Please help

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I recently inherited a beardie from a relative that passed away. I believe she is around 8 years old. She seems very skinny and will only eat when I hand feed her. She seems to prefer crickets over any other type of food. She also seems pretty lethargic and doesn't move her back legs much at all. Any ideas?
 

mrsohaganhs

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Original Poster
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I posted some pictures of her and her tank. She has a red and a white light. They are both "reptile" lights 75w, I believe. A heat rock and a heating pad. Her tank says it is at 85 degrees at the hot end.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so first you need to do alot of getting rid of!!!! The first thing you need to get rid of is the red bulb it hurts their eyes and can cause long term light damage - you need a bright white basking bulb that keeps basking temps 95-105 taken w/ a digital probe or and a/ infrared heat gun--- I am sorry she looks terrible --- the next crucial thing and this is why she is so sick she needs a UVB --- you need to go get one of these ASAP
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- DO NOT get a COIL!!! She has MBD so bad I am not sure she is gonna recover from it --- that is lack of UVB --- and not having the proper temps in the tank for digestion -- Please get rid of the heat rock and the heating pad --- reptiles heat from the top side not the tummy--- the more I look at her the I feel she may not make it!! :( Is she eating at all ? I feel for the dragon who ever had her did not take proper care of her :( I am sorry my emotions are running a little raw at this time because I got a rehome that turned into a rescue and she was so severely malnourished the girl starved her to death -- she died on Sun so pardon me if I am blunt and to the point --- please get this stuff ASAP and ask for help
Karrie
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
EDIT.....posting same time as Karrie so probably overlapping advice. Aw, poor little sweetie ! :( Good on you for caring about her. Neither of her lights are good uvb, you'll need to get her a long tube like Reptisun 10.0 t5 or arcadia D3 12-14 %. Get her out in the sun if it's warm. Even in the high 60's if it's sunny you can set with her on your lap to absorb the uvb + heat. It's good that she'll for you, keep offering the crickets, calcum coated by hand as long as you need to. Offer water dripped on her snout or gently place her in lukewarm shallow water for 5 minutes if she's not stressed by it + dribble water on her snout. Dribble, stop, repeat and she should drink. She likely has MBD but may do better once she has better uvb + care. Best wishes !
 

mrsohaganhs

Member
Original Poster
Ok. I am on it! She is eating but only when I hand feed her. I gave her chicken baby food on romaine lettuce and she seemed to like that. She had a huge poop also. But is not moving really at all, doesn't lift her head. Should I get her calcium powder?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Make sure she is hydrated ---- she needs water and it sounds like she is getting weak --- can you try hand feeding her some crickets dusted w/ calcium powder? Calcium D3
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
No Gatorade please -- try dribbling water on her nose see if she will lick and if she does keep dribbling till she stops- if she's in a bath she may drink just don't let her gorge herself pull her if she's drinking too fast
Karrie
 

mrsohaganhs

Member
Original Poster
I dribbled on her nose and she did lick that water off several times. We are currently outside I have her in the sun but it's getting chilly (60ish). I don't want her to get too cold
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That's great that she drank some water, try that every day or a few times a week. Once she gets hydrated she may take longer in between drinking days. Good to have her out but always be sure she's totally dried off and warm by your body heat and the sun.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Bless her, she has metabolic bone disease, absolutely.
Please do go ahead & purchase one of the mentioned UVB lights. Are you providing calcium
for her daily right now?
I agree, hydration is very important right now. Since she is only used to crickets, you will need
to go slowly with extra food because her system isn't used to a lot of food. You can try to hand
feed her some greens to see if she is interested at all in those. If not, you can make a greens
slurrie to feed to her, daily.
I would also recommend keeping her tank a little warmer overnight to boost her system up.
Around 78-80F overnight is a good temperature.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

mrsohaganhs

Member
Original Poster
Seems a little better today, more active. Not moving her back legs much at all. Also seems to be breathing heavily? Thank you for all the help thus far. I hope we can save her.
 
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