My bearded dragon has a limp, what should I do ?

[Arlothemightybeardie]

Hello,
I recently got this baby bearded dragon ( two months and a few weeks old ) and he is limping, what should I do ? Is it the substrate ? Maybe a broken leg ? He is active, eats and likes to explore. His eyes are bright and he seems healthy. I just ordered the ReptiSun 10.0 since I heard ReptiGlo bulbs were bad, he has a ceramic heat lamp and lives in a 30 gallon tank. Please Help ! I'm scared that he is in pain and would like to help him.

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor guy. It's a good sign that he is alert and moving around. Can you post some videos of him? You can upload them to a host like vimeo or youtube and then link to the video here using the URL button.

Can you give a rundown of his setup? What are the temperatures in his tank and what do you use to measure them?

What brand of UVB and wattage do you use? How far is it from the basking spot (this is very important)?

Does he have a bright white basking bulb?

Are you dusting bugs with calcium supplement?

If you want to post photos you can upload them here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.

With some more info, I'll be glad to help you fine tune everything for your buddy and make it just right.

 

[Arlothemightybeardie]

I am not currently using any UVB light (waiting for my reptisun), he does not have a bright basking light, but he has light from my house so he can see. His basking spot is 90°, the hot side 80° and the other side of the tank 70°. I use the exoterra round thermometer. He has two caves, one is under his basking spot ( It's about 2" to 3" high and really easy to climb on) from which he can get on a bridge that sticks on the wall with suction cups. He can also get on the bridge by climbing on the part that's touching the ground (obviously). He is at about 2 inches from his ceramic heat lamp when at the top of the bridge. The lamp is 60watts if this helps. The other cave is on the cool side, pretty low (about 1"and a half) and he can get on top of it easily although its pretty smooth. He also has one of those half tube log. I am dusting his bugs with calcium supplement I'm not sure what kind I'll have to check when I go back home from school. He eats very tiny mealworms since my mom does not want crickets in the house. My mom thinks he just walks like that, like he's not hurt or anything but he just limps around like some of humans do.

Thank you sooooo much for your help I am scared to death that he is hurt and we live in a very small town so the only vets around only work on farm animals so they can't check him. I really hope he is fine.

I'll post a video of him when I get home. I can also post a picture of his terrarium if it helps.

 

[CooperDragon]

OK that could be a big part of the problem. It's quite important to make some changes. He needs a bright white basking light along with a UVB light to be able to digest food and absorb nutrients properly. Which ReptiSun did you order? I suggest also getting a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun so you can accurately read the surface temperatures and adjust the lighting as needed. https://www.amazon.com/Nubee-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK or this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017N8W90/ or similar. You want to make the basking spot be between about 100-110 and the cool side of the tank should be around 75-80 or so.

The ceramic heat emitter is much too close and could cause a burn. I wouldn't keep it any closer than about 12'' which should be well out of reach. They are useful as a nighttime heat source if the temps in the tank go below about 65 overnight. Otherwise they aren't really needed.

For food, he needs a variety of bugs, especially those that are calcium rich. If crickets are not allowed, then I suggest ordering black soldier fly larvae from here http://www.symtonbsf.com/store/c8/High_Calcium_Feeding_Grade_Grubs.html Silk worms are also a good option as a feeder.

 

[Arlothemightybeardie]

I ordered the ReptiSun 10.0 T5-Ho UVB 24w 22". I will make those changes with the lighting and the food. Thank you so much for your help. His name is Arlo by the way and, as you probably guessed, my first bearded dragon.

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a very good bulb. It should help out a lot.

 

[Arlothemightybeardie]

I am not able to post a video (sorry). Something isn't working with my phone and I don't have anything else to film with. But I have another problem : He won't eat, should I go to the vet if he's in so much pain he won't eat ?

 

[CooperDragon]

I would give him some time under proper temps with good UVB exposure and see if that helps first. A lot of times adjustments like that will make a big change on their own, especially when it comes to appetite. Don't hesitate to go to an experienced reptile vet if you feel it is necessary though.

 

[Arlothemightybeardie]

OK, I will wait and see, thank you so much for your help

 

[Arlothemightybeardie]

He is way stronger now and is not limping anymore ! I'm so relieved, thank you so much for your help !

 

[CooperDragon]

That's great news! I was hoping some high quality lighting would make the difference =)