Paralyzed leg, update!

[Lisadee216]

My beardie is 5 months old, in good health, a good eater....last night I noticed he wasn't eating much, but he did eat a few crickets. I gave him a bath last night, he just molted, but is just about done. Today, when I picked him up he seemed a bit cold, but the temp was 95 degrees. I held him, he ate, but I noticed he is not using one back leg. Anything I should look for or do to get his leg moving again? Could it be temporary? Any advice, possible causes?
Thanks everyone!

 

[CooperDragon]

Has he been pooping regularly? What do you have in place now for UVB and heat? Has he fallen or maybe caught his leg on something?

 

[Lisadee216]

He is pooping, but not quite as much. I have a 5.0 UVB lamp and a 100 watt zoo med basking light. The temp stays at about 100 degrees all day and drops from 65-70 at night. I have been putting calcium on his crickets and he gets plenty of fresh greens and veggies. I recently switched him to larger crickets, pet store thought he was big enough....he doesn't seem to have an issue eating them, but could they be too big? He is about 7-8 inches, not including his tail. I also just noticed that his front leg on the same side looks weak! What should I do?

here is my Fuego getting ready for bed.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Fuego is a little cutie!
Which 5 are you referring to for the UVB? Is it a long tube bulb or a compact/coil light & which brand is it?
Could he have lodged it in between something & injured it or maybe fallen off of something recently?
How large are the crickets? The crickets should not be any longer than the width between the eyes to avoid impaction. At his size, I would stick to the small to medium crickets at the largest.

Tracie

 

[Rankins]

Two bad legs on the same side that quickly developed? Is he blinking on the affected side? Is he holding his mouth open? Can he open/close his mouth? Does he hold his head tilted to the affected side?
My first thought is possibly a stroke, or brain disease. But in the past I have had some that had weird neurological issues develop after eating big crickets, not sure if that caused it. Might have been adadenovirus or some other issue just as easily.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm thinking it may be a problem related to inadequate UVB exposure. The 5.0 bulbs are designed for shade animals and provide a fraction of the required output for sun loving dragons. I would replace it with a 10.0 T5 UVB tube and see if increased UVB exposure helps. If you're in a place that's warm you could bring him outside for natural sunlight which would help greatly but this is, of course, weather dependent.

 

[Lisadee216]

Thank you. I will try a bigger light bulb and see if it helps. He is about the same.

 

[CooperDragon]

Sounds good. These are some good UVB options with best output at about 12'' up over the basking area

This fixture http://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ
With this bulb http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-10-0-Lamp/dp/B00AQU8HAO/

Or this combo set http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

 

[AHBD]

Just wondering, does he have a hammock in the tank ? Some beardies are getting claws stuck + spraining their legs in them.

 

[Lisadee216]

No hammock, just a cave, a plant, and a climbing log. He did eat some crickets today and I gave him bath. Still having leg issues, but tomorrow I'll try the higher UVB light.
You all have been really helpful.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing today?
Were you purchasing the UVB light online or at a nearby petstore?
I hope that he starts doing better soon. The new light should help quite a bit for him.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[DaisyDragon123]

Have you considered taking him to a vet for an xray?

 

[Lisadee216]

I bought a bulb at the pet store today, one is a short compact 10 UVB, the other is a light strip you put into a top, like on a fishtank, but it's 50 UVB. He is only in a 20 gal. Right now, but I was thinking ahead to a 40 gal.....which light is better? I though 50 might be too much?

 

[CooperDragon]

Is the tube style light you picked up a Zilla Desert 50? 18'' T8 Tube? If so, and you have a reflective fixture, that will work well with either tank. Just mount it inside the tank using command hooks (small, 1lb rated) which should fit in the holes in the back of the fixture. It should sit 6-8'' above the highest basking spot for optimal output. If there is plastic between the bulb and the basking spot, don't forget to remove that as it will intercept all of the UVB.

 

[Lisadee216]

It is the Zilla bulb. I have a fixture from an old aquarium light, I will remove the plastic and try it. I was going to try the light for a few days and if he doesn't improve, we'll see the vet. Thanks so much, I hope my baby gets better!