Beardie losing mobility in all legs

[Kpreb]

Our beardie is slowly losing mobility in all her legs. It started with just her right front leg and now it’s all her legs.

She’s been tested for everything. They can’t find anything that’s wrong. Our next option is going to University of Illinois to a reptile specialist.

Has this happened to anyone else? Thank you!

 

[KarrieRee]

Our beardie is slowly losing mobility in all her legs. It started with just her right front leg and now it’s all her legs.

She’s been tested for everything. They can’t find anything that’s wrong. Our next option is going to University of Illinois to a reptile specialist.

Has this happened to anyone else? Thank you!

Sounds like MBD --- what are you using for a UVB? Coil or a long tube fixture? Please post a pic of the tank and lights

 

[xp29]

I'm sorry to hear that. Can you post pics of your setup, the lighting the screen top the decor inside. Also list what type if lighting you are using for uvb and basking, the age and size of your dragon and its diet. there are folks here that can help but the more info you provide the better they can assist you.

 

[Kpreb]

Sounds like MBD --- what are you using for a UVB? Coil or a long tube fixture? Please post a pic of the tank and lights

Thank you for your reply. We have taken her to 2 different Vet offices. MBD has been ruled out from both Vet offices. Here’s the enclosure. I made it myself out of an old armoire.

The light is 60w. There’s 2 bulbs. And the heat lamp is 150.

 

[Kpreb]

I'm sorry to hear that. Can you post pics of your setup, the lighting the screen top the decor inside. Also list what type if lighting you are using for uvb and basking, the age and size of your dragon and its diet. there are folks here that can help but the more info you provide the better they can assist you.

 

[Kpreb]

The light we got at the local reptile pet store here in town. The bulbs are 60…that’s 2. The heat lamp is 150. She use to eat collard greens, blueberries, strawberries, bell peppers…I’ll have to ask my daughter what else…but she won’t eat that anymore. She loves her worms. But one of the last X-rays that was taken off her the Dr said the at pads in her body look a little large so we are cutting down on them. Currently we are giving her a supplement of critical care for omnivores because she’s refusing to eat her veggies. She’s 3 and a half years old. I’ll have to get a pic of the top of her enclosure in the morning. Here’s pics of her enclosure. It’s sam old armoire I converted for her.

Thank you for your help. It’s absolutely breaking our hearts to see her like this. Any advice at all is appreciated.

 

[Kpreb]

The light we got at the local reptile pet store here in town. The bulbs are 60…that’s 2. The heat lamp is 150. She use to eat collard greens, blueberries, strawberries, bell peppers…I’ll have to ask my daughter what else…but she won’t eat that anymore. She loves her worms. But one of the last X-rays that was taken off her the Dr said the at pads in her body look a little large so we are cutting down on them. Currently we are giving her a supplement of critical care for omnivores because she’s refusing to eat her veggies. She’s 3 and a half years old. I’ll have to get a pic of the top of her enclosure in the morning. Here’s pics of her enclosure. It’s sam old armoire I converted for her.

Thank you for your help. It’s absolutely breaking our hearts to see her like this. Any advice at all is appreciated.

I wanted to make a couple correction to my previous post. *there’s 2 lights **the Dr said the fat pads

We are making adjustments to the enclosure in the morning. There’s only going to be one level instead of two. I’ll post them as soon as we are done. Thanks again

 

[xp29]

What wood is the armoire made of? Any conifer is toxic if it isn't sealed. It doesn't look like cedar thats a plus cedar is the worst of the conifers. If it is pine i would take her out of it until it's sealed and cured. I can't tell what type the uvb is, if its coils they need to be replaced with long tube type. Coils just don't work well, and mercury vapor bulbs are sketchy at best. With the tube type if its t5 bulbs she needs to be able to get between 10 to 15 inches of the bulb. If the bulbs are t8 she needs to get 6 to 8 inches. You can tell them apart 2 ways (besides finding the stamp on them) t5 are smaller diameter and have 2 prongs on each end. T8 are fatter and have a round button on tbe end. Her basking surface temp needs to be 95 to 105ish, it's best to use a digital probe the infrared thermometers aren't accurate on some materials. The lightning and heat are the most critical to get spot on if it isn't right they want thrive. They will go off food without both uvb and heat. They can't digest food without heat, that can't metabolize calcium without uvb. Both lead to mbd and neurological problems like your seeing with the legs. If you can get her out in the sun for 30 minutes to an hour per day that will help with heat and uvb. I would suggest to continue to give her the critical care, its loaded with stuff they need, but honestly if you can get her eating real food the sooner the better, just be sure to dust it with calcium and multivitamin. I'm sorry for the long post, i just want every beardie to be healthy and happy so i tend to go overboard. I hope this helps, I'm not an expert (some folk here are though) but i do have around 8 years experience keeping them so if i can help you in any way I'm happy to do so, if i can't I'll try to point ya to someone that can.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Do you happen to have a copy of the blood test you could post? I would like to take a look at them,
thanks.
We do need specifics on your UVB lighting. The basking lamp which is 150watts, is that a mercury
vapor bulb, or a basking lamp? If the UVB lights are at the top, they really are too far away to give
much benefit.
The tank is beautiful so she is a lucky girl. It looks like you spent a lot of time renovating it for her,
too.
Personally, I do feel it is likely going to be low calcium. Metabolic bone disease is a condition that
is very hard to diagnose or recognize, early on. They will begin to experience rear leg weakness &
other limb weakness initially before it begins to affect the bones & show up on x-rays.
Let's review your UVB & supplementation as soon as possible.

