Beardie dragging body...unsure why

[lovemybeardies12345]

I bought a beardie in July 2011 from the pet store when she was about 4 weeks old. Her limbs always seemed a bit akward, but she was able to move around and climb around the tank like my other beardie. The older she gets the more stiff her limbs appear and now she is dragging her body...especially the back legs to get around the tank. She has a healthy appetite and eats all the time, but her growth is stunted compared to my other beardie. Her spine is also crooked. I took her to a reptile specialist two weeks ago because she has all the classic symptoms of MBD , and i'm not sure why. The vet said that all of my substrate was correct. i have a 150 gallon tank with a powersun 150 uvb bulb on each side and an additional 100 watt on each side to bring up the temperature. The temperature at the highest part of the basking site was 98 degrees. I feed them greens, carrots, apples, and crickets that are calcium dusted, and i give them a vitamen twice a week. I also soak them in warm baths twice a week. The vet took an x -ray, and said she had no fractures and that her bone density was okay. She said bandit might have had MBD as a baby, and i help her thrive with the correct substrate. Why is her condition deteriorating if i'm doing everything right? She has a hard time climbing on a small ramp or anything for that mattor. The vet gave her a calcium and vitamin injection but it didn't seem to make a difference. Any advice would be appreciated....

My other beardie is doing great.... the vet didn't seem to know what is causing this...she said it also might have issues with her tissue


Thanks, Jen

 

[dvillar9301]

You need UVB light!

 

[lovemybeardies12345]

I have a uvb light on the tank. I have a powersun 100 uvb bulb on each side of the tank.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Was a blood test done to determine low calcium?
To be honest, a lot of the Powersuns are and have underperformed & have not had adequate UVB exposure.
So you have 300 watts on each side of the tank? Are they housed together, correct?
What type of thermometer are you using to measure the temperature? Do you have a picture of the tank setup?
How far away is the Powersun & is there any screen or plastic that filters it out?
Based on what you have said, it is metabolic bone disease, with a crooked spine, etc. There really is nothing else it could be.
I am not sure as to why the vet was referring to a substrate having anything to do with metabolic bone disease, that really is not a factor.

Tracie