MBD symptoms out of order?

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I regret this being my first post here, but I could use some advice from experienced beardie owners. I took in a 2 year old male beardie this January, and he was in reasonably good health despite the fact that his lighting (which I was given with him) was old and insufficient. I replaced them with a 100 watt zoo med heat bulb (I tried 150 but he hated it. The temp gradient is tested and appropriate with 100) and a 36" T5 uvb hood with a 5.0 fluorescent HO bulb included also from zoo med. I cut out the screen beneath the bulb as well. His basking spot and an area for just uvb basking are all a full foot from the bulbs. His health went from fair to great almost immediately. Then Spring started and he became restless, demanding to come out of his tank and beelining up the stairs to the best sunny window all morning, and only settling down back in his tank in the afternoon once the sun no longer came in. His appetite also lessened, but from what I was reading, it seemed like he was going through mating season, and he wasn't losing any weight or energy.

With all the time he wanted to spend out of his tank, even though he was in sunlight, it was also behind glass or screen, so I was worried about MBD. I got a new brand of calcium that he doesn't like (it's a popular brand with D3 added) so I've been gutloading his roaches with it. For the past couple months I've kept a very close eye on him, looking out for jaw swelling, bumps on his legs/spine, lethargy, leg swelling, etc. Even today there is none of that, but yesterday I noticed some tremors in his legs, and then this morning out of the blue he can't seem to move his right front leg forward at the shoulder joint. I felt it up and he gave no sogn of discomfort, no bumps, and I could articulate it just fine on my own. He was upset by a loud rainstorm yesterday and refused to eat anything, and today all I can get him to eat is mashed butternut squash that I've mixed with his calcium. The way he's seemed annoyed with his lighting, and so determined to sunbathe that he wants out even when he knows there's none (I live where it's mostly cloudy) it's the same behavior he showed with his old uvb… could it be the new one has already pooped out? I've orderes a replacement today, it's not sold in stores near me, but I'm just a little confused that he hasn't had any bumps or swelling, and gone straight to leg problems. His poo the other day had some yellow in it, like he had too much calcium, but he's only getting what the dubias have eaten, which is definitely not more than if they were dusted. Could it just be going through him, then?

For now I've put his old uvb light back on to see how he feels about it. He's alert and active, but not being quite as stubborn about coming out as usual. He's eating in small increments, but willingly. He had a good poo as well. If the new uvb gets here and he doesn't improve or if he gets worse at any point, I'll of course get him an appointment, I probably will anyway, but I wanted to hear from others as well.
 

CooperDragon

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It's possible what he's experiencing is not related to MBD or lighting. That said, I suggest using a T5 10.0 bulb (or Arcadia 12%) rather than the 5.0 bulb included with the fixture. The 5.0 is less powerful and better suited to small tanks (bulb sitting 6'' above the basking area) while the 10.0/12% is better suited for tanks that are appropriate for an adult (bulb sitting about 12'' above the basking area). Given his age, he should be eating mostly veges. Are you preparing a salad for him daily? Including calcium rich greens like collards, turnip greens, and mustard greens (among others) may be beneficial for him by including calcium and other vitamins in his diet. Can you post some photos of him and his enclosure? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button when you reply.
 

LittleDragonMama

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CooperDragon":1633xi1r said:
It's possible what he's experiencing is not related to MBD or lighting. That said, I suggest using a T5 10.0 bulb (or Arcadia 12%) rather than the 5.0 bulb included with the fixture. The 5.0 is less powerful and better suited to small tanks (bulb sitting 6'' above the basking area) while the 10.0/12% is better suited for tanks that are appropriate for an adult (bulb sitting about 12'' above the basking area). Given his age, he should be eating mostly veges. Are you preparing a salad for him daily? Including calcium rich greens like collards, turnip greens, and mustard greens (among others) may be beneficial for him by including calcium and other vitamins in his diet. Can you post some photos of him and his enclosure? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button when you reply.