Tracie

 

[KarrieRee]

I cant tell what the UVB is your using but I can tell you it is way too high for her to get adequate UVB please tell me the brand and bulb --- for T 5 bulbs the distance should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor- -- for T 8's it should be 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor -- please make adjustments as soon as you can -- it can take time for MBD to show up but w/ her not being able to move any of her legs that is what it sounds like to me -- I am not saying your vet is wrong and something else could be going on here but from what your describing that is what it sounds like --- in the meant time I would get her into a tank / enclosure that she can easily move around getting to adequate lighting and surface basking temps- you can set up a hospital tank w/ a good UVB directly over her and use rolled up dish towels for her so she can easily maneuver herself around --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Please keep us updated on your girl & let us know more specifics on your tank setup also.
Thanks,

Tracie

 

[Kpreb]

I cant tell what the UVB is your using but I can tell you it is way too high for her to get adequate UVB please tell me the brand and bulb --- for T 5 bulbs the distance should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor- -- for T 8's it should be 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor -- please make adjustments as soon as you can -- it can take time for MBD to show up but w/ her not being able to move any of her legs that is what it sounds like to me -- I am not saying your vet is wrong and something else could be going on here but from what your describing that is what it sounds like --- in the meant time I would get her into a tank / enclosure that she can easily move around getting to adequate lighting and surface basking temps- you can set up a hospital tank w/ a good UVB directly over her and use rolled up dish towels for her so she can easily maneuver herself around --

This is the brand/type of bulb in the enclosure, there are two of them in there in the light fixture. It’s the only type of bulb to fit in the fixture so that’s what we’ve been sticking with for some time now.

We’ve adjusted her enclosure so that there is a board going across the entire second floor, making it just one floor for her to walk around on. The lower level is covered up so it’s not seen in the image, but we now use it as storage for her medicine and other stuff. Here’s an updated image of her enclosure.

The reason I didn’t reply yesterday is due to an emergency with our dog, so I’m catching up with responses now. We are going on a vacation and she is with us right now. She is going to be in a 40-gallon enclosure with her heat lamp and that same light fixture, although we are now going to make plans to buy her a new light/UVB bulb as soon as possible while on our trip. Do you have any suggestions for a size of light fixture/bulb for the enclosure? The armoire (the inside where she stays) is about 32“ H x 40-42“ W x 22” D. The cut out at the top for ventilation has an older tank enclosure lid that’s about 20” L x 10” W.

 

[KarrieRee]

This is the brand/type of bulb in the enclosure, there are two of them in there in the light fixture. It’s the only type of bulb to fit in the fixture so that’s what we’ve been sticking with for some time now.

We’ve adjusted her enclosure so that there is a board going across the entire second floor, making it just one floor for her to walk around on. The lower level is covered up so it’s not seen in the image, but we now use it as storage for her medicine and other stuff. Here’s an updated image of her enclosure.

The reason I didn’t reply yesterday is due to an emergency with our dog, so I’m catching up with responses now. We are going on a vacation and she is with us right now. She is going to be in a 40-gallon enclosure with her heat lamp and that same light fixture, although we are now going to make plans to buy her a new light/UVB bulb as soon as possible while on our trip. Do you have any suggestions for a size of light fixture/bulb for the enclosure? The armoire (the inside where she stays) is about 32“ H x 40-42“ W x 22” D. The cut out at the top for ventilation has an older tank enclosure lid that’s about 20” L x 10” W.

Please get rid of the coil UVB -- its doing nothing for her --- the enclosure you have needs a 36" Arcadia Pro T 5 14% bulb - w/ the height of the enclosure the distance for this UVB would be 17-18 inches directly above her basking decor -- if your using the second floor----- what is the height of the enclosure w/ her on one floor now? I may haft to recommend a different fixture length and bulb ---- the one I posted is a real strong bulb and requires a height of 24" enclosure ---

Arcadia ProT5 14% UVB Bulb With Hood

Arcadia ProT5 14% UVB Bulb With Hood is a highly adaptable lighting kit with high-quality internal electronics designed for optimal reptile husbandry. Get yours today from Pangea Reptile!

www.pangeareptile.com

 

[xp29]

I agree with Karrieree, I had a similar habitat for my first beardie, i didn't understand back then how critical the type of bulb used is. I made the same mistake of using the coil type bulbs. I had no end of problems with her. I eventually learned what i was doing wrong ( mostly from this very site). When i corrected her uvb and basking it seemed like overnight things got better. If you live in a place where you can take her outside, even 30 minutes of natural sunlight per day will be beneficial. I bet if you give her calcium daily for a bit combined with natural sun you'll see improvement within a couple weeks.

 

[Kpreb]

Hello,

Do you happen to have a copy of the blood test you could post? I would like to take a look at them,
thanks.
We do need specifics on your UVB lighting. The basking lamp which is 150watts, is that a mercury
vapor bulb, or a basking lamp? If the UVB lights are at the top, they really are too far away to give
much benefit.
The tank is beautiful so she is a lucky girl. It looks like you spent a lot of time renovating it for her,
too.
Personally, I do feel it is likely going to be low calcium. Metabolic bone disease is a condition that
is very hard to diagnose or recognize, early on. They will begin to experience rear leg weakness &
other limb weakness initially before it begins to affect the bones & show up on x-rays.
Let's review your UVB & supplementation as soon as possible.

Tracie

I hope this helps. I’ve taken a screenshot of the exam results prior to the blood test precaution needed to be taken and then the blood test results. I’ve responded elsewhere in the thread with details of the UVB setup, however I know that the heat lamp she uses is indeed a basking lamp.