my dragon looks like it cramps up

[sandfirebeard]

Hi there everyone, i am proud to be a new member of bd.org, now i no where to go when i have problems i am not familiar with such as my new addition beardy named Slick.
he is is redsnow/sandfire x redflame/sandfire , i had him about 4 months and i went to go feed and mist my dragons and snakes like every other day except today was different right before i put the crickets into Slicks cage i noticed sort of a cramping motion on him his back leg started twitching and his spine right towards the begining of the tail twisted and curved like it cramped up and he was stif. The fingers on his front leg also cramped up into a fist form and this took about 20 secongs before he started coming back to me , i dont no what this can be cause it happened once and now he looks normal. thank you for taking time to read

 

[beardie parents]

It sounds like it could be a metalic bone disease problem. I've never really experienced this but I have read of it on here. To see if this could be a problem could you answer a couple of questions for us?

What type of calcium to you use?
What type of uvb do you have, a compact/coil, fluorescent long tube such as a reptisun 10, or a MVB?
What distance is the uvb to your beardie?
What are the temps in your tank?
What do you take them with?
What size is your tank?

 

[sandfirebeard]

What type of calcium to you use? it a type of dragon dust by t rex form my uncle
What type of uvb do you have, a compact/coil, fluorescent long tube such as a reptisun 10, or a MVB? i have a vitalight and 60 wat bulb also from my uncle he was a breeder but lives 8 hours away form me.
What distance is the uvb to your beardie? he is about 5 inches away
What are the temps in your tank? i have it up to 82degrees farenhieght but cooler at night
What do you take them with? i have temperature guages on the tank
What size is your tank? 20 gallon and i feed him 2 week old crickets medium

 

[LJean]

Hello,
I'm not sure that the vitalight is a good UVB light. Without a good UVB light, he can develop metabolic bone disease.
Also the basking temps should be higher to help with proper digestion. If still a baby dragon the temps on the basking spot should be between 105-110 degrees.
The stick on gauges aren't very accurite for checking temps, especially on the basking spot.
The dragon also needs a cool end.
He will need some calcium dust on one feeding a day for five days, and multivitamin two times a week.
I hope some of the more experienced members can help.

 

[sandfirebeard]

thanks alot for ur time and help but now i cant get him to eat and he isnt to much of a baby he is over 8 inches long and he does have a cooling spot. i am looking to get better light for it but still lacking money and my other dragon and snakes seem to be doing fine with the same lighting over the years this is the only one that i had that happen to. could it be a impaction even though it would be surprising because i feed him crickets according to the length between his eyes ?

 

[LJean]

My baby dragon was about 11" at 4 months old. 4 months is still a baby.

Has he been pooing regularly?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry, but the Vitalife is NOT a UVB light, but just an aquarium tank light. So, you will need to get a UVB light. The best flourescent tube bulb you can get is the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube. You can get that one at:
http://www.petmountain.com

Also, the stick on thermometers are not accurate in measuring the basking spot temperatures. We recommend either a digital probe or a temp gun. The recommended basking temperatures are 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82.
What sized tank are you using?
The dragon dust is ok, but it does not offer enough straight calcium in the dose. I suggest getting repcal calcium with D3 & it will need to be used 5 times per week.
He most likely has hypocalcemia which is a precursor to Metabolic Bone Disease. He has not had UVB lighting which has made it impossible for him to absorb calcium or synthesize D3 which puts his bones & his health at risk.
How is his eating & his appetite?


Tracie

 

[sandfirebeard]

thank u all for the support and hellp i got great news my lil fella made i gave him some apple sauce and and another warm bath and it came out to be a really big poo i was shocked that that much can come out fo him lol thank u all

Paul

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great that he went to the bathroom. You are still going to need to get a UVB light for him ok?


Tracie