Ah! So Many Problems! Please Help!

[Millitrix]

So, wow, where do I start?...

Petco gave my mom a free bearded dragon back in September because it had/has WHAT I THINK IS MBD and nobody wanted it. Sad how these chain pet stores don't give their animals proper nutrition and UVB. Especially when they say that "animals come first." Bulls**t. Never buying animals from pet stores again.

Anyway, last week, my mom gave it to me and it's now in my care. The very next day I went out and bought it a UVB. Every feeding I dust its insects with calcium with vitamin D3. My question is: If it does have MBD, can it still be reversed? Its left paw is really bothering me. When it walks it just goes straight into that position, like it's broken, or something.

I let it run around my living room for a few minutes every other day. It looks pretty healthy and runs super quickly!

It also has these, like weird spasms sometimes, according to my mom. It "lashes" out. I haven't really seen it do that yet, but she says it's happened a few times. It also like, "freezes up" sometimes too. Not breathing, not moving, just staring ahead hauntingly. Can last up to like, ten minutes, if not more.

Its depth perception also seems a little off, and it takes it a few tries to pick up an insect or food item. Sometimes it misses.

Moving on, I also think it may have yellow fungus?...

Another shot of the supposed yellow fungus... While we're on this photo, can anyone sex it for me? I think it's a male, but not 100% sure.

I can provide more photos, if needed. Thank you!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, it is really nice that you + your mom have taken in this baby. For all the problems he ha, you have him looking bright-eyed and alert. He does have some serious issues though. The MBD has caused severely weakened bone in the leg there but if he's running around then he's showing improvement. The leg CAN be strengthened to a degree, only time will tell. The seizues may be related to the calcium deficiency as well, or could be a vitamin deficiency or possibly ADV [ atadenovirus ] So keep up the calcium duing but add a good reptile vitamin 2-3 X a week, but just a small pinch.

A very important factor in hos recovery is the type of uvb light you have. Not all of them provide the proper amount of uvb. So what kind did you get ? You'll want a long tube [ not coil or compact ] Reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia 12% D3 bulb. Can you post pics of his entire set up, including the light placement ? And to tell the gender, arch the tail a bit higher .

And yes, the yellow looks like t could be yellow fungus, which is very serious. Don't bathe the dragon [ that spreads it ] just get some betadine or Hibiclens and dab it on with a wadded paper towel or cotton ball. A skin scraping done by ONLY an experienced reptile vet can determine if it's Y.F. Antibiotics don't help it, so don't let a vet tell you that's what he needs.

 

[Savora]

The poor thing. It does look happy to be in your care. I hope you're letting him sit under a long quality UVB tube unobstructed by any mesh screen. He certainly needs as much as he can get now, being deprived of it for so long.

He does look like he has YF, but (as ABHD mentioned) only a vet can diagnose that via a skin scraping. This fungus is HIGHLY contagious to other beardies and reptiles, so if you do decide to get another reptile you need to be extremely vigilant in regards to disinfecting and anti-fungal-wiping down everything. Even human hands can transfer YF from one reptile to another. (I only mention this because you seem to be a wonderful reptile parent, concerned with providing proper husbandry, so you might get the itch to have more reptiles later on--which you should!)

 

[Millitrix]

Hi there, it is really nice that you + your mom have taken in this baby. For all the problems he ha, you have him looking bright-eyed and alert. He does have some serious issues though. The MBD has caused severely weakened bone in the leg there but if he's running around then he's showing improvement. The leg CAN be strengthened to a degree, only time will tell. The seizues may be related to the calcium deficiency as well, or could be a vitamin deficiency or possibly ADV [ atadenovirus ] So keep up the calcium duing but add a good reptile vitamin 2-3 X a week, but just a small pinch.

A very important factor in hos recovery is the type of uvb light you have. Not all of them provide the proper amount of uvb. So what kind did you get ? You'll want a long tube [ not coil or compact ] Reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia 12% D3 bulb. Can you post pics of his entire set up, including the light placement ? And to tell the gender, arch the tail a bit higher .

And yes, the yellow looks like t could be yellow fungus, which is very serious. Don't bathe the dragon [ that spreads it ] just get some betadine or Hibiclens and dab it on with a wadded paper towel or cotton ball. A skin scraping done by ONLY an experienced reptile vet can determine if it's Y.F. Antibiotics don't help it, so don't let a vet tell you that's what he needs.

Hey, thanks for your reply!

For the UVB, I got this one:

This is its setup. A little bare, I know, still working on getting more enclosure furniture.

Ever since I read about the yellow fungus being super contagious to other beardies, I've been really worried about keeping Chip that close to it. Should I move Chip somewhere else, or it's okay to keep her there?

My mother works at a hospital so she said that she will bring some of the medicine you mentioned home. I'll have to pick it up from her house...

Alsooo, is this photo better, for the gender-looking? It kept running away from me so it was hard to get a clear photo but hopefully it's better! If not, I'll try my best to retake a better one!

Thanks so much!

