He jumped off the couch!! I think he's broken bones!! **UPDA

[momo4]

Ok, this is the worst thing I imagined could happen... we've only had him close to a month now, he's not been eating properly since we got him, he's got the calcium deficiency twitch, etc... I've been trying to snuggle him daily the past few days to see if that would brighten his mood and so far it seems to have been working.

Now this afternoon he's snoozing on my lap, having a great time being out, then suddenly as I blink he leaps off my lap onto the floor. It's carpeted but it's a low pile, old worn down carpet... I scooped him up before he had a chance to move and felt all his legs, he seemed ok. Then I put him down on the floor to let him walk and he's limping horribly!! I don't know if it's just one front leg or both or his back legs or even his back, but he can hardly get around, it's just awful!

Of course the nearest good vet is over an hour away and we are between pay cheques right now. I have no funds to get him checked out and now he's practically dragging himself around the tank I called the reptile stores near me & they said they could only look at him & confirm he's limping, none of them are vets of course...

I feel so horrible, I am the worst beardie mom ever!!

What can I do for him? It's going to be a week before we can get him looked at - if my husband agrees to spend the money on that, we're tight as it is, and a reptile vet bill right now is not what we need at all.

He's got his feeding issues, but will snatch up 2 silkworms no problem, then that's it, he acts full. So do I just offer him the silkworms again tomorrow like usual and leave him be for the most part? His basking area is not up high, so he can get to it no problem, but if he doesn't come out of his house in the morning I think I'm going to lose it. I've already cried over this, I am so mad at myself for letting him do this, he'd never tried jumping down anything before, it's always up...

Any advice? If not, I could use some cyber hugs, no bashing though, my husband already railed about me being irresponsible with the poor baby enough for a week

 

[momo4]

Just wanted to add, he did not black beard at all yet, so either he's in shock? or not in too much pain?

When I felt all his legs, he did open his mouth at me when I touched his front right leg, which was the one he seemed to reach out sideways with when he was limping. We stood him up on his feet to see how he'd stand and he just plopped right down onto his tummy. My husband is really upset with me and I feel like a schmuck, but there's not much we can do but see & wait until the morning... if I wake up & don't hear his glass dancing I know it's not good.

 

[diamc]

Oh gee, I'm sorry that happened. It really isn't your fault, they can be very quick and unpredictable. We're certainly NOT going to bash you, accidents happen. Please don't beat yourself up. How far do you think he fell and how did he land? Is there any way that you could call the vet that is an hr away to see if you could get him checked out and to ask about a payment plan?

I would make sure he can't climb at all, you wouldn't want him to fall and do more damage. I suggest you remove his basking log and replace with a bunch of fluffy towels to make him nice & comfy & safe. Also, do you use a ceramic heat emitter at night? It would be a good idea to keep him nice & warm, especially if he is in shock.

You mentioned that he's got the calcium deficiency twitch, can you fill us in on the brand & type of UVB you're using and how often are you dusting with calcium & vitamins? How old is he?

 

[momo4]

He probably fell about 24" or so, off my knees sitting on the couch. He landed with his feet down, so I almost wonder if he jammed his shoulders? It's carpet, but it's not plush, it's fairly hard but not as hard as a tile floor...

He's approx. 18mos old. He does not eat anything I dust I use reptivite for him and dust everything but he's a very picky eater, won't touch his greens, prefers silk, butter and horn worms over anything else. But he'll only eat 2 and then that's it for 2 days, seems to have a very small appetite. Won't touch his superworms or the crickets. We've only had him a month and I figured it was just the new environment/family/surroundings that was making him not eat but I have the feeling he's got a worse case of MBD than we knew at first. Our reptile guy told me I should buy this liquid calcium supplement but my husband thinks he's fine. He was twitching a lot, his toes, in his legs and under the base of his tail but in the last couple days since I've been bringing him out to hang out he's not twitching anymore -maybe it was nerves and not the calcium issue after all?

He's got nothing to climb on, yes I'll put his night heat lamp on to keep him warm.

As for the uv light, I don't know what brand it is, my husband bought it and there's nothing written on the bulb itself. It's a clear bulb, regular round shape - ?However he does get regular sunlight daily for a good 4 hrs each afternoon.

I am so attached to him, if he's hurt badly I just don't know what I'll do

I can try to call the vet, but being a first time client, I doubt there is any chance of a payment plan, besides we can't even afford the gas to get up there right now either.... this is so unfair.

 

[diamc]

It's hard to say what he might have injured but if he is dragging his legs, he may have injured his spine. But if he's limping, he may have injured or broken his legs. The only way to tell for sure is an xray.

When he gets sunlight daily, is it through a screen or through glass? If through a closed window or when he is in his tank, then he isn't getting any UV rays because it doesn't go through glass. The twitching sure does sound like a calcium deficiency and using liquid calcium would be a good idea and should help quite a bit. The Reptivite you're using has calcium & vitamins mixed together, he actually needs more calcium than vitamins so it's hard to get each dosage right when they are mixed.

