Possible Calcium Deficiency. Help appreciated!

[Brittmar]

Hey everyone! I think my new baby bearded dragon might have a calcium deficiency and possibly the onset of Metabolic Bone Disease. She hasn't been a great eater since I first bought her a week ago but yesterday, but I assumed this was due to relocation stress. However, she started shaking her head and wobbling while walking about two days ago. She's currently housed in a 20L aquarium with a Reptisun 10.0 UVB light tube (was previously a 5.0 mini compact) and 75 watt basking lamp. Temperatures appear to be within the desired range based upon an IR temperature gun. She does not have sand in her enclosure and has access to both water and greens at all times. Tolkein seems more alert today but as I said, she's wobbly when walking and has head shaking. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm trying to get her to eat some stage 1 baby food with a bit of calcium powder mixed in so that she'll have some hydration and food in her belly since she's refusing crickets.

 

[Brittmar]

*Originally posted under the "Health" topic listing.

Hey everyone! I think my new baby bearded dragon might have a calcium deficiency and possibly the onset of Metabolic Bone Disease. She hasn't been a great eater since I first bought her a week ago, but I assumed this was due to relocation stress. However, she started shaking her head and wobbling while walking about two days ago and still refuses to eat. She's currently housed in a 20L aquarium with a Reptisun 10.0 UVB light tube (was previously a 5.0 mini compact) and 75 watt basking lamp. The UVB is mounted in a hood fixture at the moment because I picked up the incorrect fixture to mount it inside the tank and haven't been able to pick up a replacement yet. Temperatures appear to be within the desired range based upon an IR temperature gun. She does not have sand in her enclosure and has access to both water and greens at all times. Tolkein seems more alert today but as I said, she's wobbly when walking and has head shaking. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm trying to get her to eat some stage 1 baby food with a bit of calcium powder mixed in so that she'll have some hydration and food in her belly since she's refusing crickets.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there.....I see the little cutie up there on her basking platform. Does she get up there by herself still ? There may be a few things going on....even though you NOW have the proper bulb, calcium deficincy was already setting. Plus the bulb right now may not be getting through the screen enough for her. I'll make a few suggestions, others will too I'm sure. If it's warm out try taking her out in the sun....that can provide lots of quick, full strength uvb. Get a clear plastic tote and put her basking platform in there and set it out. Because the sun intensifies in the plastic tote you can put it out there even if it's 68 -75 degrees. Any hotter than that and you'll need to provide mottled/dappled shade.

Another thing, try to get the baby food in her and add a few extra drops of water each time. Even though you provided a water bowl, they don't always realize what it is and she may be a bit dehydrated. You can also offer plain water via syringe on her snout. Hopefully she'll be O.K

One more question, is there any chance that she ate a cricket or other bug that was too large ?

 

[Brittmar]

The crickets she ate when I first bought her were the appropriate size but she has since stopped eating then. Even then, she would only eat two or three a day. As you suggested, I have also been providing her with water by dropping it on her snout with a small dropper or by gently spraying her snout with a gently stream of water. Unfortunately we've had rain here for two weeks straight so I wouldn't be able to take her outside but I plan to go tomorrow to get a fixture that I can place inside her tank. At the moment, she's not getting to her basking spot on her own. She wobbles too much to climb and gets disoriented easily and falls backwards. She's content to stay in place though underneath the light and hasn't had too much difficulty getting down on her own as she can stomach crawl down to her carpet.

I'm worried that she might not have had the correct lighting at the petstore I purchased her from. I don't remember seeing a UVB light above her enclosure but she has had one since I brought her home. When I called the petstore today, I was told I could bring her back for an exchange, but I'd have felt horrible doing that.

 

[CooperDragon]

After only a week you're not likely to have done harm with lighting and it sounds correct now. How far from the basking area is the UVB tube? Is there anything between the bulb and the basking area such as screen or plastic/glass which could intercept it? Can you upload some photos of her and her enclosure? You can upload them here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and then post them using the XIMG button.

 

[AHBD]

O.K., it may have started back from when she was at the store and is just now showing up. She needs to get close to the UVB bulb, so you'll be on the right track by getting her fixture rigged inside. It might be best to take the platform out for a while too so she doesn't fall from it. That might not hurt [ but it might ] but it would be frightening to her being so disoriented. So the lower you can rig the fixture in the tank for now the better.

It's good that she's drinking for you, hopefully she'll start doing better once you make a few adjustments....it's very sweet that you decided to keep her try + get her better.

 

[Brittmar]

Thanks CooperDragon for your response! I've reposted this under the ER section but I'll post a picture here as well.

