Bearded dragon weak and has trouble holding head up

[ghr15]

I have had bearded dragons for many years and have not had an issue until this guy.

He started sleeping allot and I thought nothing of it since Beardies do that Brumation hing once and a while. He however did not come out for a month. Worried I took the hide out and my worries were confirmed. My Bd most times will not open his eyes and he sleeps all day.

He will not eat unless I mix a bunch of baby food into a mix with calcium D3 and vitamin supplements and syringe feed him. He does not shake or have any of the typical symptoms you would see with MBD. He has no join problems no misshapen limbs no rubber jaw no shakes nothing.

Had a vet look him over but said he does not have MBD and that this was something else. I could not pay for additional tests as the tests they wanted to do I was looking at $500. I do not have that much money as that is $500 just for tests. So I could very well pay that much just to find out he has a condition that cannot be treated and then having to pay to have him put down.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be and what more I can do for him? He is pooping normal and has gained back a little bit of strength but want to know if there is more I can do. The treatment would be at least minimum a thousand dollars and I do not have cash like that.

MY choice would have to be get the beardie treatment or pay my rent for the month. I cannot take care of my beardies if I am out on the street. Is there anything I can do or am I doing all that is possible to do?

I do not want to put him down do to the bit of improvement since if I get him put down and he may have gotten through this that means I killed him. But at the same time I do not want him to suffer and I can tell he most certainly is suffering. Some times he will flip out and start running around his cage then get tired plunk right down and fall asleep from exhaustion. Then later he will freak out again.

Has anyone else encountered this weird behavior? I mean it is almost like my bearded dragon is possessed or something.

 

[Gail]

How much weight did he loose? Is he drinking at all? You know its possible he just wasn't done brumating, a month isn't very long at all.

 

[ghr15]

He is not thin just weak and does not hold his head up well.I have never seen a beardie act like this. When he walks his belly drags as he does not fully bear his weight. Even running his movements just are not right.

I had to take everything out of his cage so he does not hurt himself. He would run up his perch and run off the edge and land on his back. Roll back on his feet and do it again and again until he would be tired and then plunk down from exhaustion. The vet had no clue what was wrong without running a bunch of tests.

The vet told me with the cost that with tests and treatment I will need a minimum of a thousand dollars with everything added up. That was a minimum it could cost more than that. It's expensive since he would actually stay at the vet where they would tube feed him and do all the tests and treatments.

This beardie has never drank even once the whole 3 years I have had him. I have to bath him just for him to get any water at all. Only thing he even does on his own is poop. The fact I am force feeding him looks like the only thing keeping him alive.

Even at that the food has to be the consistency of tomato soup for me to even force him to eat.

 

[Gail]

Boy, I just don't have a clue. I've never heard of symptoms quite like that. Hopefully someone else will come along who can give you better help.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Those are some troubling symptoms.
Which UVB light do you use right now? How often do you use calcium or did you prior to him going into brumation?
Did he not do a blood test though when he was there at the vets?
He just really can't support himself very well?
What kind of treatment was the vet talking about that would be that costly?

Tracie

 

[ProxyDragon]

I would just continue to feed him the baby food paste, maybe he is still in the whole Burmation thing and hasn't shaken it off yet. Does he have worms or anything? Maybe he hasn't gotten the nutrients form the food because of that. If he seems to be regaining strength when you feed him like you have been I'd keep on doing that and looking for new symptoms or improvements.

 

[ghr15]

Hello,

Those are some troubling symptoms.
Which UVB light do you use right now? How often do you use calcium or did you prior to him going into brumation?
Did he not do a blood test though when he was there at the vets?
He just really can't support himself very well?
What kind of treatment was the vet talking about that would be that costly?

Tracie

I don't know it was $50 bucks just to have the vet look at him. Each test they wanted to do was $120 each.

