Leg issue

[rio00]

We have a bearded dragon called Rio and she’s around 7/8 years old, she’s a very active lady (she’s currently sat window watching after just having a run around, it’s one of her favourite things to do). We were bathing Rio yesterday and when we got her out of the bath I noticed that her left back foot seemed a bit larger than the other, then on further inspection it looked like her ‘small toe’ appeared to have a small hole and some scabbing. On first glance they’d look like blackheads but it only looks like beardies get build up underneath their legs on the femoral glands and this isn’t that area.

We never leave insects in her vivarium as we know they could nibble her so I’m at a bit of a loss as to what could have caused the small hole and the scabbing. I’ve now got a bit of a fear that it may be gout or pre-gout but I’m not sure? I ordered some cherry juice last night and a new UV bulb in case the last one has stopped being effective as it has been a little bit of time since it was replaced. We’ve given her 0.5ml of diluted cherry juice this morning and have changed the UV lamp, we also may have had her diet ratio’d a bit wrong for her age so we’re going to reduce the protein and up the veggies.

I have tried to take some pictures to show the difference in her feet and also of the scabbing.
Her behaviour hasn’t been any different and she’s eating normally and drinking, she basks and is active on a daily basis, she also walks/runs on the foot like normal so I’m really not sure.
The pictures are from today, she’s ‘pancaked’ as I like to call it but is happy watching the cars pass.

 

[rio00]

I will also add that she has just begun her shed (it is starting on her nose) and that she moved home with us a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know if this could have been caused by stress from the move?

 

[KarrieRee]

I will also add that she has just begun her shed (it is starting on her nose) and that she moved home with us a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know if this could have been caused by stress from the move?

The one foot looks like it has a nip on it or scale missing maybe? Are you using a hammock in the tank? W/ it being the one foot is it possible she has gotten it stuck somewhere and pulled it maybe spraining it? She looks really plump-- Have you checked for eggs? Gout can be caused by too much uric acid and the vet would need to do a blood test to check for that- your UVB what are you using? Brand and bulb please coil or a tube? Shed will also cause swelling as well - Moving will cause relocation stress but that is more of a appetite thing

 

[rio00]

The one foot looks like it has a nip on it or scale missing maybe? Are you using a hammock in the tank? W/ it being the one foot is it possible she has gotten it stuck somewhere and pulled it maybe spraining it? She looks really plump-- Have you checked for eggs? Gout can be caused by too much uric acid and the vet would need to do a blood test to check for that- your UVB what are you using? Brand and bulb please coil or a tube? Shed will also cause swelling as well - Moving will cause relocation stress but that is more of a appetite thing

Hello, thank you for your reply. We’re not using a hammock in the tank, she does wander around our living room space freely (we do monitor but there’s nothing really dangerous for her to get into) so it could be possible that she’s sprained it. She tends to look quite large when she flattens out her belly which she was doing on those pictures so we haven’t thought to check for eggs. The tube we use is the Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 Bulb, 18w. I was going to keep monitoring her to see if it gets any better as she sheds.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello, thank you for your reply. We’re not using a hammock in the tank, she does wander around our living room space freely (we do monitor but there’s nothing really dangerous for her to get into) so it could be possible that she’s sprained it. She tends to look quite large when she flattens out her belly which she was doing on those pictures so we haven’t thought to check for eggs. The tube we use is the Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 Bulb, 18w. I was going to keep monitoring her to see if it gets any better as she sheds.

Where do you have the uvb ? Is it in the tank or top of your screen? I would recommend changing the brand out - if your using a T 8 I am thinking its a T 8 which tells me it needs to go inside your tank - T 8's are not strong enough to go thru screen - getting a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 is a better bulb but I would recommend eventually upgrading to a new fixture Zoo Med 24" w/a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 or a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/ a 12% bulb - or you can get a Sunblaster Nano Tech w/ either the Arcadia 12% or a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb - the T 8 would need to be directly above your basking decor piece 6-8 inches for best effectiveness - and no clear plastic cover over the bulb - it needs to be exposed - depending on your screen on the tank will determine where a T 5 would need to go - its more than likely shedding going on but you want good UVB in case it is something else -- the UVB is extremely important

 

[rio00]

Where do you have the uvb ? Is it in the tank or top of your screen? I would recommend changing the brand out - if your using a T 8 I am thinking its a T 8 which tells me it needs to go inside your tank - T 8's are not strong enough to go thru screen - getting a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 is a better bulb but I would recommend eventually upgrading to a new fixture Zoo Med 24" w/a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 or a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/ a 12% bulb - or you can get a Sunblaster Nano Tech w/ either the Arcadia 12% or a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb - the T 8 would need to be directly above your basking decor piece 6-8 inches for best effectiveness - and no clear plastic cover over the bulb - it needs to be exposed - depending on your screen on the tank will determine where a T 5 would need to go - its more than likely shedding going on but you want good UVB in case it is something else -- the UVB is extremely important

Yes it’s a T8 bulb and it’s inside the tank around 8 inches above her basking spot. I’ll look at replacing and upgrading the bulb we’re using now just to make sure it’s the best one possible for her. I’ll keep monitoring her whilst she sheds to see if it gets better, if it doesn’t look like it’s improving then we’ll take her to the vets to see if there’s any other causes. Thank you for your help

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

She looks good overall. I noticed that her fat pads on top of her head are a little sunken in, so she may need more
hydration right now. At around 8 years old, her need have likely change so your idea of reducing a little protein & trying
to increase vegetation should help a lot. The black or tart cherry extract addition can help out her kidneys, too.
As Karrie suggested, upgrading to a T5 tube would give her a great boost of UVB exposure.
If it is pre-gout then early detection can help to reverse it especially if it's just something as simple as hydration or even
supplementation & diet.

Tracie