You mentioned that the UVB was a clear bulb and a round shape, I'm going to post some pictures, could you tell me if it looks like one of these, the 1st, 2nd or 3rd?

It's VERY important that we find out because there are some UVB's that are dangerous and others that don't put out enough ultra violet rays to help at all. How close is he to the UVB light?

What greens are you offering him? Here's a site that shows the best greens/veggies to feed, the ones in green ink are the highest in calcium and most beneficial. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

What type of thermometer are you using to check his tank temps? If any type of stick-on, the strip or round gauge, they can be off by as much as 20 degrees. Without accurate temps, beardies don't have much of an appetite.

Have you been bathing him or offering him drinks by mouth? If not, it's also important for you to know that dehydration can cause their appetite and activity level to diminish.

Please fill us in on the unanswered questions, and we can try to help further. Also let us know how he is acting now.

 

[momo4]

His light isn't like any of those pics, sorry... It's like a regular round light bulb but larger and totally clear.

His fave green from what his old owners told me was dandelion and apples. I've offered him the dandelion every day alone or with parsley, squash, zucchini, strawberries and apples. I've dusted it somedays with the regular calcium, sometimes with the reptivite and others just left it plain in hopes he'd eat it but he hasn't touched any of it in close to the month he's been here unless he's eaten one leaf or bite while I wasn't in the room. As for live prey he prefers his butter, silk and hornworms, has eaten about 2-3 of each of those in the last 3 weeks, no supers or crickets... he's just not an eater which, I fear, is why his other owners sold him, and we adopted a big mess without knowing it or being prepared for it.

He gets to within 10" of his basking light when on his log, otherwise if he's on his rock he's about 13" away from it.
The sunlight is through his tank for the most part but I've been taking him outside for 20mins or so of direct light each day for the past three or four - it's just warmed up here enough to do that, but not for long periods.
The thermometer is the round stick on one, I know, we're looking for the probe one, my husband is the only one out & about and he hasn't found one just yet, I hope to go to the aquarium store this weekend to see if they carry one - I'm sure there's somewhere cheaper but so far no luck
There was no thermometer in his tank before we got him and they only had a 75 watt regular white bulb on him - they had him from a baby from what I understand so 18mos or so of no uvb light at all and low temps = the issues we're trying to figure out & solve.
The tank temps are 100-110 in the basking area & 80ish on the cool side. Nighttime temp is 65-70 but that's from the round thermometer, so not sure how accurate it is...

Yes I'm bathing him and he's drinking when in the bath - two a week for the last 2 weeks (after reading on here I should bathe him.) Before that he got one bath a month from his previous owners.

He's sleeping right now - it's 10pm here, he went to bed/sleep at 8pm.

Every morning at 5:30-6am he wakes up and glass dances, so I can only hope he's up in the morning at least under his light... he has to go about 12" from his hide to his basking area, not far but if he's hurting... oh I just feel awful!

 

[diamc]

Would you be able to post a picture of his UVB light? That would be very helpful. Are you sure it is UVB, if it is, the info about it should be printed on the bottom of the bulb on the area that you screw in.

Walmart has a very reasonably priced digital thermometer with probe and it also gives a humidity readout. It's the AcuRite brand and costs about $12.00. Quite a few of us here use it. Here's a picture of it:

As you know, it's very important that you find out what the temps really are. There is also the possibility that he has parasites and that may be part of the reason he isn't eating much. Does he poop look runny or have a bad smell?

You might want to consider increasing the baths to 3 to 4 times a wk for about 15 to 20 min each time as that can certainly make a difference.

It's good that you've been taking him outside for some sunlight and that is probably what has been helping with the twitching. But, it's critical that he have a good UVB light so we really need to get that figured out.

I sure hope he is doing better tomorrow, please be sure to let us know.

 

[haleygirl272]

You say he has problems eating his calcium?

Try buying all natural/no sugar added baby foods. Try apple or butternut squash or sweet potato and chicken. Getting the chicken will give him some more protein. Anyway, add some reptivite and calcium and mix it in. Drip some on his nose and he should it it.

Hope this helps,

Haley

 

[momo4]

I double checked his lights and feel like a dummy now... I looked at the wrong bulb. He came with an Exo Terra Sun Glo 150watt... The other bulb he has is a 75w clear bulb. I'm sorry I mixed that up... so this bulb matches that 3rd pic you showed me Diane. It's the bad one isn't it? It's the one he came with, not the other one, I just double checked that with my husband.

His poops, well when he went last week it soaked down into the sand pretty deep - but that was after he'd had a nice long bath, there was dry stuff on top of the sand but it was wet down into it. He pooped yesterday too and it was just a pile of brown & white dry stuff. Is that normal?

I can increase his bath frequency but not the length, he's had enough after about 5 mins in the water. He jumps up the side of the tub to get out until I put my arm in for him to climb up it. But he does drink while in there, so that's a good thing right?

