not have a proper UVB tube, and this not only completely blocks them from absorbing any nutrition, vitamins, or minerals, but it also stops all appetite. You had a compact bulb sitting on top of a mesh lid and something else it was sitting on, and he was getting absolutely no UVB light and he already has MBD, so he got none of the Calcium you were giving him, and all of this compounds into no appetite and depleted fat pads.

What UVB tube did you buy? What brand, model, strength (T8 or T5) and length, and what long fixture did you buy to put it in? And do you have it sitting on top of a mesh lid or is there anything else between the open, exposed UVB tube inside the long fixture and him while he's basking? And how many inches away is the UVB tube from him? Not only do you need to buy an adequate UVB tube and fixture for him, but it must be mounted correctly and within the correct distance from his basking spot for it to be effective, that's why we need to know what UVB tube you bought, so we can make sure you have it set up correctly.

His fat pads will restore themselves and his MBD symptoms will lessen once you get him an adequate UVB tube and fixture, and it's set up correctly, because this, along with correct temperature ranges within his enclosure, will bring back his appetite quite rapidly.


To be clear, his UVB bulb was never blocked by the wire rack I have on top of his enclosure. I only used the wire rack to put his basking bulb on top of. Also he has a healthy appetite and eats regularly...he has a hard time pooping which now I understand is likely due to not being able to digest his food easily... here are the photos of how his lights are now set up. The UVB is not blocked by anything. I use the wire rack to strap the light fixture to the bottom of it so that the UVB is closer to him ...about 9-10 inches above his basking area. I was advised by Petco employee about the fixture to buy because both employees have bearded dragons of their own, so I bought what they suggested. His basking bulb is 150 Watts
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AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That's good that you mounted the bulb under there since the Zilla is not the strongest uvb bulb. :) And did you check to be sure there is no plastic shield on the fixture that could also block the uvb ? Some of the Zilla fixtures come with a clear plastic shield in front of the bulb which needs to be removed, some buyers don't realize that.
 
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