They wanted to do blood work, fecal smear, x ray. That is $360 right there. Plus the $50 already spent would have been $410 right there. Then they wanted to on top of that keep him there at the vet to tube feed him and run the tests. So there is over 400 dollars right there and that does not make my beardie even remotely better. There is not many reptile vets around and the ones around gouge.

I mean common $120 to mush some stool between 2 thin pieces of glass and seeing if stuff is crawling around with a microscope.

Right now he does not seem better or worse. He cannot support him self well at all. He will loose balance and fall over. Not on his back but he will fall a bit to the side as if he is drunk. That seems the best way I can think to describe it he looks drunk.

He is fighting more that could be a good sign. Last force feeding was easy since he was puffing and opening his mouth. Which is more like his normal self. When he was not sick he acted like that when picked up. He seems stronger with struggling but that the only thing that has seemed to improve at all.

Other then that he lays in 1 spot all day and I may find he moved the next day. He has also stopped freaking out but that can be a good or bad thing.

It was sudden too I had a healthy beardie then he slept for a month I was concerned and checked on him and found him in this state. I also tried stressing to the vet that I cannot afford the high cost but of course they would not go lower on the price at all. This vet is actually cheaper then the other vets too. Other vets in the area charge $120 just too look at him and $200 a test. I find it ridiculous they charge so much with the economy the way it is.

They did not even know what treatment they would be doing but he would have to be there and that would not be cheap.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That would definitely add up!
I would agree though that a blood test should be done, as it can indicate any imbalances he may be having which could cause these symptoms. It could be the beginnings of hypocalcemia, as it is hard to tell solely based on the description.
An infection is possible, but hard to determine without a blood test.
Which vitamins do you use?

What UVB do you use?

Tracie

 

[ghr15]

Hello,

That would definitely add up!
I would agree though that a blood test should be done, as it can indicate any imbalances he may be having which could cause these symptoms. It could be the beginnings of hypoglycemia, as it is hard to tell solely based on the description.
An infection is possible, but hard to determine without a blood test.
Which vitamins do you use?

What UVB do you use?

Tracie

I
This UV bulb is new I had just purchased it a month ago. It is a Exo Terra Repti Glo 8.0. I just recently replaced all my lizard uv lights a month ago.

That is what I have been using on all of my reptiles. I also cannot afford to have tests and have the reptile stay at the vet. I am not rich I don't have tons of money. They could not even tell me how much this was going to cost. I am actually frustrated I cant afford the high price they charge. They obviously jack up the price to make more money. Just a bloodtest is $120 I mean common I have not even paid that much on a bloodtest for myself let alone my bearide. The biggest issue is if I spend all this money and my beardie dies anyway I still have to pay this huge vet bill. I don't want to pay out lots of money and then he dies and I am stuck with the reminder every month when the credit card bill comes in the mail that my beardie died.

I cant put a bunch of debt on my credit card which is what I would be using I don't have the money. With the interest on my credit cards I could end up in dept for a long time. I do not even understand why it has to be so expensive.

AS much as it pains me to do it it seems like I am going to have to get my buddy put to sleep. I don't understand why the vet cant lower the cost. I mean they make lots of money they still would lowering the cost to a price I can afford. They said they have a pay later program but in the end that will end up being more expensive since they just like the credit card tack interest onto it.

In fact at this point if someone actually wanted the animal and were willing to pay for his vet bills I would give him up just so he could have a chance to live. If he for some reason has a vitamin deficiency I cannot treat that I looked it up. From what I have read that is even life threatening to people.

If its an infection the antibiotics could possibly kill him. The vet confirmed this he told me that it can damage there kidneys so they months or a couple of years later they die from kidney failure.

I just don't get it he was fine a month ago and now I am contemplating having him put down. I do not use vitamins I am afraid too since I have heard of people killing there reptiles if it has a bad ratio or something like that. I did order some should be here today since I figured at this point I have to try.