Ohh, shoot. It was confusing trying to figure out whether 5.0 or 10.0 was better. I'll fix that, thank you!

Here's a picture of his tank, it's darker with the old 14" uvb he had with his old owner, and of course his basking bulb had to burn out now, so I've got the 150 watt elevated on a pan and the old double-dome so he doesn't get too hot. His basking spot is a hammock, and there's another hammock on the other end to make a bit more space while I save up for a bigger tank than this 40 gallon. He won't get on the hammocks without cloths on them, and there's a turtle pillow under it he uses to sprawl out more. He also likes pictures of scenery so I've put up some postcards on the outside. He was raised on sand but I've got reptile carpet for him. He has a small water bowl he rarely drinks from, but I have seen him do it. Also some recent pictures of him, the last one being from yesterday when he was upset about the rainy day.
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Every morning I fix him a salad of collard greens. I alternate that with arugula. He doesn't always eat it, however. He was raised on only collard greens with mealworms, so he's picky and doesn't like trying new things, especially if it doesn't move, but he loves dubia roaches and I haven't given him mealworms since I took him. He has occasional blueberries and butternut squash, but his opinion on most vegetables is not great… Getting him to eat properly was a huge struggle in the beginning, but with proper lighting he was doing so well for a couple months, then suddenly he was back to hating mornings spent in his tank and having little appetite, but since his legs, the base of his tail, and fat pads on his head all stayed the same, I thought it might be a natural phase?
 

LittleDragonMama

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Small update. He's not much different today, but seems to be taking it easy on his arm, although he can still move it, and he's bright-eyed and alert. Still no bumps or swelling, (unless all four limbs are swollen to the same size??) back legs tend to have tremors mostly when touched. He's still eating mashed squash with calcium, and while I moved his uvb light closer to his basking spot (he actually approved of that a lot) it's warm and sunny today and tomorrow so I'm gonna prioritize his sunbathing. I've contacted a vet and the uvb light supplier to correct the order to a 10.0. I'm still stunned at how fast this all manifested, but I'm hoping he can recover quickly, whatever is going on with him… Any more advice is appreciated.
 

CooperDragon

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It sounds like you're on the right track. Natural sunlight is a great idea and I recommend as much of that as possible. Does he have any trouble getting up onto the hammock? If not, then it's fine to keep it as is with the cloth over it. If he shows signs of struggling to get there, I'd try changing everything to a flat layout to make it easier on him. Hopefully the more powerful bulb will help him out as well. Please keep us posted on his progress.
 

LittleDragonMama

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Original Poster
CooperDragon":180mair4 said:
It sounds like you're on the right track. Natural sunlight is a great idea and I recommend as much of that as possible. Does he have any trouble getting up onto the hammock? If not, then it's fine to keep it as is with the cloth over it. If he shows signs of struggling to get there, I'd try changing everything to a flat layout to make it easier on him. Hopefully the more powerful bulb will help him out as well. Please keep us posted on his progress.

Thank you! He hasn't had trouble getting on and off his hammock, thankfully. He's still eating squash, but hasn't pooped since the day before yesterday, while he's usually on a once-a-day schedule. I gave him a bath yesterday and probably will again today to make sure he doesn't get impacted. Considering he hasn't had solid food since his last poo I'm not too worried, but I'll be upping his hydration anyway. I don't think he's getting any worse at least, so hopefully I've caught it in time for him to recover fully…
 

LittleDragonMama

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Great news! After a long sunbathing session on the porch yesterday, he really perked up and was having less trouble moving his arm, and today he's had a really good poop and is more active and just barely limping! It's amazing! I'm SO relieved… He still won't eat solids, but accepts the squash, so I'll just keep feeding him that and trying his other foods until he feels up to them.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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OK great! I'd keep offering as much time in natural sunlight as you can. Hopefully the improved lighting will help to make a difference in the long run. Good lighting is certainly worth the investment =)
 
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