Beardie has tremors in front legs when walking

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
My beardie, who was given to me by a friend, has been having problems with her front legs. When she walks, she has tremors, like a palsy, in them.

The diet she was given previously was not the best (only mealworms), and at first I thought she was having calcium issues, as the lights we were given were dome lights (the previous owners said she was about five years old, so I'm assuming they had her for most of that time).

I began feeding her soldier fly larvae, hornworms, and waxworms (sprayed with calcium) for protein and bought her a tank-long UVB light.

She seemed to get better almost immedietely, with no tremors, for a month or two, but now the tremors are back, and I'm not sure what I'm dealing with.

I thought I'd come here for advice and suggestions before rushing off to the vet (there is only one reptile vet within a two-hour driving distance of me, and they take advantage of it by being extremely expensive. I also only go when absolutely necessary, because the vets in this town don't allow the owner in the examining room, so you can't see what they're doing, you can't ask questions or give input while they're examining your pet, and it's an all-around uninformative and unpleasant experience).
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I'm going to pick up some velcro tomorrow and see what I can do with that UVB light. I do have a liquid calcium that I spray on her food (she won't touch anything with powder on it), and I definitely need a screen--I also have cats, and while they get along with her, I wouldn't put it past them to get up where they're not supposed to be and try to jump in the enclosure with her, hurting her accidentally.

Her previous owners inadvertently taught her some bad habits that I'm trying to work around. They only fed her mealworms, no fruits or veggies, so she won't eat fruits or veggies unless I trick her into it (I bring her outside and wait until she opens her mouth to cool off, and then pop the offending food in :D), I feed her watermelon, which she likes, for water (or, alternatively, I have a small dropper that I use to dribble water in her mouth when she's outside), and I mix her good protein in with treat protein so she'll "accidentally" get the good stuff. I've tried every trick I've seen in every video and article, and those are the only ways I've found to get her to drink water and eat the food she's supposed to be eating. She's stubborn, that's for sure. I get the hairy eyeball from her every time, too. (Y'all know the look I mean).

I've been giving her soldier fly larvae, since I've read that it's a better protein for them than, say, waxworms and hornworms (which she loves), or superworms. Any suggestions on that front? I have to order the soldier fly larvae because the pet stores only carry the "treat" worms.

I'm going to be taking her outside today when it's warm and the sun is out, and see if I can get her to eat some of the offending greenery...lol...I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to eventually bring her to the vet, though. She has a plugged nostril that I've been trying to clear--unsuccessfully--and she has a very irregular pooping schedule that worries me. I'm going to work with the lighting and keep taking her outside--I'll give it another two weeks, and if nothing changes, I'll make a vet appointment. When I fixed the lighting the first time, she seemed to improve almost immediately, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks to everyone for all of your suggestions and input. You've actually made me feel a lot less stressed about this.
Outside time is good --- the pooping schedule is hit and miss - correct surface basking temps of 95-100 taken w/ the probe thermometer and good UVB is what is going to keep them pooping along w/ correct size insects that can cause impaction along w/ loose substrate if they re eating it --- getting all those in que are going to keep her healthy -- try putting the BSFL on top of the greens first thing in the morning rinse the greens before serving she will get hydration thru them -- horn worms are a good hydrating worm - you can use 1-3 super worms on top of those salads every other day - wax worms I would stay away from they are too fatty and are like candy - if you feed them feed sparingly -
www.symtonbsf.com
www.dubiaroaches.com
www.reptilianarts.com they have silk worms which are another good staple feeder - they stick to everything so you can use those in the greens as well
www.abdragons.com
www.coastalsilkworms.com
Fluker Farms - Order Live Crickets, Mealworms, Superworms they have the best super worms I have found yet - they come in a tube you will need containers w/ lids and holes and meal worm food - feed carrots for hydration
Please get all the temps in the tank and the UVB in order - this is going to make a difference in behavior and her health
 

