Piotruelik
New member
- Beardie name(s)
- Gwen
Hello, new to Bearded Dragon.org, but am a semi experienced dragon owner. My Beardy, Gwen, is about 14 years old. She is large, slow, and much less active then she was 4 years ago, all to be somewhat expected. However, as of the past month or so, she has been placing one forepaw over the other, and using this like on unified leg, in a diamond push up like motion to move around. She seems near incapable of self separating her hands in this pose, so i used to gently push them apart, thinking her claws may have been getting tangled. As of very recent though, she flinches, quivers or pulls away when I do this, often opening her mouth or hissing. In my 14 yeas with this animal, never once has she hissed at me. I imagine this is a result of some pain I have caused her while touching her sensitive forelegs. As soon as through my doing or otherwise, her paws get separated, she puts them back in that same position. Her back legs seem unchanged, and she uses them for most locomotion, but her front, even when together seem weak and fragile. I understand she is old, but is there anything i can do to heal her, or at least ease any pain she may be feeling? In a normal day, she doesn't move outside of crawling to her water and food bowl. and only props her head up and her climbing apparatuses to get additional heat from the lamp, and now avoids climbing. I have implemented an easier to climb ramp for this reason.
I love my beardy, and refuse my roommates advice to let her go peacefully via the freezer (Roommate mad lizard is cooler then his hermit crabs)
Other health info:
18 inches
occasionally lays large bathes of eggs (6-18 usually, but has stopped in the past year)
has a varied diet and lots of live food, which is the only time she moves of her own accord outside of water and food. no longer wants to chase other pets or me when I take her on walks, I must carry her.
I love my beardy, and refuse my roommates advice to let her go peacefully via the freezer (Roommate mad lizard is cooler then his hermit crabs)
Other health info:
18 inches
occasionally lays large bathes of eggs (6-18 usually, but has stopped in the past year)
has a varied diet and lots of live food, which is the only time she moves of her own accord outside of water and food. no longer wants to chase other pets or me when I take her on walks, I must carry her.