help I think Nelson hurt himself! ): UPDATE

[Taralachelle]

So I got home from work today (those 4am Starbucks shifts) and fed Nelson/hung out for a little and everything was fine. But after I wokeup from a nap I went to take him out and he kept running from me. He usually does this but then stops and will climb on my hand, but this time he kept running around. I realized that while doing that he was holding one of his legs up and close to his body. At first I thought maybe he was waving but even when I did pick him up to look at it, he was still holding it weird. Then when he walked to his food dish he almost fell over because he can't seem to put pressure on it. He's using it a little bit so it might not be super bad but he still has a bit of a limp
Help! What do I do ): just keep an eye on it??

 

[AHBD]

It's probably going to heal on it's own , sounds like a sprain. But can you list your exact type + brand of lights, plus how often you give him calcium. Also, a picture to show his set up to see what he may have hurt his foot on.

 

[Taralachelle]

It's probably going to heal on it's own , sounds like a sprain. But can you list your exact type + brand of lights, plus how often you give him calcium. Also, a picture to show his set up to see what he may have hurt his foot on.

I have the powersun UV 100w mercury vapor UVB lamp by zoomed

There's not much he can hurt himself on. But I have a bamboo root and a hammock that I've draped over the edge of the root to make a hide for him, but he may of tried to run across the back of it and fallen
Here's a picture of how he's holding his leg right now. He'll move around but he doesn't want to put pressure on it or to be touched at all (it's his right, front leg)

 

[Taralachelle]

Also, I've been dusting his food with calcium every other day if not every day

 

[AHBD]

He's a very beautiful boy. Good pics, but can you post a pic that shows the entire tank ? And I highly suspect it's the hammock....little beardies easily snag their claws and go to jump away and this can severely twist their arm. I am not a fan of hammocks, their claws are not compatible with fabric or netting and there are actually several threads about beardies that hurt their arm from getting caught in their hammock. Soft fabrics should not be included in their tanks, I would take it out.

 

[Taralachelle]

He's a very beautiful boy. Good pics, but can you post a pic that shows the entire tank ? And I highly suspect it's the hammock....little beardies easily snag their claws and go to jump away and this can severely twist their arm. I am not a fan of hammocks, their claws are not compatible with fabric or netting and there are actually several threads about beardies that hurt their arm from getting caught in their hammock. Soft fabrics should not be included in their tanks, I would take it out.

Im off work tomorrow so I'll post a pic then! He's acting a little better I think, just really irritable. But he was letting me touch him and hand feed him today to an extent before moving away. My mom mentioned that his skin might be feeling tight because he should start shedding soon??
He doesn't act like the leg hurts too much, still runs around and climbs and he will let me touch it. But it is definitely bothering him

 

[AHBD]

Good to hear that he's feeling a bit better . But skin shedding will never cause a limp, he definitely sprained/pulled it somehow but it's probably just a light injury and will heal quickly.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Nelson is quite a handsome boy indeed! He looks so cute on his branch.
This is a relatively common thing for them to hurt themselves in some way, if they are really active.
I doubt anything is broken, but as already suggested, it sounds like he got it caught on something & sprained it. He is very young, so he should heal up pretty quickly.
Maybe take a few things out so he can't climb on them as much & hurt himself more. Just to let his arm heal up a bit faster for him.
At least he seems to be doing a little better. Definitely get calcium into him 5 times per week right now, because at his age he is growing rapidly.

Tracie

 

[Taralachelle]

Hello,

Nelson is quite a handsome boy indeed! He looks so cute on his branch.
This is a relatively common thing for them to hurt themselves in some way, if they are really active.
I doubt anything is broken, but as already suggested, it sounds like he got it caught on something & sprained it. He is very young, so he should heal up pretty quickly.
Maybe take a few things out so he can't climb on them as much & hurt himself more. Just to let his arm heal up a bit faster for him.
At least he seems to be doing a little better. Definitely get calcium into him 5 times per week right now, because at his age he is growing rapidly.

Tracie

Thank you tracie! as of right now I only have his bamboo root in there so he can bask. I'm also trying to only handle him once a day so he doesn't get hurt more, he just looks so sad right now lol

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Poor Nelson, I am sure he will heal quickly. He just wants more attention & you can't blame him.
I know he probably misses his tank decor, too. Let us know how he is doing.
I hope he ate something today.

Tracie

 

[Taralachelle]

Hello,

Poor Nelson, I am sure he will heal quickly. He just wants more attention & you can't blame him.
I know he probably misses his tank decor, too. Let us know how he is doing.
I hope he ate something today.

Tracie

He's still injured, but he is eating!
Poor thing is still limping around and I'm really worried. He's still decently active but he doesn't want to put weight on the leg, and it looks a little swollen with a small bump so I'm concerned that it might be broken ): I really hope that's not the case
Here's a few pictures of the leg (right leg) and his current enclosure which is really plain right now since I took out his big bamboo root to avoid him climbing so much or falling and getting hurt even more, I also lowered his light so that it is still the appropriate distance for his basking area

and one just because haha

 

[CooperDragon]

It's a good sign that he's eating. It was a good move to lower everything to make it easier on him. If you're concerned about a break, the best bet is to have a vet take an x-ray. They can use dental x-rays on dragons due to their small size. The dental x-rays are cheaper (under $100 at my vet) which is nice. If it's a break, they'll likely just immobilize the arm to allow it to heal. I'd continue to keep a close eye on him and try to prevent him from putting much pressure on it. It may be worth ordering some silk worms and offering those to him. They have a natural anti inflammatory in their system which may help. If you can't get them, you can try offering some serrapeptase which is what they contain.

 

[Taralachelle]

So I noticed today that Nelson has started dragging his back leg. I'm incredibly worried at this point and I am not sure what is wrong.

 

[BeardedDragonLover11]

Thats terrible!!!!!!!!!!! Well, definitely take him to the vet. He's handsome and cute and sweet Keep us posted!!