just got a beardie off craigslist and its not healthy, MBD?

[ullose272]

hey guys and gals,
i just got another beardie off craigslist and he seems to have some problems, i noticed on the way home that he was very lethargic but once we got home it got worse. i started off by giving him a bath and set up his cage. but when i put him back in i noticed he couldnt even walk and cant lift himself off the ground. he moves very little during the day and our other dragon runs around all day. also he is very shaky when he moves his limbs. he is about 11 inches and i was told 8 months old. he seems very skinny and his beard area seems large almost swollen or fat. the kid i got him from said he calcium dusted but was only feeding him 6-10 crickets per feeding, twice a day and veggies. he gave me all the lights with and terrarium and i noticed that there was only a basking bulb and a sunglow bulb? so that means he was getting no uvb right. so im thinking that he might have MBD? am i on the right track? if so is there anything i can do?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Most likely, metabolic bone disease is probably the culprit!
What type of UVB light do you have? The best thing you can do is use a good quality UVB light such as the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb or the Megaray or T-rex mercury vapor bulbs. What sized tank do you use?
Also, if you can get some liquid calcium that would help him alot as he would absorb that alot better than the powdered calcium.
Right now, I would keep the basking spot really low so he doesn't have to climb right now to bask. That will keep him from hurting himself or falling.
Is he eating anything right now? Using phoenix worms or butterworms would be helpful since they have calcium in them & are good protein sources.
The Sun Glo is fine for a basking light, but no, it is not a UVB light. The Solar Glo is the mercury vapor light that has the UVB spectrum. That one is fine also, if you want to get that one. It is a 125 watt bulb.
Is he having any trouble going to the bathroom? How do his urates look?
The swelling of the beard can be attributed to several things such as a vitamin deficiency, improper heating & temperatures which cause digestion problems, & just overall malnutrition.
Perhaps you could post a picture of him, also.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[ullose272]

where can i get liquid calcium? the tank is a 40 gal feeder, would wax worms be ok? i went and got him a zoomed powersun 100watt. he has had a couple bowel movements, they seemeed kinda narrow but there was quite a bit there. is there any hope here? ive read that once this happens that theres really nothing you can do? ill try to get a pic up

 

[MeatHead]

where can i get liquid calcium? the tank is a 40 gal feeder, would wax worms be ok? i went and got him a zoomed powersun 100watt. he has had a couple bowel movements, they seemeed kinda narrow but there was quite a bit there. is there any hope here? ive read that once this happens that theres really nothing you can do? ill try to get a pic up

Liquid Calcium should be found at most pet stores. My local petsmart does not carry it, but Petland and Super Pets do however. Wax worms are high in fat but not calcium. I would consider returning the powersun 100watt. The powersun 160watt though is still a good bulb. While the older 100w stock is a great bulb there is an issue with the current stock that is causing health problems in the reptile community. Please read about it here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=105629. If you look online a lot of the reptile shops are discontinuing the bulb until ZooMed does further studies to correct the issue. Correct me if I am wrong but I think treatment depends on the severity of the MBD. For very mild cases just getting them on a good calcium and veggie diet may be enough to self correct, but if its really really bad, then the calcium and vitamin supplementation that you need might require vet care to try and save him. Don't let that get you down though, I Wish you the best of luck in helping this guy get back to full health!

 

[RioReptiles]

Send me your address and I'll send you some calcium glubionate if you would like. Cheryl

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How are things going for you? How is your dragon today, have you gotten any food into him today?
I will have to agree on the Powersun 100 watt. The newer models have been causing some problems with the eyes & overall health. You could opt for a Solar glo by Exo terra, a Megaray or a T-rex active UV heat if you want a mercury vapor bulb.
They can recover pretty well from cases of metabolic bone disease but it will take a little bit of time. Does he have any physical deformities that you can notice?

Cheryl, that was very nice of you to offer some calcium glubionate!

Tracie