HELP MY BEARDIE IS ACTING STRANGE

[kernel4lyla]

Hi all, I hope you can help me, my beardie is only about 3 month old. She is almost acting like she has brain damage, she can't move correctly, its not MBD and i have been told that it could be nurilogical, swelling she might have fallen and just to keep her warm and she should come good. Everytime I pick her up she buries her head hard on my hand and tries to roll, when i put food in her enclosure she chases it however she is kinda off if you get ehat i mean!. I have her housed with another beardie and he is fine. They got treated for coxcidda about 4 months ago, and they have now been cleared of that. She lives in a 4ft fish tank, with heat light and UVB5 globe, I have taken anything she could fall from out, I use newspaper as flooring, she feds on crickets, woodies, squash, banana, apple, broccoli, snow peas, and potatoe. Please help me I don't know what to do.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry your baby is not doing well.
Could you run over your tank setup for us?
What type & brand of UVB light are you using, a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
Are you in the UK or Australia? You mentioned woodies & we here in the US don't have them as feeders.
What are the temps in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use?
Do you supplement with calcium regularly, 5 times per week?
What is in her tank that she could have fallen from? Are you sure that the other dragon did not injure her?

Tracie

 

[kernel4lyla]

I am in Australia and woodies are quite a common feeder over here. I use UVB5 and it is a flurescent tube I think the brand is Repti glo or something green packaging and I only replaced it 2 months ago, the tank is 4ft. It is a glass tank, so the heat finds it easy to escape, but i have 100wat heat light in there it is set between 32 and 35 degrees at the moment because she is unwell i have been advised to keep her as close to the heat as possible. He hasn't hurt from what I have seen, they have never shown any agression towards each other. She jumped off my hand the other day into a tub on crickets it was about 10cm drop, but this happended when she did the rolling thing i mentioned. I am taking her to my vet tomorrow night but I am not sure if she will be able to do much. I first thought it was MBD but the symtoms aren't the same or even similar! I supplement her diet with calcium and vitams, the vitamins once a week and the clacium almost every day. They can get to within 25 to 30 cm of the flurescent light aswell. The only other thing she couldv'e fallen from was the top of shoe box that I use as there hidy hole! Please help I only lost my other my yellow face 2 months ago to coxcida, I can't go through this again!

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello,

Sorry about your little one not feeling well. I know it is hard when you are worried to get answers to all the questions asked. If you could though, get this info for Tracie, it will make it easier for her to help you. The type of UVB and heat you use play a vital role in the health of your beardie.

It is very important she knows how you are measuring your temps. Are you using a digital thermometer with a wire and probe end, stick on thermometer or a temp gun?

You mentioned your heat being between 32-35 deg celsius, is that at the basking spot? The reason I ask is,that is a little on the low side. Normally you would want to keep basking temps, for a baby beardie, between 41-43 deg celsius and a coolsde of about 27-29 deg celsius.

Just to make sure...the UVB you mentioned, is that the ReptiGlo 5 fluorescent tube?

Sorry about making you answer more questions....just trying to help you get some results a little quicker.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

As Dawn suggested, your basking temps are too low. The UVB light, if it is a Reptiglo 5 or a Reptiglo 10, are not the greatest lights as far as UVB emissions go. Some people claim they have had no problems with them, while others have had lots of issues with them. I recommend the Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12% flourescent tube bulbs over the Exo terra Reptiglo tube bulbs, unless you have the 8 which is a good bulb.
How are you certain it is not metabolic bone disease, was a blood test done?
Where did you get the dragon? It is possible that she is a product of inbreeding, which can cause problems neurologically.
How do her eyes look, are they bright or are they sunken in?
Are you using a bright white light for the heating & basking area in conjunction with the UVB light?

Tracie

 

[kernel4lyla]

Yes it is the ReptiGlo 5 fluorescent tube, it's the only one they stock at my pet store, I got her from a very highly regarded breeder, her eyes look a little sucken in, but she actually looked better today and has stopped the rolling, she is still moving a little strange but better than the last week.

I use a thermometer with a wire probe at the end, but it is not digital, it has a dial. I will be turning the heat up to 41-42 tonight, now that I know that, that wasn't the information I was given to begin with. I haven't had her tested for MBD, however have been on the phone to a herp vet and he said that I am doing everything correctly and that her symptoms don't sound like MBD.

I have a vet appt tonight for her, i guess I will have to see what she says. I will try and hunt for lights you mentioned. I don't use a white light for heat, should I be? What do you recommend. I use a purple coloured heat light, its what they stock here, I have seen ceramic heat lights should I get one of those?

 

[kernel4lyla]

Hi,

Thank you Tracie and Dawn, I wanted to let you both know that my little baby Lyla is now back to normal behaviour and that I didn't have to take her to the vets, she came good on her own, maybe it was just a bump to the head that made her disorientated. Thank you once again.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Glad to hear Lyla, sweet name by the way, is doing better!

As for your basking light, yes it should be a bright white light. It doesn't neccesarily have to be a store bought basking bulb, it can be a household bulb(halogen flood). The ceramic heat emitter(CHE) you would only want to use at night if the temps drop below 65 degrees.

Keep us updated on your little girl.

Dawn

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Good to hear that your baby is doing better. Are you sure that she just wasn't really dehydrated?
Also, just to let you know that the Reptiglo 5 flourescent tube bulb does not emit much of any UVB emissions. So you will need to get a new UVB pretty soon, or she wont be able to absorb any calcium or vitamins properly. Most here use the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb or if you are in the UK, the Arcadia D3 12% flourescent tube bulb.
If you need anything, just let us know!

Tracie

 

[kernel4lyla]

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for advice, she wasn't dehydrated, Her symtoms came back on Friday, so I took her to the Vets, whom said and always had said that my tank set up is great, I can't find Reptisun globes anywhere... Anyhow as I do live in Australia and Bearded Dragons are native to my country, mine actually get quite a bit of UVB as I handle them everyday and they go outside in the sun every chance they getup to 5 days a week if the weather is good. What Lyla did have was an middle ear infection, which made her off balance and she was doing the rolling because she didn't want to move her leg cause she was off balance! She is on Antibotic now and is doing really well!

Tash.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Poor little Lyla! Having an ear infection is awful enough for us, I cannot even imagine what it would be like for a bearded dragon. Well I am so glad you got her to the vet and she is doing better.

Please keep us updated as to how Lyla is doing!

Dawn

 

[Drache613]

Hello Tash,

That was good you got her to a vet. An inner ear infection is not real common, but does happen. The symptoms did point to a viral or bacterial infection or just an infection, in general. Did her ears get wet somehow?
Do you have a vitticeps or a barbata?
How is her appetite doing today? I hope she is feeling better.
Great they get sunlight daily that helps immensely. How often do you give calcium supplements?

Tracie

 

[kernel4lyla]

Hi Tracie

Lyla & her mate Kernel have a shallow water bowl, so it is possible that her ears got wet. I supplement calcium to them atleast 5 times a week in their veggies. Lyla's appitite hadn't changed the whole time she was sick, she is looking much better today and her movement is almost back to normal. They are eastern bearded dragons, I not sure if that is Vitticeps or Barbata, but if you can tell how to put a pic up on here I will.

Thanks Tash.

 

[spurlee01]

Just a quick question, not to steal the post or anything.
Should I be taking precautions to make sure my dragons don't get their ears wet in the bath? If I see water near there ears after the bath I will dab it off with a t-shirt or towel, but will never of course put anything in their ears. I've been dripping water onto the dragons heads while in the bath thinking this would help keep the skin moist for when shed time comes around and some does drip towards their ears. Should I stop doing this?
Sara

 

[slipknot777]

hello don't keep two beardies housed together because later in there lives they will fight. Great hes up and running hope he still heathy. JOHN L