I just checked in on him again, he's breathing, asleep, with a red heat light on above his hide so it's not too bright for him but should keep him toasty tonight...

The babyfood - he doesn't touch anything I put on his nose, including water I've dripped on him, can they lick their noses? He's never stuck his tongue out to lick his nose that I've seen. He's a stubborn one, but I will try the baby food, at this point I'm willing to spoon feed the little bum!

I'll let you know how he is in the morning. Thanks again for your help!

 

[TazzysMamma]

TONS of hugs!!!! Im praying he gets better soon for you!!!!! You probably want to take the red bulb out though - as long as it stays between 65 and 70 in his viv overnight, he doesn't need it, and it's harder for him to sleep with it on.

Sandi

 

[diamc]

Well, the Sun Glo is NOT a UVB so that is the main reason for the twitching. So, you've actually got 225 watts of basking bulbs, what size tank is it? If you aren't sure, please give the dimensions and we can help figure it out. If big enough, you could get a mercury vapor bulb which gives off heat and ultra violet rays in one bulb. The Megaray and T-Rex are the best 2 MVB's you can buy. If you live in the U.S. then the next choice would be the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent and can be bought here for a very reasonable price. http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html

The poop shouldn't be real dry and the white part (the urate) shouldn't be yellowish in color OR hard like chalk OR rubbery, it should be quite soft and not really hold any shape if well hydrated.

That is good that he drinks from his bath. Make sure the water is nice & warm, test by the inside of your wrist. Add enough water to cover his front legs and be sure you have a towel down in the bottom to help him feel more secure & to keep him from sliding around.

It is good to keep him warmer tonight since there is the chance that he is in shock from his fall, but you don't want the red bulb right over him or shining in his eyes or it will disturb his sleep. Beardies do need to be cooler at night and you don't need any heat if the room temp doesn't drop below 65 degrees.

By all means, try the babyfood and yes, they can lick food off their noses. I'll bet once he gets a taste of the babyfood, he will like it. Mix a smaller amt of the chicken with a larger portion of the squash though and would be a good idea to thin with a little water & take the chill off by heating in the microwave for a few seconds.

We're hoping you have good news in the morning, good luck.

 

[Pleaides]

oh im sorry to hear your lil one thought he was superman.
everyone here has told you everything you need to know.
but i cannot stress enough you really need to be getting him a proper uvb tube, in conjunction with the tube you only need one white basking light, a household bulb will do the trick.
i hope your lil one glass dances for you
let us know...

 

[LJean]

Big hugs to you and your beardie. It seems is has happened to others here lately too. They can sure take off quickly. It is not your fault.

 

[momo4]

The tank is a 70 gal - deep one, 18" high, 24" wide and 28" deep or so, I think... I know that's the right size, the width might be off, don't have a measuring tape here but I know it's the deeper one. His heat lights are at the one end, on a diagonal so he can sit in the corner on his little log and get the heat/light from the edges of both of them, or go onto his one rock to be under the 150 watt or go over onto his flat rock to be under the 75 watt.... then his hide is on the cooler side, as are his food & water dishes.

This morning I turned off the red light above his hide when his daylights came on to encourage him to move towards the heat. He was awake at 6am and by 7am had moved halfway across the tank towards the warmth.

When I got a good look at him, and he was still dragging himself, but his one front foot is now discoloured, the scales on it have lost their colouring it seems, they aren't yellow like the rest of him, about up to where I would guess his wrist is... maybe he broke his wrist?
I'll see if I can get a picture to show you guys what it looks like. To me it looks like that foot is the problem.

His back legs seemed to be of less use to him earlier last week I noticed - possibly due to his lack of UV and calcium so I'm hoping to be able to grab a UV light and that liquid calcium later this week, and that digital thermometer from Walmart.

So what do I do for him today? I'll go get a pic of him right now if I can. He's not black bearding and he's alert, checking me out. I haven't tried to touch him yet, my husband told me I should just leave him be, but I want to offer him some food if I can. I'll run over to the drug store & grab those jars of baby food in a bit once the kids are off to school.

 

[momo4]

Here's some pics of him from this morning...

The missing toe on that foot is how he came, that's not the one he ripped the toenail off of with me (yes, he & I have a bad history so far)... the long toe seems to be puffy if you notice, is it possible he only broke the toe?
Although when he was moving to his basking area that foot was folded underneath his arm, kind of dragging it, but when I looked in closer at him, he lifed his arm up & righted the hand, so I don't know...

What does the discolouration mean? That's where the pain/injury is? He's not discoloured anywhere else that I can see without picking him up - I am afraid to hurt him more if I do that, and he was fine to let me stroke his head and chin when I was taking the pics, but I don't know if he'll panic if I try to pick him up and I don't want him to struggle or flail and hurt himself anymore.

He was using both his front hands to grip onto our hands last night, which leads me to wonder if maybe it is just the toe?