Crooked Spine?

[DeboStevo]

I have had my female beardie Stella for about 6 to 7 months and have had no problems untill this past week. I picked her up out of her tank (40 gal breeder) as i always do and started petting her back. When i got to about the bottom of the spine, more towards the right side, she flinched. So i petted her back once more...samething. Now her back is shapped like she is always looking to the right...boomerang like. I mean its not bad but i can deff. tell. She poops reg, eats reg too. But when i put dusted crix in today...she kind of dragged her back legs, her right one more so then her left one. Ive googled it and what i think it might be is MBD and i hope its not. Ive been trying to go to the vet but their always closed. Maybe i dont have her set up right?

She's in a 40 gal breeder
150 watt tight beam bulb for the day and a 75 watt infared bulb for night
I was useing walnut for bedding but i learned that it was bad for beardies so i soon switched back to sand
I have a UV light on the top that is about 5 months old that is due for changing

Or maybe the feeding?

Ive been told to dust her crix every other time i feed her crix. So i feed her about 15 crix dusted on monday, then collard greens tuesday. Then non-dusted crix on wed.,then collard greens on thursday, dusted crix on fri..etc.

Im sorry if there is already a post on this and im sorry for such a long post...but im really worried about her and have grown very fond of her.
Thanks for the help =]

 

[jortiz9758]

What brand UV light is that you are using?>> Type?..tube or coil?
The red light is not needed at all for the dragon at night. They do better in complete darkness.
How cold does the house get at night? If the temps do not drop below 65F he will be more thank ok....if the temps do drop below that you can use a CRE to keep him comfy...they give off heat but no light at all.

 

[DeboStevo]

Its a tube and i believe its T-Rex brand. I also heard that beardies cant see the infared so it doesnt bother them. My house does nt get cold at all. We always have the theremastat set at 76 deg.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What kind of sand do you use, washed & sifted playsand or a calcium based sand?
I have never heard of a T-rex tube bulb. Do you mean a Reptisun flourescent tube?
Yes, bearded dragons can see Infrared light spectrum. They do sleep best in the dark. They can safely go into the upper 50's to 60's actually & be fine.
When did you first notice the spine being crooked, just recently?
Do you supplement calcium 5 times per week?

Tracie

 

[DeboStevo]

Tracie,

your right about the tube. Also I just threw away the wrapper for the sand...but i know its not calcium sand. Ive never had a problem with impaction so ive always kept it like that. I notcied the crooked spine about a week ago..and it seems to be getting worse everyday =[

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

If the spine is getting worse, then, she is developing metabolic bone disease.
I would recommend getting some liquid calcium, as that is stronger. She has not had enough calcium for a growing dragon. At the young ages, they grow very rapidly & utilize calcium very quickly. She needs calcium 5 times per week, or a good dusting, daily. However, at this point, I highly recommend going to liquid calcium for a month to give her a boost.
Can you post a picture of her setup for us?
Ok, so you have a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb then? Have you bought a new one yet? Since it is coming up to 5 months, you should go ahead & order another one so she will have a new light, & then get the calcium so she can get a boost. Together with a new light & some stronger calcium given twice daily, she should have a good chance of reversing that but you should act very quickly on that because she is still growing & you could get it to straighten out possibly before it becomes permanent.

Tracie

 

[DeboStevo]

Hey sorry i havent been on ive been really busy. So an update....i took out the walnut substrate and put in sand...but everywhere i read people are saying NO too sand. So what substrate should i use? Also i have put her on the liquid calcium for about 2 days..this is the third. It seems like she has stopped looking to the right. But she still drags her back legs. Could that be impaction? Because she hasnt went to the bathroom in about 2-3 days. If it is impaction...ive read that i should give her a warm bath...but i cant beacuse my house has a well and its full of sulfur...nasty. I would think that that would hurt her...so i cant do that. Ill try to get a setup pic asap.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

So how is she doing?
If you feel that she is impacted you can get some canned pumpkin, squash babyfood, & some sugar free applesauce & mix it together with a couple of drops of olive or mineral oil to give to her. You can give a warm bath & start a gentle massage at the arm pit all of the way down to the vet on the right side. Be gentle & just feel for any lumps, etc.
Good she is not looking to the right anymore. It could be a combination of metabolic bone disease & impaction possibly. Continue using the liquid calcium though, for at least 2 weeks, to see if there is marked improvement with her.
Do not feed any solid foods, feeders, etc until she passes several good stools to make sure it is not impaction.
The walnut shells could have impacted her. The only type of sand that is recommended is the washed & sifted playsand because it does not lump up like cement in their tummy like the calcium based sands.
You can use non adhesive shelf liner, tiles, paper towels, reptile carpet (short fibers), felt which are all good & should not contribute to impaction at all.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[zebraflavencs]

if you are leery of your home water, then buy a gallon of bottled warm it up, and bath the baby.
janie.