Hard lump on leg! Comments please

[Nardo]

Hi all!
I am a month into owning my BD; I am scared may be pre MBD, has eye sensitivity due to coil UVB, or and/or injured.

His is always very lethargic and eyes closed a lot.
He has: astro turf substrate, put veggies out daily, temp gauge, thermostat in mail, eats dusted crickets and poops very well, loves cuddles.. cos he sleeps all the time
I am concerned that the lighting provided is incorrect, UVB was seperate to his heat for the past 3 weeks (they are now together) I have a UVB coil which Petshop assured me it is fine (although online research says otherwise). Gets excited for crickets then falls back asleep. It is winter in Australia, Brumation?

Also, heartbreakingly, a stick fell on him yesterday morning and his rear right leg has a lump and a bit swollen his toe was twitching a little yesterday but not today. I have heard shedding will also make swollen and that beardies are strong creatures so am hoping he may fix himself.. Do I take him to a reptile vet?

Comments on Pre MDB, lighting, and his injury? Worried mother!

Please help with any recommendations, any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yzpzt2l0xo9c960/AAANS_tK2m3-0MJHk3l0w1cJa?dl=0
Photos: Hard lump on leg, enclosure, dark under eyes, super dark colouring after going in sun, how he sleeps

 

[Terry15]

You could PM "kingofnobbys" he is in Austraila also. He can answer your questions. I hope your Beardie will be ok.

 

[Nardo]

 

[Terry15]

Those red night lights are not good. You need a ceramic heat emitter bulb, if it's too cold at night. He may be tired due to that.

 

[Nardo]

Those red night lights are not good. You need a ceramic heat emitter bulb, if it's too cold at night. He may be tired due to that.

Thank you, will purchase ASAP

 

[Terry15]

Definitely contact "kingofnobbys" by PM. He can let you know what reptile vets are in your area. He seems like a good source of information about beardies.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Gee poor little guy ... he's been in the wars ...

It's a good sign he's eating and still interested in his live insects.

Please three meals of live insects per day (as many as he wants each mean , fast moves offered 2 - 3 at a time , until he looses interest.
Best feeders for him are :
>> BSF maggots available from LiveFoods
>> Blowfly gents available from FrogArcade Vic
>> Silkworms (small (1-1.5" long) to medium (1.5-2" long)) available from AussieFauna
>> small (20D to 25D old) crickets or similar sized woodies (these need to be gutloaded with calcium rich greens and dusted with calcium)

Here's my cheatsheet : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050
it will help you identify problems with your beardie's setup , ie UV and basking lights etc.

Obvious issues :
Red globe , get rid of it.
Replace with a colourless incandescent par38 spotglobe (Bunnings carry Philips par38 spot globes in a range of wattages), I suggest you buy an 80W and a 100W.
The 80W is I/N: 4325771 @ Bunnings ( see https://www.bunnings.com.au/philips-80w-es-clear-par38-globe_p4325771 ).

Use a set of digital thermometers and trial and error to aim for
>> basking spot @ about 40-43 degC
>> warm zone @ about 34 degC
>> cool zone @ about 28 degC

>> overnight ... my guys never see temps under 24 degC .

He needs to be warm to :
>> digest his food
>> convert calcium and UVB to vitD3 --> new soft tissues and grow strong bones ie grow
>> to have a good immune system
>> be active.

What UV source do you have :
>> brand = ?
>> type = (compact coil))
>> wattage ?
>> UVB rating (%UVB) = ?
>> how far from the basking spot = ?

If it's 13W coil, it's not adequate. See viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 , as it has to be positioned very close to the basking spot to provide adequate UVB.

If it's a good brand (see my cheatsheet for bad brands to avoid) and rated at 10%UVB , it will need to be located to provide about 190-200 microwatts UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot , mounting the compact in a reflector dome will focus the UV and increase it's flux at the basking spot , I get very good results using 26W UVB200 (a very good 10%UVB compact from ExoTerra) in an ExoTerra NANOHOOD with my beardies.

He needs a good quality and strong UV source that will produce about 190 microW UVB / sq.cm @ the basking spot and he needs access to UVA & UVB for about 14-16 hrs per day (longer the better). See Cheatsheet for how to set up his viv's UVB gradient.