 

[Brittmar]

O.K., it may have started back from when she was at the store and is just now showing up. She needs to get close to the UVB bulb, so you'll be on the right track by getting her fixture rigged inside. It might be best to take the platform out for a while too so she doesn't fall from it. That might not hurt [ but it might ] but it would be frightening to her being so disoriented. So the lower you can rig the fixture in the tank for now the better.

It's good that she's drinking for you, hopefully she'll start doing better once you make a few adjustments....it's very sweet that you decided to keep her try + get her better.

I've never returned an animal before. I get too attached for that. She's only drinking a small amount each time but I'm hoping it'll be enough to keep her hydrated. I tried doing a shallow bath but it was too stressful for her and she kept dunking her head with her thrashing about. That's a good idea about taking the rock out for the time being. She could likely use her wooden log for her basking spot if able to climb it.

 

[CooperDragon]

I commented on the other thread but will continue here to consolidate. I want to double check about the UVB, is there any plastic covering over the bulb? The screen will block some of the output but it shouldn't be too bad in a small enclosure. I agree with taking the basking rock out for now so she doesn't fall. Climbing may be more difficult than usual. I'd try moving the habba hut over to the basking spot and maybe putting a stick or something similar along it to act as a gradual ramp to make it easier to get up there. If you can mount the UVB inside the tank or remove the screen top and mount it at an angle across the basking area that may help optimize UVB output for now. Keep up with the hydration and the baby food as much as she'll tolerate. If you can keep her hydrated and provide proper temperatures and good UVB exposure that may be the best bet for now.

 

[Brittmar]

I commented on the other thread but will continue here to consolidate. I want to double check about the UVB, is there any plastic covering over the bulb? The screen will block some of the output but it shouldn't be too bad in a small enclosure. I agree with taking the basking rock out for now so she doesn't fall. Climbing may be more difficult than usual. I'd try moving the habba hut over to the basking spot and maybe putting a stick or something similar along it to act as a gradual ramp to make it easier to get up there. If you can mount the UVB inside the tank or remove the screen top and mount it at an angle across the basking area that may help optimize UVB output for now. Keep up with the hydration and the baby food as much as she'll tolerate. If you can keep her hydrated and provide proper temperatures and good UVB exposure that may be the best bet for now.

Thanks for coming to this post There's not any plastic covering the bulb and plan to remove the plastic when I get a fixture to mount inside her enclosure. I'll also use your suggestion of moving her habba hut to her basking side. This just seems to have happened so quickly that I'm floored. I'm hoping she'll recover but it's looking pretty grim at the moment.

 

[CooperDragon]

As AHBD said, it likely started before you got her and it's not your fault. I know that's of little comfort right now though. Do the best you can to give her love and good care. We'll be here to help as much as we can. With some luck thrown in she'll recover and thrive. They're tough and I've seen them bounce back from worse situations.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is wonderful you decided to keep her. She will be better off with you, since she definitely didn't have the proper care at the pet store. Hopefully you have caught it in time.
I think once you get the UVB source closer to her she will start improving much more rapidly for you.
The baby food feedings should help her out a lot, too. You could consider getting her some liquid calcium also to help increase absorption rates of the calcium, too.
She is a tiny one, so she should be able to pull through relatively quickly.

Tracie

 

[Brittmar]

As AHBD said, it likely started before you got her and it's not your fault. I know that's of little comfort right now though. Do the best you can to give her love and good care. We'll be here to help as much as we can. With some luck thrown in she'll recover and thrive. They're tough and I've seen them bounce back from worse situations.

Thank you all so much for your help and support. I'm so glad I found this forum as a new beardie mom. My experience is with iguanas. I'm really hoping she'll pull through this. Since she's not accepting any live food, I'll continue with the baby food as much as she'll eat it. Right now, it's only been a few drops at a time but I suppose that's better than nothing.

 

[Brittmar]

Hello,

That is wonderful you decided to keep her. She will be better off with you, since she definitely didn't have the proper care at the pet store. Hopefully you have caught it in time.
I think once you get the UVB source closer to her she will start improving much more rapidly for you.
The baby food feedings should help her out a lot, too. You could consider getting her some liquid calcium also to help increase absorption rates of the calcium, too.
She is a tiny one, so she should be able to pull through relatively quickly.

Tracie

Thanks Tracie! That's a great idea about the liquid calcium. I did mix a bit of the powder in with the baby food as well so that she can hopefully get it that way.

 

[Drache613]

Moved & Merged by Moderator to keep information consolidated.