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
Outside time is good --- the pooping schedule is hit and miss - correct surface basking temps of 95-100 taken w/ the probe thermometer and good UVB is what is going to keep them pooping along w/ correct size insects that can cause impaction along w/ loose substrate if they re eating it --- getting all those in que are going to keep her healthy -- try putting the BSFL on top of the greens first thing in the morning rinse the greens before serving she will get hydration thru them -- horn worms are a good hydrating worm - you can use 1-3 super worms on top of those salads every other day - wax worms I would stay away from they are too fatty and are like candy - if you feed them feed sparingly -
www.symtonbsf.com
www.dubiaroaches.com
www.reptilianarts.com they have silk worms which are another good staple feeder - they stick to everything so you can use those in the greens as well
www.abdragons.com
www.coastalsilkworms.com
Fluker Farms - Order Live Crickets, Mealworms, Superworms they have the best super worms I have found yet - they come in a tube you will need containers w/ lids and holes and meal worm food - feed carrots for hydration
Please get all the temps in the tank and the UVB in order - this is going to make a difference in behavior and her health
I actually DO have dubia roaches for her. I've found that they're cheaper to breed than to buy. A dollar a roach is too spendy for me, so I just keep a few breeding pairs in an aquarium. I don't give them to her often, as I was told that they're like "potato chips," more of a treat than a staple.

And I've heard that silkworms are really good for them, so I will be ordering some of those as well, but I thought that mealworms and superworms were more likely to cause impaction if fed too often, which is why, with her weird pooping schedule, I kind of quit feeding them to her. I HAVE some, I just don't feed them to her very often.

She absolutely refuses to eat crickets, so those are out, and tbh, even though she likes hornworms, they stink to high heaven, like crickets, and she doesn't eat them fast enough--they get way too big too fast. I have to buy about twenty of the very tiny ones and give them to her all at once, which gets kind of expensive. I also read that they were more of a treat, too, which was kind of disappointing, because she loves them.

She absolutely LOVES waxworms, so that's what I feed her when she won't eat anything else (yes, I know, I'm probably reinforcing that bad habit), and I mix them with the soldier fly larvae (which she doesn't really like for some reason). I've had the soldier fly larvae for quite a while, and she's just started eating them, grudgingly. They come in dirt, which is a pain to clean off of them. Do they NEED to be in dirt, or can I transfer them to a cleaner substrate? I'm thinking that maybe she doesn't like them for that reason.

I WILL download those links, though. I've been looking for reputable food information and sites.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I actually DO have dubia roaches for her. I've found that they're cheaper to breed than to buy. A dollar a roach is too spendy for me, so I just keep a few breeding pairs in an aquarium. I don't give them to her often, as I was told that they're like "potato chips," more of a treat than a staple.

And I've heard that silkworms are really good for them, so I will be ordering some of those as well, but I thought that mealworms and superworms were more likely to cause impaction if fed too often, which is why, with her weird pooping schedule, I kind of quit feeding them to her. I HAVE some, I just don't feed them to her very often.

She absolutely refuses to eat crickets, so those are out, and tbh, even though she likes hornworms, they stink to high heaven, like crickets, and she doesn't eat them fast enough--they get way too big too fast. I have to buy about twenty of the very tiny ones and give them to her all at once, which gets kind of expensive. I also read that they were more of a treat, too, which was kind of disappointing, because she loves them.

She absolutely LOVES waxworms, so that's what I feed her when she won't eat anything else (yes, I know, I'm probably reinforcing that bad habit), and I mix them with the soldier fly larvae (which she doesn't really like for some reason). I've had the soldier fly larvae for quite a while, and she's just started eating them, grudgingly. They come in dirt, which is a pain to clean off of them. Do they NEED to be in dirt, or can I transfer them to a cleaner substrate? I'm thinking that maybe she doesn't like them for that reason.