 

[AHBD]

Poor little guy. The leg may be swollen or may ave an actual break. Find a good reptile vet in your area for an xray.

I agree that the red bulb be replaced with a bright white basking bulb....as for a good uvb bulb look for the Arcadia D3 12% long tube flourescent or the Reptisun 10.0 t5.

Hope your little bugga can get to feeling better !

 

[kingofnobbys]

Poor little guy. The leg may be swollen or may ave an actual break. Find a good reptile vet in your area for an xray.

I agree that the red bulb be replaced with a bright white basking bulb....as for a good uvb bulb look for the Arcadia D3 12% long tube flourescent or the Reptisun 10.0 t5.

Hope your little bugga can get to feeling better !

Yep I was coming to that : initial long post response disappeared.

I think this lump may a break , it needs to be seen by a vet , xrays taken and if infected a treatment plan set up likely including resetting the bone (might involve inserting a pin in the broken bone) , and a course of antibiotics .
Worth buying some VetaFarm CalciVet , this is given orally by syringe and dosed each day according to his body-mass. (Less hit and miss than dusting the insects).

This along with upgrading his basking globe, and UVB source ,and removing options to climb (for now to avoid the risk of his falling and hurting himself while injured and temporarily disabled).

A good reptile vet / surgeon can do wonders even with a tiny hatchling's broken leg , one of my BTs had an accident in his rearing tank as very young and very rambunctious juvenile and broke his upper left arm , my vet was able to fabricate a tiny stainless steel pin to insert into the tiny broken arm bone and you'd never know it was ever broken now (7 years down the track) , was expensive , but we do these things for our loved pets who are relying on us and the money is found .

You should be able to find a reptile vet in this list : Yes Australian reptile vets in all states are listed
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=234369&p=1803862&hilit=melissa#p1803862

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hi all!
I am a month into owning my BD; I am scared may be pre MBD, has eye sensitivity due to coil UVB, or and/or injured.

His is always very lethargic and eyes closed a lot.
He has: astro turf substrate, put veggies out daily, temp gauge, thermostat in mail, eats dusted crickets and poops very well, loves cuddles.. cos he sleeps all the time
I am concerned that the lighting provided is incorrect, UVB was seperate to his heat for the past 3 weeks (they are now together) I have a UVB coil which Petshop assured me it is fine (although online research says otherwise). Gets excited for crickets then falls back asleep. It is winter in Australia, Brumation?

Also, heartbreakingly, a stick fell on him yesterday morning and his rear right leg has a lump and a bit swollen his toe was twitching a little yesterday but not today. I have heard shedding will also make swollen and that beardies are strong creatures so am hoping he may fix himself.. Do I take him to a reptile vet? .... Yes .... as a matter of urgency , I've provided a list of vets

Please keep him warmer than 25 degC overnight while he's sick/injured/ recovering.

Comments on Pre MDB, lighting, and his injury? Worried mother!

Please help with any recommendations, any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yzpzt2l0xo9c960/AAANS_tK2m3-0MJHk3l0w1cJa?dl=0
Photos: Hard lump on leg, enclosure, dark under eyes, super dark colouring after going in sun, how he sleeps

 

[Nardo]

I feel sick to the stomach.. the incident happened yesterday morning, he has been sleepy pretty much since I've had him with a little bit of running around and excited for bugs. He can still move his leg and toes but is a sleepy boy.
I know of the Vet closeby in Currumbin and I will try get work off early tomorrow to take him ASAP!!!

I am so disappointed in the advice from Pet Shop purchased, it was highly recommended by fellow BD and snake owners

Thank you kingofnobbys, I will definitely go to Bunnings tomorrow and replace red!! I have a digital thermometer similar to yours from eBay, and have polystyrene to make enclosure interior.
Is there a video or picture anyone could recommend of a viv that I can try recreate??