I forgot to mention my sick beardie has always been a picky eater. He has not ate greens or fruits even once and I have tried everything to get him to eat it. I even tried more then once putting 3 meal worms on top of a salad to try to trick him it does not work. I would even try feeding him crickets with one hand and try to shove the fruit or greens in his mouth after the cricket to trick him into eating it.

He has never ate anything besides bugs. Any bug he gets he eats I have tried them all and he would gobble them all up even some bugs my other beardies refused to eat such as roaches I bought for them.

Maybe that is why my other beardie that is 8 years old is doing well she is not a picky eater though. She literally wants something different the next day I feed her. In fact anything small enough to fit in her mouth she eats. She will actually sit there with her mouth open looking at me. It's as if she is saying "just stick the food in my mouth" which I actually do and she does not even protest she just eats it.

The sick beardie has never ate normally and is far more aggressive then a beardie should be. When he was well picking him up was like picking up an alligator. I have to even do that thing they do with alligators where the slowly put a cloth over there eyes then I can pick him up. At that he is biting at the towel. He was always vicious like that. Even though he is the meanest beardie I have ever had or seen I still love him and want him to live.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I wouldn't give up on him just yet. Try switching out your lights.
The Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulbs are best. You can get either light at www.lightyourreptiles.com

The Reptiglo 10 is not a very good light. Some reptiles do not do well under these lights at all, so I would try that.
As far as not using any calcium or vitamins, he most likely has a calcium issue.
I understand the vet prices are high so try replacing the UVB lights for him first to see if that makes any difference along with adding some calcium supplementation for him several times per week to help.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[ghr15]

I do use calcium what I do not use is vitamins. Well except the D3 that is in the calcium supplement. I have always used calcium supplements I have had reptiles for years. I had my very first reptile pet at 16 I am now 30 so that makes it 14 years I have had reptiles and I have never seen a reptile of mine have an issue like this.

I do not use vitamins since I have heard many use vitamin A and too much vitamin A kills reptiles from what I have heard.

He seems to be also doing a little bit better. He actually holds his head up can walk a bit better. He has stopped having spaz outs where he goes crazy. Oh and he actually opens his eyes now.

I put the UV light right in the cage I have it sitting on the floor of the cage. He still does not move much at all but he at least holds his head up and the front part of his body and even the odd time will see him bear weight on all his legs.

I also do not have as hard a time feeding him. I used to have to hold him and support his head.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great, you are correct with the vitamin issues. You can use the ones that have beta carotene in them instead of the vitamin A
since it can become toxic. Too much D3 can also too. That is good you are using calcium supplementation.
It could be a simple calcium issue. Make sure the UVB light is inside of his tank, alongside of the basking light at around 6-8
inches from him. He may just need some stronger exposure to help him out.
Also, get some brewer's yeast as well to add to his food a couple of times per week. It is rich in B vitamins which are water
soluble & wont become toxic. He might just need a boost in some vitamins & minerals.
Let me know how he is doing. I hope he is feeling better today.

Tracie

 

[ghr15]

Well I am happy to say he is almost back to normal. He has a slight jittery movement once and a while but he is mostly back to normal. I would say he is 95% recovered from his problem. It seems the beta carotene in the vitamins are improving a nail issue he had as well. One nail that appeared to be dead since it was yellow and not growing is growing again and is not as yellow as it was. The other nail that is like that is not growing but at least 1 of the 2 nails appears to be corrected. The growing nail is kind of turning like a corkscrew a bit but it seems to be straightening a bit with every trim.

The only real issue I have now is he really does not eat on his own at all. I have to put the syringe near his mouth and put a bit on his nose and when he licks I squirt the baby food in his mouth. Baby food is all he will eat it is like he has grown used to eating it.

Can you just feed a bearded dragon baby food indefinitely?

As an edit he during feeding today actually ate solid food voluntarily. He ate some of those caterpillars he likes on top of the baby food he ate.