I WILL download those links, though. I've been looking for reputable food information and sites.
Dubias are a great staple feeder -- I would be feeding her those - hornworms are a treat worm but a hydration worm - when I get them I feed them everyday till they are gone - 2 at a time I order 12 at a time and I feed two dragons so I have them 6 days - I usually order medium size -- for some reason mine have not been growing as fast as they used to - the dirt the bsfl are in is their food --- rinse them off before serving - they are a pain but if the dragon likes them I would feed them - they are way better nutritionally than wax worms which too many can cause liver issues -
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your girl doing? Have you gotten her outdoors?
It does take awhile to see improvements when you change up their lighting. Let us know how
that goes.
Which insects are you feeding now? I hope she is eating enough greens as well.

Keep us posted on her.
Tracie
 

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
Hello,

How is your girl doing? Have you gotten her outdoors?
It does take awhile to see improvements when you change up their lighting. Let us know how
that goes.
Which insects are you feeding now? I hope she is eating enough greens as well.

Keep us posted on her.
Tracie
I'm going to have to buy a shorter uvb setup. The one she has is too long to fit inside the cage. But I did bring her outside for a couple of hours, and I'm still having to trick her into eating greens. I'm going to pick up some more worms next week when the new shipments come in. All the ones at the pet shop were basically dead.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I'm going to have to buy a shorter uvb setup. The one she has is too long to fit inside the cage. But I did bring her outside for a couple of hours, and I'm still having to trick her into eating greens. I'm going to pick up some more worms next week when the new shipments come in. All the ones at the pet shop were basically dead.
Can you take the screen off? I sent a bunch of websites for insect/ worms
 

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
Can you take the screen off? I sent a bunch of websites for insect/ worms
I could take the screen off, but I have cats who like to jump up where they aren't supposed to be. I'm afraid they may try to jump into her cage and inadvertently hurt her.
I have soldier fly larvae for her right now, and in a couple of days I'm going to pick up some hornworms for her. I'm also going to order some silkworms.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I could take the screen off, but I have cats who like to jump up where they aren't supposed to be. I'm afraid they may try to jump into her cage and inadvertently hurt her.
I have soldier fly larvae for her right now, and in a couple of days I'm going to pick up some hornworms for her. I'm also going to order some silkworms.
Ok - you can close her off to the cats - I have 6 cats - but my tanks are on stand alone like one is a dresser the other a aquarium stand- there is nothing around the tanks for the cats to get on top and they won't jump from the floor- just a suggestion - can you cut a hole in the screen?
 

Flame2020

Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Flame 🔥
Ok. I'll deal with the lighting first thing. Thank you, everyone, for your advice.
You’re awesome 👏 I adopted mine and learned along the way . I know that uvb light has to go under mesh top now . It’s amazing mine was healthy as he was or is. Hang a horizontal bulb on side of tank under mesh . Good to go . You are a good momma ❤️
 

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
Ok - you can close her off to the cats - I have 6 cats - but my tanks are on stand alone like one is a dresser the other a aquarium stand- there is nothing around the tanks for the cats to get on top and they won't jump from the floor- just a suggestion - can you cut a hole in the screen?
Actually, yeah, I could probably cut a hole in the screen...I didn't think of that.. the light would still be about a foot above her. Would it be okay being that far away?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That distance should be fine. As Karrie suggested, 12 inches is fine. As long as you have
a bright basking bulb mounted directly beside the UVB, it will be perfectly safe.
How is your dragon doing today?
Were you able to find & order some silkworms for her?

Keep us posted on her.
Tracie
 

LadySidhe

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Roz
Yes, I ordered her some silkworms. I'm trying to get her to eat the soldier fly larvae in the meantime, but she's not having them.
She's still having a problem with the tremors. I've scooted the screen forward enough so that the UVB isn't blocked, though, and her heat lamp is right next to it on one side of the enclosure.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes, I ordered her some silkworms. I'm trying to get her to eat the soldier fly larvae in the meantime, but she's not having them.
She's still having a problem with the tremors. I've scooted the screen forward enough so that the UVB isn't blocked, though, and her heat lamp is right next to it on one side of the enclosure.
Ok see how the silk worms go- watch her behavior now w/ the uvb readjusted
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Great, I hope she will like the silkworms, they are very healthy & should be easy to eat. Be sure
they aren't too big so that she doesn't choke on them. They can get pretty large sometimes!

Tracie
 

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