Beardie sick after getting calcium injection, and one day of calcium glubonate syrup

Jjtime85

Member
I brought my bearded dragon to the vet yesterday due to minor twitching in the back legs and his side. He didn't seem very lethargic before I brought him in. The office felt unprofessional and they were being loud and obnoxious around him and handling him forcefully so I didn't honestly feel like they had his best interest at heart. The reptile vet on staff gave him a calcium injection (she took him away to another room to do it and said it was "on the house") and sent me home with cricket flavored calcium glubionate syrup and said if the problem gets worse they could do x rays. Well, after one day of the bring-home syrup, I came home and he had explosively pooped all over the tank and was seeming very lethargic. He smelled strongly of poop even after I cleaned all his tiles and hiding logs/rocks. He nuzzled his nose into my neck really hard and went to sleep like he was telling me he isn't feeling good at all. His body just seemed to be limp but he is responding by opening his eyes only to shut them again right away. I don't know what happened or what to do so I could really use some advice.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I brought my bearded dragon to the vet yesterday due to minor twitching in the back legs and his side. He didn't seem very lethargic before I brought him in. The office felt unprofessional and they were being loud and obnoxious around him and handling him forcefully so I didn't honestly feel like they had his best interest at heart. The reptile vet on staff gave him a calcium injection (she took him away to another room to do it and said it was "on the house") and sent me home with cricket flavored calcium glubionate syrup and said if the problem gets worse they could do x rays. Well, after one day of the bring-home syrup, I came home and he had explosively pooped all over the tank and was seeming very lethargic. He smelled strongly of poop even after I cleaned all his tiles and hiding logs/rocks. He nuzzled his nose into my neck really hard and went to sleep like he was telling me he isn't feeling good at all. His body just seemed to be limp but he is responding by opening his eyes only to shut them again right away. I don't know what happened or what to do so I could really use some advice.
Do not go back there again please!!!!!!!!!!!! Please go over your UVB coil or tube ? how old ? and where in the tank is it? Basking temps and how are you are taking them? Please no stick ons!
 

Jjtime85

Member
Original Poster
Do not go back there again please!!!!!!!!!!!! Please go over your UVB coil or tube ? how old ? and where in the tank is it? Basking temps and how are you are taking them? Please no stick ons!
i got him as a rescue so I am not positive but my guess is 4 years old. I have a 10.0 high output t5 uvb tube about 12 inches away from his basking spot sitting on a mesh top. I read that that uvb light in particular is okay to put on mesh if it's not super fine which mine is not. His basking spot ranges from 90 to 100 degrees depending on the temp in my house. I switch between a 100w and 150w uva bulb depending on how hot or cold my house gets. I use a digital infrared thermometer to monitor the temps. Hot side usually sits at 80 t0 86 and cool side hits 76 to 80 usually
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
i got him as a rescue so I am not positive but my guess is 4 years old. I have a 10.0 high output t5 uvb tube about 12 inches away from his basking spot sitting on a mesh top. I read that that uvb light in particular is okay to put on mesh if it's not super fine which mine is not. His basking spot ranges from 90 to 100 degrees depending on the temp in my house. I switch between a 100w and 150w uva bulb depending on how hot or cold my house gets. I use a digital infrared thermometer to monitor the temps. Hot side usually sits at 80 t0 86 and cool side hits 76 to 80 usually
He needs surface basking temps-- 95-100-- please get your basking decor directly under the uvb 8-10 inches- please get 2 digital probe thermometers they are the most accurate - you don't need to leave the probe there spot check every 10 days or so- watch his behavior - are you giving any calcium supplements
 

Jjtime85

Member
Original Poster
He needs surface basking temps-- 95-100-- please get your basking decor directly under the uvb 8-10 inches- please get 2 digital probe thermometers they are the most accurate - you don't need to leave the probe there spot check every 10 days or so- watch his behavior - are you giving any calcium supplements
Thank you for the tips! I will most definitely do that. I'll change his tank around a little bit to accomidate his needs. I dust his dubia roaches, which he eats every 2 to 3 days, with calcium and i dust his salad with powdered calcium 4 days a week, and powdered multivitamin 2 days a week.
 

