Limping past few days, now wont eat .. PLEASE HELP!!

[ronnieroach]

hey all,

my almost 1 year old (puff) was fine this past weekend. he was eating, pooping and running like a pro. out of nowhere on monday he starts limping. now he hasnt eaten in 3 days, or pooped. also, he hasnt shed his back in a few months .. his beard, arms, legs and tail have molted and are bright orange, but unless he ate it, we havent seen him shed his back.

his temp stays around 90-100 during the day & 70ish at night. he has a reptiglo 10.0 that we just got about a month ago to replace his original uvb. he gets a mix of romaine & crickets, with worms as a treat once or twice a month. we use rep-cal calcium & vitamins (calc 3-5 times a week / vitamns once a week). we werent giving him baths cuz he hates them so i recently started spraying him down every other day.

we have a vet appointment on friday morning but i am freaking out. he seems so sad and lathargic. its breaking my heart.

i'm so worried that we've hurt him somehow and its killing me. like i said, hes going to the vet in less than 48 hours but i could really use some peace of mind. could it be a bone issue even though hes had good care and uvb?? is there anything they can do if it is bone disease?? could he have fallen or landed wrong & stopped eating cuz he's in pain??

he did try one piece of lettuce on monday but that was it .. one little bite

SOMEONE PLEASE ADVISE ME and tell me if you think my little buddy will be ok!!

thanks, hope to hear not horrible news

 

[ronnieroach]

also, is there ANYTHING i can do to keep him comfy the next 36 or so hours until we see the vet? soak him? snuggle him? anything?

PLEASE ADVISE!!!!

 

[tf2185]

I'm not an expert, but I will try to offer some advice and ask questions that the others might. For his temps, we need three different temps. The hot side, the cool side, and the basking surface temp. What are you measuring these temps with? A probe, a temperature gun, or a circle dial? What size tank is he in and what is he using as his substrate? What type of heat light or you using? How close can he get to his lights?

I'm sure there are more questions but right now thats all I can think of. There is one main issue I have. The reptiglo 10.0 isn't a good UVB at all. Everyone here recommends the reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia. Something about the UVB wavelength is okay at first but it dies off really fast so that the light doesn't give off the proper UVB. This can cause a lot of health issues. I'm not sure why your little guy is limping, could he have fallen off of something? The UVB could contribute to this because of MBD, it ill let the experts know for sure.

I don't think hydrating him would hurt any so yes a nice soak might help. If anything it might encourage him to poop. For food, I would try baby food, squash or chicken, and use a needle less syring and see if he might eat that. I think right now until you find out what is going on maybe crickets aren't a good idea unless he does start eating them for you. If you think he might be in pain, you could try feeding him silkworms. They have an enzyme in them that help with the pain.

 

[AHBD]

I agree with tf285....he probably needs hydrated ASAP, has he been drinking at all ? If he's dehydrated, it could cause impaction + lethargy, and if the bulb was not producing good UVB, that could contribute to a calcium deficiency. Is there ANY way he could have hurt himself, kids in the house that might have dropped him + not told you ? Anything in the tank to cause impaction ? Other than that, try the baths, also baby food with a bit of olive or veg. oil. If he doesn't poo within a week, try baby food prunes [ just a little, not even 1/4 teaspoon. If it's warm weather in your area, try getting him in the sun, but completely supervised...it will help if there's been a lack of proper UVB. Those are conditions that can be reversed if caught earl;y !.

 

[ronnieroach]

he's in a 40 gallon breeder & gets right up under his 60watt heat bulb. i use crushed walnut for a substrate and have since he was 3 months, i think. as far as his temps, i only have the garbagey strips right now. i know they suck but i havent had a need to buy a probe since he's always so active & healthy looking.

i'm pretty sure uvb isnt the problem. he chills in the window almost everyday & even though the reptiglo strip lights burn out fast, its less than 2 months old. i dont shop online so i cant get the recommended bulbs.

and no kids, i'm the only one who handles him. i think its very possible that he could have jumped off his driftwood basking spot and hit his water dish or something.

thanks for the help guys. i'll take any suggestions i can to help him.

i'm praying he either shakes it off tmro or at the least that the vet can help him. i'll put myself in the poor house to keep him healthy. (even though i kinda already am)

 

[AHBD]

O.K., please don't panic, but he may be impacted because walnut substrate is notorious for causing it. You want to remove that substrate, and put down newspaper or non adhesive shelf liner. Give him some oil, baby food prunes or canned pumpkin. Give a supervised warm, shallow bath + gently rub his belly. See if that helps + let us know. Hope all goes well !!

 

[ronnieroach]

ok thanks guys, i'll try everything you said. he's already sleeping so i'll wait til tomorrow.

if he is impacted, are there any telltale signs? would it cause him to limp? like i said, the walnut has been his substrate for basically his whole life & he's always been regular. not doubting you, i def know nothing compared to you folks, i've just been told by a few reliable shops that the walnut is legit.

he isnt completely lathargic. when i put him in the window today his tail was up, as was his head, and he was looking all over the place. he definitely seems off though. i'm praying that by the time i get home tomorrow he poops out something. if only so i can have the vet test it.

will the vet be able to figure out what it is without his stool? if its not just a sore foot or something..?

thanks again guys!

i love puff so much, i only want him to be happy & healthy.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, please follow the suggestions, hopefully it will work. By the way, when he sits by the window, is it a screen ? Because UVB doesn't come through glass. Another suggestion, try turnip, mustard, collard greens, grated squash. The lettuce has very little nutrition. Also, you might put at least a 75 watt bulb, ....60 watts may not be heating it enough [ unless your house is hot all summer ? ] But you can get away with a hotter bulb as long as you have a large tank and you can observe where he prefers to be.

