My beardy is dragging his back legs/ stiff back legs?

[madamadam14]

quick update, I just gave him a 15 minute warm water bath with liquid calcium inside. towards the last 6 mins he strained to get a little bit of poop out I felt of it and it was a little bit hard I dont think that was all of the impaction if there is one but he did loose his stress marks a bit and even use his back legs a little! im still going to try to get the vet to see him today

 

[cmoo]

I'm not an expert, but some of the symptoms you described sound very similar to my beardie with MBD. She has it as a result of improper uvb lighting in the pet store. Her back legs are stiff and almost always straight, and to walk she army crawls on her forearms. I was able to upload a video of her on YouTube and get input from more experienced users on this board, so this may be something you would want to do as well.
It's great that you upgraded to a tube UVB. The t8 is not as strong as a t5 fixture, so you will want to make sure it's mounted inside the tank and is 6-8" from the dragon. Also make sure the uvb is near the basking spot, so he can have maximum exposure. Proper UVB is essential if MBD is suspected.
You might also consider using Black soldier fly larvae as a staple feeder. They're high in calcium and soft bodied, so do not lose a risk of impaction.
If you're worried about nighttime temps, a CHE is better than the red light, which will disrupt sleep patterns and cause other issues. But they do naturally drop their body temperature at night and "shut down" a bit metabolically while sleeping. That's nothing to worry about.

 

[Gormagon]

Impaction will cause the symptoms you have described, keep working with the lukewarm baths and see if he will go again. I say after he improved a little from passing some of it, it only stands to reason the passing more would improve his condition more.
And yes proper uvb is a must for these critters.

 

[madamadam14]

OK! So i went to the vet today an had an emergency check up done. they de-wormed him and he tested positive for 2 kinds of parasites! they said that one of these parasites would have messed with him neurologically which could be why his legs were not working they prescribed 5 days of medication and powdered food for him and they want to see me again in 2 weeks to make sure they have everything gone

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
Which worm & parasite did they say he had? Do you know what medications they prescribed
for him?
Is he eating much right now?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Vandy]

Sounds good good real good

 

[Jsilverback64]

Not trying to sound mean here. But you may want to be a little more responsible with your pets. You've had one die. You acquire a pet without the proper equipment to take proper care of it. It seems you cannot afford to feed your pet properly also. Another living things entire life is in your hands and it's not for you to just make him suffer. It's not right to get an animal just because it's cool or neat. You've followed almost zero advice given by these experienced keepers.

[Posted by moderator: This owner is already upset by what is going on and certainly doesn't need you to remind them that they had one beardie die. We do not allow rude behavior on this forum and it will not be allowed. There are nice ways to word things without being hurtful or rude. Please consider how you would feel if in the same situation and read the rules regarding our Rude Behavior policy: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=65765]

 

[Vandy]

They did take the dragon to the vet though which is a good sign of a responsible vet owner

 

[madamadam14]

all i can say is i tried am trying my best, every since th ebeggining i tried to provide the best i could ligting ect... and were i couldnt do my best i still tried to provide the best for my dragons. where i couldnt find healthy feeder insects i suplemented it for what i thought was the best and was told was the best, i have always come to these forums for advice in raising my first dragona nd turned right around to the petsmat to buy those items only to find out they were not the best. when i found out my dragon was sick i schedualed an apointment for thursday and i couldnt sleep knowing he was not happy i paid one hundred and fifty dollars for an emergency exam nearly a week before my appointment because i wanted him to be happy. i dont buy pets to own them beccause they are cool i buy them because i want to make happy animal friends and i have had 2 happy ferret friends for 5 years i just want this dragon to be another happy friend... i feel ashamed and taken advantage of that this happened i did my research and knew what he needed i bought those things and im only just finding out thanks to the wanderful people here that they were not the best im at work now and am going to return the bulb and hood for abetter one online , i am not iresponsibe with my pets jsut misguided i cant even explain right now how hard im working to make sure he stays healthy im syringe feeding every day till he eats on his own and im going to take him out in the sun to kick start his processing of calcium im sorry if you dont believe me all i can say is im trying and im sorry

 

[madamadam14]

I just got back form work and I rested him on my tummy for a bit, I like how he looks up at me curiously and he was licking his lips I think it was because there was some shed hanging form his chin I gently wiped it away and and scratched his nose and I noticed he became very colorful and allot of his stress marks went away, I think he likes having his nose scritched, He also crawed up and down my arm and rested on my hand for a bit. I put him bacok into his terrerium and he whent after a roach but could not catch it so I brought it to him and he wasnt interested anymore :C oh and his abck legs seem to move more each day! I think hes gonna get better

 

[JessPets]

Not trying to sound mean here. But you may want to be a little more responsible with your pets. You've had one die. You acquire a pet without the proper equipment to take proper care of it. It seems you cannot afford to feed your pet properly also. Another living things entire life is in your hands and it's not for you to just make him suffer. It's not right to get an animal just because it's cool or neat. You've followed almost zero advice given by these experienced keepers.