 

[Millitrix]

The poor thing. It does look happy to be in your care. I hope you're letting him sit under a long quality UVB tube unobstructed by any mesh screen. He certainly needs as much as he can get now, being deprived of it for so long.

He does look like he has YF, but (as ABHD mentioned) only a vet can diagnose that via a skin scraping. This fungus is HIGHLY contagious to other beardies and reptiles, so if you do decide to get another reptile you need to be extremely vigilant in regards to disinfecting and anti-fungal-wiping down everything. Even human hands can transfer YF from one reptile to another. (I only mention this because you seem to be a wonderful reptile parent, concerned with providing proper husbandry, so you might get the itch to have more reptiles later on--which you should!)

Hey! Thanks for your reply!

This is its current enclosure setup:

Should I somehow put the UVB into its cage? Is that what you mean?

Also, yeah, as I wrote to ABHD, I'm a little concerned about my baby Chip being that close to the infected dragon... Should I move her? Or is it okay to keep her there? I always wash my hands in between feeding or touching any of my reptiles, so I try to be super careful with that!

Also, how do I wash everything down if the only stuff the infected beardie is touching is inside its cage?... I mean, in the beginning, before I noticed the supposed yellow fungus, I was using the same feeding tong for Chip and the sick beardie but as soon as I saw the discoloration I stopped and now use different tools for both beardies. I even keep the tongs (and calcium powers) away from each other to avoid cross-contamination... I dunno... I'm freaking out over Chip's well-being now too...

 

[EllenD]

I just want to add something real quick about the Yellow Fungus, I'm in a hurry. He does have MBD, severe, and the Reptisun 10.0 compact/coil UVB bulb you have is not going to help but just make it get worse and worse, as AHBD said you need a very strong UVB TUBE to treat and start to reverse MBD.

Amazon.com is by far the cheapest place to buy the UVB tube and matching fixture with a Metal Reflector inside it, that's a must.

You need either a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVb tube or a 24" Arcadia 12% T5 UVB tube, and then each one of these fits into a 24" tube fixture that is rated for a T5 strength tube and must have a metal reflector in it. This is not optional. The new T5 UVB tube must be within 11" of his basking spot, and must be replaced once a year.

Right now he's getting basically no UVB light at all. The bulb itself is only 13 watts to begin with, and the mesh lid is blocking 40% of the already too weak UVb bulb. And it must be within 6" to even get UVB light to him, and that's if it's under the mesh. But you're much better off to return both the bulb and the fixture and and order the 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube ($23 on Amazon), and they'll then offer a package deal for a 24" T5-rated fixture for the tube, but you have to choose one that includes a metal reflector. The package deal will cost less then $50 shipped, and is absolutely a must for a dragon with MBD. The T5 UVB tube can sit on top of the mesh lid, it's strong enough, but it still must be within 11" of his basking spot to be effective, and replaced once a year. So please order a T5 UVB tube and matching fixture ASAP.

PLEASE MOVE YOUR OTHER REPTILES INTO ANOTHER ROOM!!!!!! Yellow Fungus is horribly contagious and it does look like that is what it is, only a Reptile Vet doing a skin scraping with confirm this, but it's pretty much surely Yellow Fungus. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before and after handling him or anything in or on his tank, bowls, etc. You must disinfect his entire tank and every in it, light fixtures, everything in hot water and bleach, then put down paper towels and replace all of them once daily, at the least. This may help slow the spread of the Yellow Fungus, as will simply dabbing Hibiclens on each lesion/patch of the Yellow Fungus once daily. Do not was the Hibiclens off, just let it dry on the lesions. The you can dab on Lamisil or Lotrimin once a day. This will not cure him, but simply MAY slow the spread. No baths at all.

This is what I wanted to tell you. The only way to even have a chance at "Curing" Yellow Fungus in a Dragon (there is actually no definitive cure) is to put him on long-term prescription, oral Antifungal medications. The one with the highest success rate is Voricozanole, usually they are on it daily for 2 months, then they take a month off (to rest their kidneys for a bit), then on it again for another 2 months, off it for 1 month, etc. Sometimes this will take 6 months to a year and it will completely get rid of it, sometimes it will disappear for months and then come roaring back (especially after a shed, it appears to be gone but is not).

*******The external/topical treatments only aid in slowing it, they don't get rid of it, as Yellow Fungus GROWS BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY. This is why it is very hard to treat and sometimes takes a year or more of prescription Antifungal med by mouth and injection to even ha e a chance of curing it. It will not go away without oral prescription Antifungal med. NEVER GIVE HIM ANTIBIOTICS, IF A VET SUGGESTS ANTIBIOTICS FOR IT RUN AWAY!!! THEY WILL ONLY MAKE IT MUCH, MUCH WORSE!

A lot of Exotics vets know nothing about Yellow Fungus, so you need to find a Reptile Specialist or a Certified Reptile vet, and when you make the appointment you should ask if they have experience treating Yellow Fungus and with Bearded Dragons. Again, Voricozanole is the oral prescription Antifungal med that has worked in the cases of survival I've seen.