Rescued Beardie with MBD.

[SpookShow]

I'm pretty sure now that he has a REALLY bad case of MBD.
I got him 2 days ago from my mom's friend's friend..whose son got him for a birthday present (the kid is 8 )

this poor lil guy NEVER had uvb light and im sure was fed poorly. When i got him his lil 10 gallon tank was littered in pellets.

He could be around 9 months..how big are beardies suppose to be around that age?

His front and hind legs are almost stiff like..he's able to bend them when he can..but he flails around when he tries to move

The son's dad should of known to give this little guy away sooner..and should of had the common sense that SOMETHING was wrong when the poor beardie can't even walk..he's horribly thin too.

I was just looking for opinions..he is around 9 months...if i try and give him everything he needs now..the uvb bulb and the calcium dusted crickets and everything else...if there is any chance he could somehow have a happy life? I've read the effects of MVB is pretty much permanent so I'm sure he won't be able to walk right ever...but I'm thinking if he gets stronger and gets some meat on him..he can be happy?

 

[herpfreak]

Congrats on the rescue beardie! There are so many beardies in need of good homes. My beardie, Budo, was also a rescue, and he also had MBD, as well as a host of other issues.

First of all, I highly reccommend liquid calcium. I was giving Budo RepCal calcium dusted on his feeders, which works well. But then his vet reccommended liquid calcium to help him get over his MBD. It worked great! He's been on LC for a month now, and I have noticed rapid improvement whereas the RepCal helped little by little.

With sick beardies, it's really hard to discern their age. He is probably much older than he looks; MBD also stunts growth. How long is he?

Yes, MBD to the extent your beardie has is permanent. However, while you can't reverse it, you can keep it from getting worse.

Is his spine twisted or deformed at all? Do you think he is in pain? Twisted spines and legs can be very painful for beardies; in these cases, it is usually best that the beardie is euthanized. If it is just difficulty walking and he doesn't have any major deformities, I think that, with proper care, he can live the rest of his life happily.


Especially for a beardie in such critical condition, it is very important that your husbandry is flawless. Do you have any questions on enclosures, lighting, heating, feeding, or anything else?

You seem to have diagnosed his MBD, but it can still be beneficial to take him to a vet to check for parasites (via fecal sample) and other possible health issues. A vet can also weigh him and provide you with liquid calcium of the proper dosage. It is very important to find an exotics specialist who knows what they're doing; many vets claim to be knowledgable with exotics while they really don't know anything. Just be careful.

In case you don't know of a herp vet in your area (if there is one), here are a few lists that may help.
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/
http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-health/vet-listing.aspx



Good luck with everything and kudos to you for the rescue!! Keep me posted.

 

[SpookShow]

so you can only get liquid calcium from a vet?

and i know his growth got stunted a good amount because if i could remember right when my boyfriend's beardie was about 8-9 months he was pretty big and almost full grown.

I'm not sure how long he is i can post a picture of him though.

He looks normal there but then there are these pictures..=[

His spine does look a little twisted..and i don't know if he's in pain or not..he moves and flails about like he doesn't feel a thing and seems like he is just getting held back because of his arms and legs. I had him on my bed a couple hours ago cause i was messing with his tank and he was jumpin off and everything like there was nothing wrong.

and i do have questions about feeding.
he's soo so sooo skinny...and I'm not sure how much I should feed him or what I should feed him. I have small crickets and small meal worms and I've been giving him those..It's getting to the point where I want to hand feed him his crickets cause its painful to watch him launch at them..but he does get them! and so he should get dusted crickets everyday? I've been trying to get him to eat unsweetend apple sauce to try and hydrate him and give him pedilyte baths when i can. His poop looks hard and not so normal. I put some greens in his tank everyday hoping he will try and eat it. I see romaine lettuce all over his side of the tank when i get home from work so i dont know if he eat its or just walks in it argh..i try and mist him but he hates it..

and what should his temp be in the tank? it was 85 when i checked it last..my room is always warm in the summer and it's getting warmer so im sure its gunna get warmer in his tank..I got him a 5 uvb bulb..because when I went to the pet store and I've read he should be getting 10. He's in a 30 gallon tank because thats all i have right now and I don't really have the money and space to go out and buy a bigger tank. He doesn't really move around so much so I think he's good in that size.