Although I totally get where you are coming from, you have to understand something: places like PetSmart and Petco tell their customers things, and I mean, why shouldn't you believe them? They act like they know things and work at a petstore, so people assume they are right- which sadly is not the case. Yes, the OP should of researched ahead of time, prepared an ideal set up, etc etc, what's done is done and all we can try to so is help. No offence, but telling someone they shouldn't of gotten something they already have is not helping them at all.

 

[madamadam14]

Thats exactly my point I researched what bearded dragons need for a set up and I bought the very best that I could find I bought the biggest bearded dragon kit I could buy and it is a huge tank, The thing did come with sand and I ditched it because of the research I did but everything seamed fine like the uvb bulb that I ultimately had to ditch... I just thought I could have trusted them with at least the products they sell... I have probobly spent nearly 300-400 dollars in the last 4 days trying to get everything this lil guy needs to be happy. this is what I mean I am responsible I researched what they need and I tried to buy it for him in store not online because I wanted him to have what I believe he needed right awy that day because I dont want him to be at risk or unhappy a second longer. I am responsible willing to do anything I need to help him grow I was just misguided by pet shop gimmicks and I feel terrible but whats done is done All I can do is take all the money i have waisted on lesser qaulity products as a loss and a lessen as soon as it is time to change this bulb I will be switching to an acadia as recommended by all of you

 

[AHBD]

You're doing a great job and bending over backwards to help your little guy. It definitely sounds like impaction, and thankfully it sounds like he's improving. Parasites should not cause this problem, the vet may just be guessing. What meds. is he on now, and how is his appetite ?

 

[madamadam14]

the fecal results showed he had, motile protozoan parasites and coccidia thats the one that may cause neurological issues effecting mobility.
they gave me 5 syringes of ponazuril and they gave him metronidizole at the hospital and hes supposed to get that again on our next visit i believe, they also gave me a large pill bottle of powdered carnivore care to feed him until he eats on his own

 

[Cinnasticks]

Not trying to sound mean here.

Well, you were. If you have to preface something with "not trying to sound mean," stop and consider if what you're about to say really is mean.

But you may want to be a little more responsible with your pets. You've had one die. You acquire a pet without the proper equipment to take proper care of it. It seems you cannot afford to feed your pet properly also. Another living things entire life is in your hands and it's not for you to just make him suffer. It's not right to get an animal just because it's cool or neat. You've followed almost zero advice given by these experienced keepers.

You're being awfully presumptuous. I understand where you are coming from, as once upon a time I would have reacted the same way. But your words in no way help the OP, that animal, or any other animal. You are simply hurting someone else's feelings and achieving nothing. You offered no help, and no advice. You put your self righteous rant as a priority and lost any ground to make a meaningful impact on the OP other than to wound them.

OP, you are being responsible by going through the lengths you have taken to help your beardie friend. Yes, it doesn't sound like you were absolutely prepared. Neither was I, and much of the advice I had taken from the breeder and various other local breeders have all been varied and different. It's easy to trust the wrong person because their methodology worked for them, but it may not work for you or your beardie. I was sold a pair of juveniles, the wrong UVB bulb, and have heard and read so many various other tidbits of husbandry advice that it's dizzying. And pet store employees are rarely a good source of information; often they are forced to advise particular products because at the end of the day only the sales matter to corporate.

It sounds like your beardie definitely has some gastric upset, and it can lead to a lot of the problems you describe. His diet was irregular for a length of time, and this will cause a chain reaction to his gut health that can increases the chances of impaction. Impaction, as a result, can place too much pressure against various parts of the spinal column and cause temporary (sometimes permanent, if not addressed immediately) paralysis. If he did test positive for worms and especially coccidia, it will have a huge impact on his ability to digest and evacuate feces and contribute to the bulk and pressure on his spine. Coccidia is a naturally occurring thing that we all have, and should be in your beardie's poo. However, it can bloom and grow out of control, especially if the beardie is stressed and not receiving proper nutrition and light.

You're fixing the light, you're bathing him to help him poo, and it sounds like you're trying to fix the diet while treating the worms. I say you're being responsible and doing right by your beardie, now. If you're having trouble finding live feeders in your area, I HIGHLY recommend finding an online distributor. I used PetSmart feeders once when I ran out and was waiting on an order, and my beardie got parasites from the damn things. PetSmart employees are part-time, minimum wage and I doubt they clean that cricket container as frequently as it should be.