Jjtime85

Member
Original Poster
Thank you for the tips! I will most definitely do that. I'll change his tank around a little bit to accomidate his needs. I dust his dubia roaches, which he eats every 2 to 3 days, with calcium and i dust his salad with powdered calcium 4 days a week, and powdered multivitamin 2 days a week.
He needs surface basking temps-- 95-100-- please get your basking decor directly under the uvb 8-10 inches- please get 2 digital probe thermometers they are the most accurate - you don't need to leave the probe there spot check every 10 days or so- watch his behavior - are you giving any calcium supplements
should i discontinue the calcium syrup or continue it and monitor him closely?
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your dragon doing?
What is the strength of the Calcium syrup, it is Glubionate so that is a great product.
It should have the percentage on the label or the mg/ml listed.
Do you have pictures of your dragon & the tank setup you could post? The T5 tube bulb,
that is the Reptisun correct?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

Jjtime85

Member
Original Poster
Hello,

How is your dragon doing?
What is the strength of the Calcium syrup, it is Glubionate so that is a great product.
It should have the percentage on the label or the mg/ml listed.
Do you have pictures of your dragon & the tank setup you could post? The T5 tube bulb,
that is the Reptisun correct?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
Thank you for your reply! He seems to be doing better. He is still kinda lethargic but his discomfort seems to have gone down. It is reptisun, yes. I am having a difficult time get pictures to my computer since I only have a flip phone but I will upload pictures of his setup later today after work when I get the cord I need to do it.
The bottle says

Calcium glubionate syrup/ml
qty 12.00
Give 0.4 ml once a day until gone

No percentage or strength that I could see.
 
Last edited:

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Ok, well, if you could take a couple of shots of the label, maybe I could figure it out possibly.
I think that it is possible he has gotten too much calcium, so care needs to be taken. Too much
can be just as bad as not enough. Since you are using the T5 tube bulb he should be able to
absorb calcium properly. Is it the Reptisun brand?
Did he start acting more ill after the shot & the oral calcium was given together?
The twitching was likely from the UVB being filtered too much from the mesh. How big are the
holes on the mesh, you mentioned it was relatively bigger holes?
Maybe you could move it a bit closer to him. How often were you giving calcium previously?
How are his urates looking now, are they hard or soft?
Can you post pictures & or a video of him also?

Thanks,
Tracie
 

Jjtime85

Member
Original Poster
Hello,

Ok, well, if you could take a couple of shots of the label, maybe I could figure it out possibly.
I think that it is possible he has gotten too much calcium, so care needs to be taken. Too much
can be just as bad as not enough. Since you are using the T5 tube bulb he should be able to
absorb calcium properly. Is it the Reptisun brand?
Did he start acting more ill after the shot & the oral calcium was given together?
The twitching was likely from the UVB being filtered too much from the mesh. How big are the
holes on the mesh, you mentioned it was relatively bigger holes?
Maybe you could move it a bit closer to him. How often were you giving calcium previously?
How are his urates looking now, are they hard or soft?
Can you post pictures & or a video of him also?

Thanks,
Tracie
It is reptisun. And I actually did move it closer to him so he is able to absorb more. He has been hanging out by it quite a bit so I feel like I probably did have it too far away. He definitely got ill the day after the shot so I think you might be right. I think he got too much calcium. I stopped the calcium glubionate since the first day and he has been getting back to normal. I will take pics and vids when I can get my brother over with his smart phone since it will make it much easier to take and upload. I have been giving him calcium powder on salad 4-5 times a week and dusting his dubia roaches with it 2 to 3 times a week. Could that be too much?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
It is reptisun. And I actually did move it closer to him so he is able to absorb more. He has been hanging out by it quite a bit so I feel like I probably did have it too far away. He definitely got ill the day after the shot so I think you might be right. I think he got too much calcium. I stopped the calcium glubionate since the first day and he has been getting back to normal. I will take pics and vids when I can get my brother over with his smart phone since it will make it much easier to take and upload. I have been giving him calcium powder on salad 4-5 times a week and dusting his dubia roaches with it 2 to 3 times a week. Could that be too much?
Are you using a T 5 or a T 8 --- this is going to determine the amount of calcium he should be getting and you said you moved it closer to him -- these bulbs have certain distance and placement for them
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
I would recommend cutting back on the calcium, yes. Whichever is easier to do, you can either
dust the greens or the insects. He just needs calcium once daily, 4-5 days per week. Assuming
he eats enough with the calcium, once daily is plenty.
He is getting back to normal now, without the liquid? He was likely just getting too much which can
cause issues, as well.
Let us know how things are going & more on your UVB lighting, also.

Tracie
 

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