I was going to try and make an appt with a 'all animal clinic' just to get their opinion on the little guy..because if he is miserable I don't want him to suffer anymore he suffered waaaay to much already..poor little guy =[

 

[herpfreak]

You may be able to get liquid calcium OTC, but in such a concentrated state, I would be worried about an overdose. You'd be safest getting a dosage reccommendation from a vet.

Yep, MBD for sure. Poor guy. But I think he'll make it. Holly (another member here) has a beardie that doesn't have any legs. She could probably give you a few tips on designing the enclosure so it's easy to get around in.

Crickets are fine. Feed him as many as he will eat every day. It's probably best to make him get them himself. Be careful with mealworms; they are high in chitin (the hard outer shell), and can cause beardies to become impacted, which is really the last thing your beardie needs right now! I'd hold off on the mealies until he starts excreting normally. It sounds like he is dehydrated (even more prone to impaction). Unsweetened applesauce would be great; so would Gerber babyfood. My beardie loves butternut squash babyfood. A chicken broth kind would be good to provide him with some more protein.

In cases such as yours, providing horn worms would be beneficial. They are large, neon-green worms that stimulate appetite. They are high in both fat and calcium, which is ideal for your beardie.

Yes, dust crickets every day!

Lettuce isn't very good for beardies; it is mostly water and provides almost no nutrients.
Here's a site with some great list of greens/veggies that are good to feed.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

The ambient temp should be 80-85*. However, there should also be a basking spot that is 95-105*. If you get the tube type of UV light, it should be within 9" of the basking spot.

As for the UV light, you are right, a 5.0 is not enough. Brand is also important. There are many UV lights that can harm your beardies' eyes. The ReptiSUN (not ReptiGlo!) 10.0 is a great light that I highly reccommend.

For now, a 30gal is fine, although I do urge you to get a 40gal breeder tank (or larger) when you can.

A trip to the vets couldn't hurt, as long as you don't trust too easily. Many people have been given false information by inexperianced vets.

With some quality care, I believe he may lead a happy life from now on. His MBD seems like it will probably annoy him, but it shouldn't cause him too much pain.

 

[SpookShow]

Well thank you so much for all the advice!
I do have a lot of faith in this lil guy..he's a tough little dude.

I'll have to order that uvb bulb from petmountain.com and hopefully petland will take back the 5 uvb bulb.
I was giving him the romaine lettuce and chopped up cucumber hoping he would eat it to get some water so he can poop right..But i think i need to take another trip the store to buy him for goodies. I'm gunna try the squash baby food. He jumps at the applesauce, but only licks it a couple times and that's it. I want him to just scarf it down..that would make me so happy.

So do you think I should try and make sure he has alot of calcium,protein and a good amount of fat in his diet?

He's kinda skiddish around me, but I'm hoping he will get used to me. He watches me all the time, he even scooted himself to the corner of his cage to watch me clean up a mess i made by his cage.

do you know anything about anoles? maybe they will apperciate the meal worms..

by the way, budo is really cute =]
and thanks again!!

 

[herpfreak]

Petmountain is great. Sounds like you're set. With a little time and TLC, I'm sure your beardie will be in good health.

BTW, have you named him?

Yes, calcium, fat, and protein will all be beneficial at this time. But keep in mind that it is possible for beardies to overdose on calcium.

He probably wasn't handled much in his previous home; with patience and lots of handling, he will soon be "dog-tame"!

Sorry, I don't know anything about anoles. Beardies and snakes are pretty much the only things I'm knowledgable about.

Thanks! I look forward to hearing about his progress.