D'Zill Is Walking on the side of his Pad...G/f and I Are Ner

[Dzil23]

our Bd D'Zill has been walking on the side of his front right pad for the past few weeks and have not been able to find a vet that is classified for exotic pets. We have been told of one and won't be able to get into see him in about a week. We feed him crickets and meal worms every other day and both of them we coat with calcium powder. We don't know what is wrong with him, so if anyone can help us we would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Embee]

Hi, I'm sorry to hear your dragon is having some trouble with his leg.

It would be helpful to know some details about your dragon, and his enclosure.

What is your dragons age, and size?

What TYPE (coil, compact, tube, MVB) and BRAND (ReptiSun, ReptiGlo, etc.) of UVB light are you using, and how old is it?

What type of basking bulb, and what are tank temps like (basking, ambient and cool side)? What are you using to gauge temps?

That should help get us started in the right direction.

Thanks!
Em

 

[Dzil23]

ok they pet shop says he ways born in november of 2008, he is about 12 inches long, he lives in a 10 gallon tank right now, we are going to have to upgrade here before summer, I don't know the brand of lights we have but we have a UVA/UVB(coil) light and a basking lamp(regular bulb), the temp is 85* and the humidity is about 30%, we have done everything that we are told to do to keep him healthy. we are using a thermometer and a hygrometer to keep track of those in his tank...if you need anymore information let me know

 

[Trogdor_1]

Lets see if we can't get this problem figured out.
For starters, turn off the coil bulb. Its doing more harm than good for your dragon. You need to purchase a ReptiSun 10.0 TUBE bulb. Got to petmountain.com. They are super cheap.
What type of thermometer are you using? 85* is way too cold for his basking spot, so I hope that is the ambient temp. What is his basking temp? It is VERY difficult to get a proper temp gradient in such a small space. A dragon really shouldn't be housed in anything smaller than a 20 gallon long tank as a baby.
What type of calcium and vitamins has he been getting? Also, what have you been feeding him in terms of salad? A baby his age should be eating a bowl of salad plus around 100 crickets EVERY DAY. Also, try to stay away from meal worms. They are high in fat and hard to digest.

Please answer the questions as thoroughly as possible so that we can figure out what is going on.

 

[Embee]

Yes, as Trogdor suggested, DO turn off the coil light, and leave it off... for good. These lights have been known to cause all sorts of problems for beardies such as lack of appetite, lethargy, metabolic bone disorder (MBD), radiation poisoning, and eye problems. Here is a link/WITH link, that will better explain the reason for this: [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=65424 f=1 ] Indeed, you want to get him into a larger enclosure as soon as you possibly can. A twelve inch beardie in a 10 gallon tank is really pushing it. If you can, I would upgrade his enclosure soon, and buy a ReptiSun 10.0 TUBE to match the new tank size-wise, so that you're not buying another one in a month (tube should cover AT LEAST half the tank). It's OK for beardie to go without UVB for a few days, if you need to wait for the light. The rule is, better NO UVB (temporarily), than bad UVB. The coil lights tend to cause more harm then good, so just keep the basking going for now.

If you're planning to upgrade his tank to a 40 breeder or larger, you can opt to use a MVB (mercury vapor bulb), which houses UVA/UVB/D3/HEAT all in one. There are two MVBs in particular that throw out great amounts of UVB (the MegaRay and the T-Rex), and can be especially helpful to a dragon struggling with MBD. If you're interesting in learning more about using a MVB, I'd be happy to share what know.

As Trogdor asked, what are you using to gauge temps? To accurately gauge temps (in particular, BASKING temps), you need a "digital thermometer WITH probe." WalMart carries an inexpensive one (with built in hygrometer as well), for about $12. It's made by "Accurite." When taking the temps, you want to place the probe end DIRECTLY onto the basking spot, where beardie basks AND LEAVE THE IT FOR 45 MINUTES, then read for accurate basking temp. For a juvenile beardie you want the temps to be 105-110 on the basking surface. Ambient temps should be 85-90, and cool side about 80. It is impossible to gauge accurate tank temps with stick on type thermometers, or with digitals that do no have a probe end. There is just no way to gauge a basking temp without being able to place a probe directly onto the spot where beardie basks. In addition, stick on dial thermometers are known to run up to 20 degrees off (I learned about this the hard way :roll: ).

Trogdor also mentioned the meal worms, and I agree. They offer little nutrition for beardie, and their hard chitin shell is an impaction risk. Here is a wonderful feeding list for beardies (do's and don'ts) that may be of help to you. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html .

Considering the coil and the small size of tank, your beardie is actually a decent size for his age (a little on the small side, but not overly so). If it helps, I (and many here) have been through similar trials with our beardies. Our beardie was showing some initial signs of MBD (she is very small for her age among other things) while under a compact light, and thanks to the advice I received here, she is now doing very well, eating well, and thriving under her MVB (we upgraded to a ReptiSun tube initially in her smaller tank, and when we got the 40 breeder, upgraded once again to a MVB where she's really taken off). She's still anti-veggie, but you can't have everything. We're working on it in any case. :wink:

Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

The best,
Em

 

[Embee]

And might I say Trogdor, that is a MIGHTY MENAGERIE of animals you have! :shock: