I'm taking care of a Dragon that might have MBD!?

[hrdedman]

Hi everyone,

I just took in my niece's Beardie, Speedo, yesterday and I believe he has that bone desease, I think the acronym is MBD, from lack of calcium.
So, here is the info I got from my niece:
she got him at about 4 weeks old from a pet store, he is now about 2 yrs old
Speedo has been fed greens daily, not sure if they were always the right kind but I will start feeding him collard and mustard greens
she had him on sand for quite a long time until I told her that can be bad for their digestion, now he is on repti carpet
Speedo gets 4-5 days a week at about 2 hours a day of natural sunlight
yesterday I found out that Speedo only got calcium dusted crickets about once a week and no vitamin dusting at all

Here are his symptoms: (this is from what I saw and can remember from yesterday)
He seems to have trouble moving his legs, back legs are almost always straight, has very little coordination when it comes to walking
flips over on his back sometimes
very lethargic
I gave him a bath and he immediately started to drink the bath water
seems to be very skinny and dark in color, but that might be his normal color
he ate about 20 wax worms and 5 phoenix worms yesterday

So I guess my real concern is, are these symptoms permanent or can this Beardie be restore to have better mobility?
What can I do to save this beardie?

Thanks for all the advice,

Harry

 

[AHBD]

Poor Speedo....thankfully he's eating + drinking. That's a good and hopeful sign in any animal. Can you post a pic ? First off, no one can really say how much he can improve. There's some possible neurological damage, and/ or definite vitamin/ mineral deficiency. He'll probably improve to a certain degree, but it's hard to say how much. A truly qualified vet may do bloodwork and determine a few problems. You might want to wait a bit to take him, before stressing him at the vet, and give him the good greens you mentioned, plus rehydrating in the bath. Just possibly a week or so to get a little food + drink in him. Waxworms aren't a great staple, if you could get some crickets [ you may need to pull legs off so he can get them, or hand feed ] or horn worms or Dubias, and be sure to give calcium as well as a good multivitamin. I'm sure others will chime in with helpful advice.

 

[dragonlover3]

Hi,
Poor little guy, I'm glad you rescued him. Can you post photo of him in his set up?
What is Speedo's length and weight? That's good he will drink from his bath.
A daily bath/soak for 10-15 minutes will keep him hydrated, I'd use only shallow water up to his elbows and support his head at all times,
When was his last poo?...hard?...loose?...runny?...did it have bright white urate with it?
I'd remove everything he can climb on and/or fall off of in his weakened condition. A bare tank is safer for him. I'd place something soft and comfy for him to lay/rest on. Fleece is great as it doesn't snag on their scales but any soft material will work. { Many of us provide soft blankies for even our healthy dragon's comfort.}

Can you go over his set up? Getting his environment to optimum will help in his recovery.
Has he ever had a UVB light? What UVB do you have for him now?....What do you use for a basking light?
What thermometer do you measure temps with?....dial, strip, digital probe or temp gun? Only digital probe or temp gun will give accurate temp reading. Accurate temps are critical to digestion and absorption of nutrients and supplements.
What are the 3 temps...basking surface?....hot end?....cool end?
What is his current diet? Here is a link to a color coded, easy to use nutrition list. Most here recommend and use it! http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

A moderator here, Tracie, user name Drache613 is very experienced in all things beardie. She is an excellent resource and will be able to help you with many things including liquid calcium dosing for him.

There is a member on here with user name Shannybeard who rescued a beardie who has severe MBD. This is the link to her thread about him and his care. She has done remarkable caring for and rehabilitating him. There is excellent information on that thread and she will have some great advice for you as well. viewtopic.php?f=49&t=162368
Amanda

 

[hrdedman]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I'm lame, been too busy to respond. First off thanks for every ones help/advise.

Has he ever had a UVB light? yes
What UVB do you have for him now?....What do you use for a basking light? Reptisun 10, with 100W house hold lightbulb
What thermometer do you measure temps with?....dial, strip, digital probe or temp gun? Temp gun
What are the 3 temps...basking surface? 110 hot end? 100 cool end? 74-80
What is his current diet? mostly crickets dusted with repti-cal 5x a week and reptivite 2x a week (I usually hand feed him) greens daily (mustard, collards, dandilion greens, butternut squash and occasional blue berries).

Since I posted this I have noticed a new issue has risen, when I feed him he ends up biting his tongue and wont eat any more. Anyone have this problem or suggestions as to what I can do?

Here are some picks sorry no video yet:

Night one

Sunning outside week 2

chilling in his cage last week

Harry