Am using -
Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 (Repti Glo 10.0 Compact Fluorescent) - 13 Watt Desert (PT2188)
unsure %UVB & distance..have frantically moved his enclosure around and put in heat mat under pillowcase for him tonight, it is 16 degrees here. Hating life right now :'( :'(

Fingers crossed with correct lighting and his leg isn't too bad he will make a speedy recovery

Thank you everyone so much for your input, it means the world to Nardo and myself <3

 

[kingofnobbys]

I feel sick to the stomach.. the incident happened yesterday morning, he has been sleepy pretty much since I've had him with a little bit of running around and excited for bugs. He can still move his leg and toes but is a sleepy boy.
I know of the Vet closeby in Currumbin and I will try get work off early tomorrow to take him ASAP!!!

I am so disappointed in the advice from Pet Shop purchased, it was highly recommended by fellow BD and snake owners

Thank you kingofnobbys, I will definitely go to Bunnings tomorrow and replace red!! I have a digital thermometer similar to yours from eBay, and have polystyrene to make enclosure interior.
Is there a video or picture anyone could recommend of a viv that I can try recreate??
<<< yes , I've seen some of these .... careful with Styrofoam , it needs proper rendering to stop claws from pulling out bits (which pose an impaction risk), I'd simplify the viv while he's injured and healing .


Am using -
Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 (Repti Glo 10.0 Compact Fluorescent) - 13 Watt Desert (PT2188)
unsure %UVB & distance..have frantically moved his enclosure around and put in heat mat under pillowcase for him tonight, it is 16 degrees here. Hating life right now :'( :'( <<< UVB150 is a 5% UVB compact ,so it needs to be swapped out for a 26W UVB200 .
Keep the UVB150 , you can set likely set up a basking spot for him using a Komodo Lampstand and a reflector dome when he's big enough to be allowed to explore a room on the floor , likely the shop wont want to exchange a globe that's been used for a month.
A UVB150 is perfect for water skinks, water dragons and eastern bluetongues but too weak for a beardie.

Fingers crossed with correct lighting and his leg isn't too bad he will make a speedy recovery
<<< took 3 months for my BT's broken arm to heal , he had a little blue shoulder / arm caste the whole times and wasn't at all slowed down by it or held back - especially on the days he got his pain relief injection (really perked up !).

Thank you everyone so much for your input, it means the world to Nardo and myself <3

 

[CooperDragon]

The 13w version of that bulb isn't really powerful enough to be effective for a bearded dragon. I advise replacing it with a 26w version which should sit about 15-20cm above the basking area for best results https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/repti-glo-uvb200-26w.html

 

[Nardo]

Thank you, I now understand the lighting lingo better after your assistance I will do everything in my power for this lil guy

Tomorrow:
Replace red bulb with Bunnings 80W par38 spotglobe
Replace 13W with 26W UVB200
VET

I am in no rush to build something, I would rather it be perfect to his needs and lighting setup/distances.

I am soo so glad I found this forum

 

[kingofnobbys]

Also pmed this to you , but posting this as someone may need the information one day .

Some of the better greens listed here http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html are never seen in Coles or Woolies, a greengrocer will have them (or can get them if requested).
We use a mix of kale, buk / puck choy, dandelion greens, nasturtions , and leafy herbs for our gang (some grown ourselves).

BSF are available online here http://www.livefoods.com.au/live-insects
They are pretty good with bulk crickets too ( lately I've moved to them to get my bulk crickets 1000x mediums every few weeks ).

Good places to get silkworms by mailorder re
>> PeacefulSilkworms (Cairns QLD) http://www.peacefulsilkworms.com.au/ ,
>> AussieFauna , http://www.aussiefaunasilkworms.com/online-store/ ,
>> GumTree ( can be very cheap and many hobbyists will take PayPal and send by express mail and even sell fresh mulberry leaves by the shopping bag full).

I also use https://frogs.org.au/live-foods/product-category/insects/... for my bulk orders of crickets , mealworms and superworms. They tell me they should have the insects I buy every week or two (2/3 size crickets) in stock again soon.

Hardware and UV lights , I usually buy from AmazingAmazon (Melbourne).

I sandwich my 7W heatpads (black film type) between ceramic tiles like this viewtopic.php?f=75&t=224976 and the inline Ebay thermostat controls their temperature , I set to 36 degC for the beardies, and 32 degC for the skinks. Works a charm and helps hold the heat and evens it out.