Advice for MBD **video**

[cmoo]

I have a juvenile beardie who I posted about months ago and it was suspected that she has MBD, most likely due to improper UVB at the pet store. The video below is of her trying to walk/climb. Should I be worried that she is this disabled?

She is currently housed in two different tanks. A 20 gallon with unobstructed t8 uvb and separate basking bulb. And a 40 gallon with unobstructed t5ho. Both tanks have basking temps around 115-120, and cooler side around 80 degrees. Both tanks have 6" high basking logs with soft towels underneath, in case she falls. She eats BSFL twice a day with calcium +d3 dusting. Multivitamin dusting once a week. Warm bath once a week. She poops daily - poops look normal but are quite smelly, so I'm going to try a fecal next week. She gets serrapeptase daily as well. She eats voraciously, and generally seems content and docile. She handles being held daily. She does not typically move around her cage. I do typically help her over to her food bowl for feedings. When she walks, she mostly army crawls on her forearms. She doesn't bear weight well on her legs. She weighs 225g and is actively gaining about 10 grams each week. She is probably 8-9 months old. This video is of her attempting to return to her basking spot after eating.

Is there anything else I can do to help her out? Or anything else I should be concerned about?

Thanks for reading!

https://youtu.be/-8ZuR7W0zas

 

[cmoo]

This is a quick video of her army crawl. This video was taken about a month ago.

https://youtu.be/WWmLpeLayL8

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, sorry that Spike is having this problem. She sure is a pretty dragon, and it's great that she has such an appetite and is so active. How long has she had these symptoms ? Sometimes they just develop neurological problems for unknown reasons. It may even have to do with vit. B deficiency. It may also be that she is not absorbing the calcium for some reason.

Have you taken her to an experienced reptile vet ?

 

[cmoo]

She has had MBD symptoms since I got her, around 4 months old. My guess is that she was in the pet store for a while without proper uvb, she was bigger than all the other dragons so had been there longer.
I had some concerns about her limited mobility early on, and posted in here for help. Everyone was most helpful, and since then she's had proper uvb and diet. I initially thought she was improving. But now I am not so sure.
I have not taken her to a vet yet. My next step will be to research a good herp vet - unfortunately I don't think there are any in my area.
Would you be highly concerned with her abnormal movements? She never appears to be in any pain or distress, but she is also my first dragon so I am not an expert in any way.

 

[AHBD]

I believe , like you do that she's not in pain so it affects her quality of life to a degree but not so much that she couldn't live a comfortable life. But you will want to explore any possible treatment that seems reasonable, for instance possibly upping the B vitamins or exploring something else that might improve her condition. Send a p.m. to Drache613 to see if she has any ideas and also post the state you live in so maybe other members living in your state may know of a very highly recommended vet.

 

[diamc]

So sorry to hear about your pretty beardie. She looks so precious & it is great you are trying your best to help her. I would also recommend taking her to a herp vet to see if something can be done to help her improve especially since she is quite young and should have many yrs ahead of her. Here's a link to herp vets, scroll down to find your state: http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

 

[cmoo]

Thank you for the helpful advice. I am in southern New Jersey. I see one vet that is about an hour from me, but I'll take any other suggestions that users may have!

I am happy to continue to help her out and keep her comfortable (if not spoiled ?) She is really a sweetheart.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Chrissy,

She sure is pretty. So sorry she is having difficulty climbing & getting around. She sure tries!
I did PM you also. It's good you are using the serrapeptase, that should help out. I would also consider switching to a liquid calcium for awhile to help with absorption.
I noticed you have two tanks, so it sounds like she should be getting adequate UVB lighting, especially since you are using the T5 in the larger tanks. Has she improved in her mobility at all since you got her?
I would lower her basking temperatures some, to a range of 95-110. The 115-120 is a bit high.
I am glad to hear that she has such a great appetite though. Overall, she doesn't appear to be in pain so her quality of life should not be too bad, especially with a caring individual helping her.

Tracie

 

[cmoo]

Thanks, I will order liquid calcium and drop the basking temps. She doesn't usually hang in the hottest spots anyway, she stays off to the side a bit, so she's placing herself in the lower range anyway. I'm using an IR thermometer to measure temps.
She did initially show some improvements to mobility with the better uvb, but lately she seems to be struggling as you've seen in the video. Perhaps because she is gaining weight, so climbing is more difficult? If these are typical struggles of MBD then I will just continue to accommodate her needs. I just want to do everything possible to give her a good quality of life.
Should I look into adding a b vitamin just in case?

 

[cmoo]

I dropped her basking bulb from 100 watt to 75 watt. Now the highest temp is 100 degrees, but that's at the very top of the basking log, where she cannot climb to... Should I switch back to the 100 watt bulb and let her bask off to the side as she has been doing?

 

[cmoo]

And another video. She tries so hard!
I would like to switch to tile, but I'm afraid she will slide all over.

https://youtu.be/8HzFt7MkCl4

 

[GlassesTho]

And another video. She tries so hard!
I would like to switch to tile, but I'm afraid she will slide all over.

https://youtu.be/8HzFt7MkCl4

Is that a slate tile on the bottom there?

Maybe you can make some "stairs" using slate tiles and small bricks wrapped in towels, with a nice basking slate tile at the top? That might be easier to climb.

 

[cmoo]

And another video. She tries so hard!
I would like to switch to tile, but I'm afraid she will slide all over.

https://youtu.be/8HzFt7MkCl4

Is that a slate tile on the bottom there?

Maybe you can make some "stairs" using slate tiles and small bricks wrapped in towels, with a nice basking slate tile at the top? That might be easier to climb.

That's a great idea! Would it be a problem to add so much weight to one side of the tank? Would I need to reinforce it underneath somehow? Thanks for the suggestion

 

[GlassesTho]

And another video. She tries so hard!
I would like to switch to tile, but I'm afraid she will slide all over.

https://youtu.be/8HzFt7MkCl4

Is that a slate tile on the bottom there?

Maybe you can make some "stairs" using slate tiles and small bricks wrapped in towels, with a nice basking slate tile at the top? That might be easier to climb.

That's a great idea! Would it be a problem to add so much weight to one side of the tank? Would I need to reinforce it underneath somehow? Thanks for the suggestion

I'm not sure about that part! Maybe someone in the DIY section knows?

 

[Avagio]

And another video. She tries so hard!
I would like to switch to tile, but I'm afraid she will slide all over.

https://youtu.be/8HzFt7MkCl4

I use "Unglazed" tiles in my beardie's tank they are not slippery and had the added bonus of wearing his nails so they didn't need to be trimmed. A flooring store or a big box store should have them. You may have to buy a whole box of them but I was able to get 10 square feet as surplus from a flooring install at my local flooring store.