 

[ronnieroach]

hes in a 40 breeder with a nice tall piece of wood so i think the 60watt is fine. the 75 made it way too hot. and yeah the window is open and he sits on a towel in the sill, only a screen between him and the world.

i'm hoping its a mild impaction and i can help him this afternoon. am i correct thinking the impaction is causing his limp?!?! i'm praying i can help him today instead of waiting for the vet.

i'm gonna try everything you guys said as soon as i'm out of work.

THANKS SO MUCH!! i'll keep you guys posted.

 

[traceyb73]

I'm so sorry to hear about your little man. They sure do know how to scare us! As far as the temps, I have mine in a 40 gallon and I need 2-100 watt house bulbs (clear) to keep her basking spot up to 103. It depends on alot of factors (house temps, etc) but if the temps aren't high enough they can't digest properly. I bathe mine every night (I have too much time on my hands. lol) and last night, since she didn't poop all day, I rubbed her belly from between her front legs back to her vent, by the time I made the 3rd pass, she pooped for me. Worked really well. I wish I had answers for you as far as the limping, but my fingers (and toes!) are crossed for you that it's something simple. i personally have my little girl on paper towels and since they tend to lick everything and it is always possible he could ingest some of the walnut shells. I'm just using those until I can get tile in the viv, but it works for now and it's easy to clean up. I do have a few layers of newspaper underneath but the print freaks her out so I put just a single layer of pt down.

If you can get to a Petco (most other stores have this one also), they have a digital thermometer for $8. It's zoomed and it's yellow with a white probe. Those stick on thermometers can me 20 or more degrees off. Also, you want to keep an eye on the humidity. I know you said you have a water bowl in the viv. Most bearded dragons can't recognize standing water and offering drops of water on their mouth a few times a day, but the baths are enough. You want to keep the humidity below 39%.

I do have a question, when you say you feed worms as a treat, what kind of worms do you use? The reason I ask is meal worms are hard for them to digest with the thick shell and can also cause impaction. Please don't misunderstand, I am NOT trying to scare you, just trying to help. And don't forget, don't feed anything bigger than the space between his eyes.

Also, the reptiglo can really hurt their eyes. Most stores are good about returning products, if you are able. The reptisun 10.0 tube seems to be the best. I started out with a coil bulb (not knowing how bad they are) and I immediately saw a difference with her eyes. I know you have the tube but switching to the reptisun 10 may make a difference with the digestion too.

Good luck and please let us know as soon as you find out what's going on!

Tracey

 

[ronnieroach]

thanks so much for the help tracey .. i'm praying that if the vet doesnt kill my wallet so i can hit the other side of the state & search for a reptisun bulb .. the only ones any shop in a 50+ mile radius have arent strong enough for beardies (2.0, etc) and if thats the price of the probe i'm ashamed i havent bought one yet .. the thermom/hygrometer for my tortoise cost me $40 so i assumed they were the same price.

for worms, yeah i was giving him meal worms .. usually once a month but i havent given them to him in 3-4 weeks .. wont use those anymore

his temps were crazy high with the 75watt heat bulb and that was in winter. our house stays very warm in the room hes in .. its a 150 year old house so the heat is insane in the summer & the way we run our heat in winter i'm sure he's legit as far as temps .. when i used the 75 watt he couldnt even get near it

i'm gonna grab the syringe from work, prune baby food after i'm out & i'll get him in a nice bath as soon as i get home .. everybody say a prayer that my little puffer nutter cheers up a bit today

thanks again guys!! i really appreciate all the help!!

 

[Menolly]

I know you said you didn't shop online, but it would probably be much cheaper than driving 50 miles both ways especially with the price of gas. Just a thought.

 

[traceyb73]

Here is the one I have. It's on sale at this place for $5.40. Even better than $8! LOL And I would def suggest getting it online. If you use Paypal, you don't have to give your info out to any companies. It's the only way I do it. Can't be too safe!

Thermometer:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-thermometers-hygrometers/11442-511260/zoo-med-digital-thermometer-for-terrariums.html

This is what the reptisun 10.0 tube looks like (Looks like these are on sale too):
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html

You are absolutely in my thoughts and prayers. Please, please let us know what the vet says.

 

[ronnieroach]

hey everybody,

great news! the vet says puff's limp wasn't due to impaction; its an injured ligament. not too bad though. he did say that because of not pooping he should be flushed out, so i let him give puff an enema. he perked up within 10 minutes and had better color than i've seen from him in a month.

hopefully he eats something tomorrow. doc says to leave him be for the weekend and just let him chill out (and hopefully eat).

the doc also said he was one of the best looking beardies anyone has brought in. weight, color, length, everything as it should be, if not better. i was very pleased to hear that!!

thanks again for all the advice, friends!! i'm just prayin the docs right and all will be well. fingers crossed!

 

[traceyb73]

That makes me so happy!! I will sleep better tonight and I am NOT being sarcastic. You and Puff have been on my mind alot. YAY!!!!!!