Concerned about tail

[bbates867]

I'm concerned about my bearded dragons tail. I've noticed it has a slight "kink" in it and now more are slowly developing. I just looked at pictures of him and the one closest to the base was the first to develope and i've only really noticed the kinks for the last 3-4 months but looking at pictures I can see it starting to develope 4-3-2010 But only very slightly.
Here's a rundown of his setup:
90 gallon tank
Zilla Desert Series 50 (18") UVB (just replaced today old one was about 10months old)
Zoo med 100 watt basking light
gets about 8-9" from lights and they stay on for about 12 hours a day.

He gets fed a salad everyday consisting of collard or mustard greens. Generally i put zilla food spray calcium on it because im usually in a hurry in the mornings but sometimes i will use T-rex dragon dust veggie maintenance. Then everyother day he either gets giant mealworms in his salad covered in the spray or dusted in T-rex insect cricket balancer. Or he gets as many gutloaded crickets as he wants (20-25) in addition to the salad covered in T-rex ICB. Once a week I use Herptivite dust on his crickets or giant mealworms. He is always eager to eat but is very picky about any veggies i put on the salad so i generally dont use them. His behavior has not changed at all. He still poops regularly and hates his baths but has no problem with movement. He grew up being fed butterworms, phenix worms, mealworms, crickets, silkworms, hornworms (all dusted) and salads although until the last year or so never ate the salads. I also had a compact desert series 50 UBV light when he was little until I got concerned reading about problems with it then I went to the Slimline one so he's only had that one for about a year and a half. I really hope its not MBD or something....
He was born 7-5-08
Is 18" long
Weighs 484g

 

[Kaiser]

That looks relatively serious in terms of kinks in the tail... What I noticed right away that was concerning was the UVB light; there are a couple of problems there that may be contributing to the "MBD" problems (I put "MBD" in quotation marks, as I by no means can diagnose it as such, but I would assume the kinks in the tail are being caused by calcium problems and/or deficiencies).

First of all, the Zilla Desert Series 50 UVB bulb is typically not suggested to be used as a UVB light source, as there have been some issues with them causing health problems (particularly the older models, though I have not heard much about the newer models), and generally are not as good as other available UVB sources. I would recommend switching to a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube bulb, or a safe mercury vapor bulb (MVB), as they are generally considered one of the best UVB bulbs, and many will agree that there were noticeable, positive changes in color, activeness, appetite, health, etc. when switching to the Reptisun 10.0 UVB.

Secondly, you mentioned that you recently replaced a 10 month old UVB bulb; although the packaging of the UVB bulb may claim that they continue to emit UVB light for a year (give or take), they're actually somewhat stretching the truth. Although it is true that UVB bulbs will normally continue to emit UVB light for a year (or whatever they claim), the amount of UVB light emitted diminishes over time. At approximately six months or sooner, even if the light is still working, the amount of UVB light emitted becomes inadequate for your bearded dragon, and therefore, is not a suitable amount of UVB light. You should try changing the bulbs every six months, at the latest.

Thirdly, if you can, try to lower the UVB light down a couple of inches. Most tube type UVB lights need to be anywhere from six to eight inches in order to provide the correct amounts of UVB light.

Finally, you mentioned that the UVB light is only 18 inches, despite being in a 90 gallon tank. I'm not sure if this is necessary, but that would mean a lot of his tank is left without any UVB light, and depending on where he spends most of his time, he may not be getting enough UVB light.

Other than that, it seems like his feeding schedule and his diet are fine. Do you notice any other kinks in his toes, or does he exhibit pain when you touch his tail?

If you need help immediately, I would suggest contacting a veterinarian. I hear they can prescribe your bearded dragon liquid calcium, which is more easily accepted into a bearded dragon's body. However, it's probably best to get a professional's input or someone who is more knowledgeable about MBD and/or liquid calcium. I hope your bearded dragon is alright.

 

[bbates867]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I did move his perch closer to the UVB light so now he can get as close as 5" if he wants. I also went ahead and switched to a repti sun 10.0 bulb just in case and until i research the zilla one some more. He tends to keep his eyes closed though now that hes closer to the light. He doesnt have any bends in his toes or anywhere else on his body and doesnt seem to be in any pain when i mess with his tail he just looks at me. And I may get another UVB light for the rest of his tank although he spends 90% of his time on his log and would be 20" away from it in the rest of the tank so im not sure it would even be effective

 

[Kaiser]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I did move his perch closer to the UVB light so now he can get as close as 5" if he wants. I also went ahead and switched to a repti sun 10.0 bulb just in case and until i research the zilla one some more. He tends to keep his eyes closed though now that hes closer to the light. He doesnt have any bends in his toes or anywhere else on his body and doesnt seem to be in any pain when i mess with his tail he just looks at me. And I may get another UVB light for the rest of his tank although he spends 90% of his time on his log and would be 20" away from it in the rest of the tank so im not sure it would even be effective

You're welcome. Hopefully you'll notice some positive changes.

As for the tendency to close his eyes now that he is closer to the light, you may want to move it a bit, as too close can be harmful as well. The Reptisun 10.0 is generally suggested to be kept at 6-8 inches; any closer or any further can be too much or too little. Generally, as long as your bearded dragon spends a majority of his time under UVB light, it should be fine. Otherwise, if you haven't noticed any significant bends or kinks elsewhere, it may not be MBD, or at least, not a severe case. The only thing I could think of other than MBD is that he may have broken his tail, but that seems unlikes if he seems to be acting fine and without any pain. Perhaps someone can help you with this more, as I am no veterinarian.

I also didn't notice this the first time, but you mentioned you are feeding him giant mealworms. I'm not sure what those are exactly, but normal mealworms are generally suggested not to be fed to bearded dragons, primarily due to their hard, chitinous shells, which make are difficult to digest and have been known to cause impactions. I don't know if giant mealworms are the same (or perhaps you are referring to "superworms"?), but I figured I'd mention that as well. I don't think it would have anything to do with the tail kinks, but I figured I'd mention that.

 

[XxMissTiffanyannxX]

I find this to be my nutritional god
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html