Questions about three legged beardie

[luvalot]

We just got our beardie today. He is missing his front left arm and about an inch of tail.

We have him in a 48x18x24 enclosure with textured ceramic substrate.

We have a long very gradual basking log.

He can get up it. Climbs to the top then falls off. Luckily I caught him in time. I was watching very closely as the previous owner said he can move like a regular beardie, and I found that hard to believe.

He can also barely walk. More like drags himself along his belly propelling himself with his hind legs.

I don't know what to do. Please help.

Thanks

 

[CooperDragon]

Dragons can have a good life with missing limbs. He will probably need some help and some careful design when it comes to furniture and basking spaces. I would start by keeping everything relatively low and accessible and see how he does. Adjust/modify the furniture as needed as you watch him react. With proper food and lighting along with some exercise he will likely build strength in his other arm and legs which will help him get around better.

 

[luvalot]

Did I make a mistake by putting in ceramic? He slips on it a lot.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Sadly yes, you did. You need a textured tile in order for his nails to get traction.

 

[AHBD]

Poor little guy, he might have a touch of MBD that has caused leg weakness. You can put down non adhesive shelf liner on top of the tile. If you can lay his log down so it's flat on the bottom of the tank then he'll be able to get around on it + still strengthen his legs. The previous owners may not have kept up with calcium dusting and/or replacement of uvb bulbs. Be sure to dust his food with calcium 3X a week and install a good uvb bulb.

 

[luvalot]

The tile is quite textured.

For UVB I have the ReptiSun 10.0 t5.

Should I take him to the vet? I don't want to stress him anymore than from the move here.

He eats like a champ

He was in a very small cage.

Can I just put paper towel on top of the tile?

Thanks everyone for your help

 

[Rampagingraptor]

If its textured, how is he slipping? Is it just cause of how he is walking? How well textured is it?
Also, I'm no tile expert, so I may be wrong.
You should also try uploading some pics, I wouldn't mind seeing your beardie. If you don't already know how, you upload a picture here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/#new
And then when you go to post, you press the XIMG button and select your photo.

 

[AHBD]

That's good if he's eating well. If your'e able to, can you post a video of how he's moving around ? And it's best to let him settle in, wait a while before a vet visit. Good food, calcium + uvb bulb is all he needs right now.

 

[luvalot]

I will post pictures tomorrow. He is sound asleep now

Thanks for the advice on posting a pic. Do I do the same for video?

 

[luvalot]

Here he is!

The ceramic tile is a slate look/feel.

We put a blanket in the corner for him not under his climbing rock in case he falls...but apparently he really likes it as he crawled onto it last night and stayed there until now. It is fleece with no loops so nothing to get his nails caught.

Found out he was never given vitamins. Off to get rep-cal this morning. Blue and pink label.

He was also being fed large (petsmart) crickets. I am wondering if these are too big. I am getting 500 smalls this morning as well.

I am trying to do everything I can for him moving forward. He is a really sweet boy

 

[luvalot]

A couple more with the new set up (blanket/tshirt put in for safety)

 

[AHBD]

He's a cutie and from the pics he looks healthy + of good weight. Looks like he's in a big beardie palace....the fleece under the log is a good idea except if he stays under for too long. If he continues to fall it might be best to replace the log with something shorter + easier to navigate. Medium crickets will be fine, small will be too small. How far is the uvb from him ? You might need to hang it in the tank if it's more than 16" away. You can post a video by loading it to Youtube + then posting here.

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree that he's looking pretty good and it's a great sign that his appetite is up. The T5 UVB is great as mentioned but since you're keeping the basking areas low I'd mount it under the top of the tank so it can get within 12-14'' of the basking area for optimal output. The tile is normally fine but if he's still having trouble moving around I'd put down some more fleece to give him some extra traction and make things a bit more comfortable. Fleece is good to use because it doesn't have loops in it that can catch toes and it is easy to wash as needed. I agree with holding off on a vet visit for a while unless he shows worsening problems. I'd keep offering him calcium rich greens and provide him with supplements and good lighting and see how he goes.

 

[luvalot]

I have the Reptisun ballast. It has no way to hang it from anything. One would think for so much money it would be easier to manipulate. LOL. And I am not very handy to come up with an idea...

I am also thinking of maybe lowering the basking light too. I am monitoring temps with my IR gun and it sits only right around 90.

I went out today and got a ton of fleece so we can switch them out if needed. He seems to really like it.

Thanks!

 

[CooperDragon]

In that case, I'd either cut a hole in the mesh under the light or take the top off so nothing is intercepting UVB and you can have optimal output from that distance. Even at 18'' up it should produce decent UVB levels so it's OK if you can't mount it inside. If you're only getting 90 in the basking area, I agree that an adjustment is needed. Either lowering the basking light or using a higher wattage bulb or adding a second basking light may do the trick. You'll still want to provide a nice wide beam so he can bask evenly in an area that is at least as large as he is.