Our New Adopted Beardie Suddenly can't walk

[flatlander_1965]

We adopted a four year old beardie from a friend this week. All he had in his tank was a ceramic heat lamp and a red bulb heat lamp. No UVB. We have put him under a UVB since we got him 5 days ago as well as a new heat lamp. He was fed a diet of crickets about once a week. We have been giving him turnip greens, superworms and wax worms and he has been eating quite well. Today when we got home we took him out of his tank and he couldn't walk very well, just sort of stumbled along. I think he may have fallen from his tree that he has in his tank but my husband thinks we are giving him too much uvb all at once since he didn't have any before we got him. I looks like his front leg is bothering him and he looks all flat like. My daughter is really upset over this. Any ideas.

 

[vickson420]

We adopted a four year old beardie from a friend this week. All he had in his tank was a ceramic heat lamp and a red bulb heat lamp. No UVB. We have put him under a UVB since we got him 5 days ago as well as a new heat lamp. He was fed a diet of crickets about once a week. We have been giving him turnip greens, superworms and wax worms and he has been eating quite well. Today when we got home we took him out of his tank and he couldn't walk very well, just sort of stumbled along. I think he may have fallen from his tree that he has in his tank but my husband thinks we are giving him too much uvb all at once since he didn't have any before we got him. I looks like his front leg is bothering him and he looks all flat like. My daughter is really upset over this. Any ideas.

Hello
I am very sorry to hear your beardie isnt doing well.First let me say there is no way a good uvb light would be responsible for this but just to me safe can you tell me exactly what brand and type of uvb you have?There are some bad uvb lights out there although regardless I seriously doubt this has anything to do with it but it could hamper his recovery.How old is he?Did he go his whole life without UVB?Chances are he is suffering from MBD(metabollic bone disease) which makes their bines deformed and very brittle so yes it is quite possible he broke a bone during a fall but it is also possible for him to lose use of his legs from MBD even without falling.Are you giving him calcium?How often and what kind?It is important to get him on calcium ASAP and I also recommend getting him into the vet for an XRay to rule out any breaks and for a calcium injection.Is he moving the leg at all?

 

[flatlander_1965]

Yes he is moving all four legs but I can tell one is bothering him. I can't remember what type of uvb light it is but I did the research and I know it is a good one. I am pretty sure now that the previous owner had to have been giving him some type of uvb because he is a good color and his legs don't seem to be deformed at all. We are going to get him checked out tomorrow.

 

[vickson420]

Yes he is moving all four legs but I can tell one is bothering him. I can't remember what type of uvb light it is but I did the research and I know it is a good one. I am pretty sure now that the previous owner had to have been giving him some type of uvb because he is a good color and his legs don't seem to be deformed at all. We are going to get him checked out tomorrow.

Good that he is moving his legs.Do me a favor because I cannot express how important this is and look directly on the bulb.Its stamped with the brand and percentage.Also is it a tube or a coil/compact.Thats the most important part because the coil/compacts are terrible and at times can do more damage then good.The coloring and lack of deformity is great but thats not a sure sign that he had proper uvb and calcium because I have seen many that externally look ok but just grow smaller and have brittle bones so I am a little concerned about that still.I am glad he is getting checked out let me know what they say.

 

[chadwick757]

Please not that if you are using the red bulb at night this can cause stress for the reptile. A ceramic heat emitter would be better. Some will tell you that they cant see the light. However all of the documentation I have seen indicates they can see the full color spectrum and into the UV spectrum. This isn't the biggest deal in the world but the only advantage of the red bulb is that you can see them better at night. It would be like you trying to sleep with someone shining a red light on you. Its less irritating than a white light, but you would probably wish someone would turn it off.