Need help! Beardie has a swollen leg and foot!

[RachhFloynter]

Okay don't start abusing me but I have a male and female bearded dragon, they were housed together and as its mating time I'm not quite sure but we can see puncture marks in her front left leg and she's missing tips off her toes.. So we are assuming he bit her. They're currently seperated and he's never been this aggressive before... I've soaked her leg in diluted bentadine (as I've been told to) and I'm just wondering if there is anything else I can do before taking her to a vet. Where I live we only have one reptile vet that I know of though he isn't there all the time. Should I just take her to the vet ASAP or can I fix it? In the last few days the swelling has gone down and looks much better. From now on I will be having them seperated forever.. Unless I want them to have babies. We put them down on the mat and he automatically went to mate with her and she tried to get back at him. At first I thought the leg was broken but she can move it, when she is resting it, she sticks it out facing the back of her.. She doesn't put much pressure on it but places the tips of her fingers on the ground and was waving it around glass dancing..

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....yes, definitely keep them apart. He is an aggressive dragon and far worse can happen than that. As for her leg, can you post pics ? You ca put them on photo bucket , then copy/paste the IMG here. If the swelling has gone down it is probably healing....if it's not mangled it may heal just fine but a vet visit is recommended if it doesn't get better . You can also dab it with a diluted betadine solution, then when it's dry put neosporin on it. Make sure she is not on any loose substrate at all, as this can make the wound worse. Beardies usually recover well from wounds....just watch very carefully for infection or if it looks worse in any way. I hope she does well !

 

[RachhFloynter]

http://instagram.com/p/tya7Hcotif/ this was when it first happened
http://instagram.com/p/t2LXOZotqM/ This was the day or 2 after when I put bentadine on it
http://instagram.com/p/t8jC2HotqO/ this is today (her foot is stained from sand)
http://instagram.com/p/t8jC2HotqO/ this is also today. The swelling has gone down especially her toes because you couldn't spread them before they were all tight and closed together
http://instagram.com/p/t8jWEOotqu/ this is how she lays it when she's Lying down
http://instagram.com/p/t8kY-6otsW/ this is what happens when she walks on it. She's also been moving it when glass dancing, Im not sure if it is broken, she is still eating properly and pooing properly and it hasn't slowed her down I just don't know what else I can do before taking her to the vet

 

[RachhFloynter]

They've been together for the last 3 years? They had two lots of babies last year and he's never been that aggressive.. Does this mean I cannot breed them now?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Rach....you are fortunate that he did not mangle or take it completely off. Have you ever seen babies with a missing foot ? If a baby, with little jaw strength, can do that to a sibling then imagine what an adult can do. I think her foot will be fine....better to keep her off sand....and watch for signs of worsening condition. In all honesty she is far too underweight from all the breeding....I would keep her out of breeding now, it's taking a tioll on her, she has no spare body fat and can become very ill or even possibly die with more egg producing. Now is the time to let her recuperate + gain a lot of weight. Any breeder will tell you that she's not in breeding condition. Let her go " out to pasture " now.

 

[RachhFloynter]

Well I wasn't planning on keeping them together from now on anyway, she's always been that weight? I feed her everyday with crickets and veggies.. She hasn't changed much.. And she's never been a big lizard, she's always been quite pertite and she's very actively and healthy otherwise... What else can I do then if she's under weight? She almost gorges herself on crickets and veggies; I'm willing to do more for her but I've never thought of her as unhealthy or underweight. Please help. My male is fat and is big enough (in my opinion).

 

[AHBD]

It's good that she has a good appetite, and she fortunately looks bright eyed + alert. If she gets a chance to be away from the male , her body will not be under the constant stress of producing dozens of eggs every year. That's what has taken all the extra nutrition from her....the demand on her system to develop the eggs. So on her own she can relax, eat and fill out a bit. Just give her plenty of everything that she likes. You can even feed her insects twice a day some days to get her caught up...crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, superworms are all good, as well as good greens like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion, and some squash. I think she'll thank you !

 

[RachhFloynter]

It's good that she has a good appetite, and she fortunately looks bright eyed + alert. If she gets a chance to be away from the male , her body will not be under the constant stress of producing dozens of eggs every year. That's what has taken all the extra nutrition from her....the demand on her system to develop the eggs. So on her own she can relax, eat and fill out a bit. Just give her plenty of everything that she likes. You can even feed her insects twice a day some days to get her caught up...crickets, dubia roaches, hornworms, superworms are all good, as well as good greens like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion, and some squash. I think she'll thank you !

Oh awesome! Thankyou so much! Does it matter If their tanks are next to each other? Does that put stress on her? Theyre constantly glass dancing to each other too..

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome ! And yes, definitely keep them out of sight of each other for both their sakes, she will be almost as stressed just seeing that he's right there and he will be upset that he can't get with her.

 

[RachhFloynter]

You're welcome ! And yes, definitely keep them out of sight of each other for both their sakes, she will be almost as stressed just seeing that he's right there and he will be upset that he can't get with her.

Update; she's now putting a bit of pressure on her leg while walking,
She's 3 years old and I'd really like to know how much I should be feeding her? I know I seem like I've been treating them wrong but I just don't know anymore as I read so many different things

 

[kieren95]

Hi

 

[RachhFloynter]

http://instagram.com/p/t-Bno6Ithk/ how's this tank for my beardie?

 

[AHBD]

Oh, that's a beautiful tank....is that hers ? Very spacious and nicely done. As for feeding her, let her eat pretty much as much as she wants, but if you give her superworms and she hasn't had them before, just offer 6-7 at a time because some beardies will gorge on them at first and possibly vomit later because they gobble them like candy without chewing totally. So supers are safe, but not in the same quantity as the crickets. You might feed her say....10 large crix in the earlier part of the day, then 5-6 large supers later , but always allow at least 3 hours more in the evening to bask in the heat if you feed her after 6-7 P.M. If she wants to eat 15 -20 crix, that's O.K too....and be sure to offer plenty of veggies. She may never gain alot more weight in her legs because those develop as the dragon grows, but she should fill out some over all.

 

[RachhFloynter]

Oh okay thankyou! Unfortunately that's not her tank but I'm shopping around for a new one as my male has the good tank at the moment because there is sand in it

 

[RachhFloynter]

Oh okay thankyou! Unfortunately that's not her tank but I'm shopping around for a new one as my male has the good tank at the moment because there is sand in it

Is this tank good as well?
http://instagram.com/p/t_MEbvotm0/