Spine displacement, extremely lethargic. Please help?

[Thatoneday24]

My beardie (squirt) is about five months old, he has been very constipated for about a week. I decided to give him a bath and rub his bum with a Q-tip. While he's in the bath he always inflates himself to help him stay buoyant. Well finally he deficated, and it sounded like someone let air out of a balloon. I took him out of the bath and back into his terrarium. He didn't move his back legs and now has a numb in his spine. It's been three days since and he moves his back legs a little bit but not like he normally does. He has also been very dormant and doesn't move around. His appetite has diminished as well.

 

[AHBD]

Poor little guy, he looks very uncomfortable. So is he on calcium sand ? If so, that causes impaction in some beardies if they eat it. It's too bad because you'd think the stores would realize it, but they sell a lot of it and the average buyer trusts them.

So get rid of it. Another VERY important question, what exact type + brand of lights do you have ? Be specific or show pics of them. He can develop MBD [ metabolic bone disease ] because of improper/weak uvb lights....they can not absorb calcium which is vital for every body function, including bone development. Do you use a calcium supplement ?

For now, get him out in the sun if it's warm out tomorrow, just set him in the grass. It will provide much needed uvb to strengthen his bones.

 

[Thatoneday24]

Thank you for answering!! It is actually his first time on calcium sand he hasn't really had any trouble with it since I've put it in, I got a bulb from petsmart it's supposed to get up to around 90 degrees. He is going to the vet tomorrow although I am still very afraid.

 

[AHBD]

You probably only have a basking bulb. but you'll need a uvb bulb as well. For a growing beardie the temps. should range from about 105 on the hot side down to about 80 on the cool side.

So you need a hotter basking bulb set near one end and also a long tube uvb bulb like Reptisun 10.0 t5.

A vet can help but not without the beardie having proper lights.

BTW, what's his name ?

 

[Thatoneday24]

His name is squirt I will most definitely look into a new bulb.

 

[Thatoneday24]

I put him in the sun and he's already acting better thank you so much. I'll definitely pay more attention to what bulbs I buy

 

[AHBD]

That's good, be sure you just set him down in the grass, not in a glass tank which heats up way too hot.
Squirt is a sweet name.

 

[Thatoneday24]

Hank you, I love him. I've had other reptile babies, but he is most definitely my favorite so I worry about every little thing.

 

[EllenD]

I hope he improves, but you really need to redo his entire setup. His first year of life is when he does his growing and development, and he looks a bit stunted, but definitely has the start of MBD due to Calcium deficiency because he doesn't have a proper UVB tube light or proper temperatures. His basking spot temperature should be between 100-105, his Hot Side between 88-93, and his Cool Side between 75-80, measured with only a digital probe thermometer or a gun, no stick-on thermometers! And he's constipated/impacted because of the Calcium sand, it becomes literally cement when it gets wet. Please, NO LOOSE SUBSTRATES AT ALL!!!! No sand, crushed walnut shells, gravel, pebbles, rocks, nothing but solid substrates like tiles, non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, newspaper, etc. So get that sand out now!!!

You need to get him an adequate UVB light immediately, it's the most important thing you can do to turn his health around, he's not absorbing any Calcium at all because he cannot make vitamin D3 without proper UVB light. You need either an 18" or 24" long Reptisun 10.0 (never a 5.0) T5 High-Output tube (I would not go with the Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube, he needs the T5 High-Output UVB tube to stop the MBD), and the T5 can sit on top of the mesh lid (the T8 has to be mounted inside the tank) but it must be within 11" of his basking spot. Then the second thing is spending $10 on a digital probe thermometer and getting his 3 main temps corrected, as his temps are too low and he cannot digest his food properly, nor will he have any appetite and he'll continue to become impacted, weak, and partially paralyzed. He needs only the long Reptisun10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube and a single, bright white halogen indoor flood bulb, 100 watt should get his temps correct, right alongside the UVB tube so he gets both at the same time while basking.

 

[Thatoneday24]

You helped me better then the damn vet. Thank you so much. I'm on it asap.

 

[Thatoneday24]

I also have another question. After the vet today he said to mash up one cricket with cat food and calcium supplement. What type of cat food would be the best? Or what would be a good substitute for cat food ?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's great you are getting things changed up for him.
I agree, the bump on his spine is probably from inadequate UVB lighting & supplementation.
Be sure to give calcium 5 times weekly, to help his bones strengthen. If you can get him out
doors more until you can get a better UVB light that will be great.
I really don't recommend cat food, but you can use chicken or turkey baby food, mixed with
squash or sweet potato baby food. Then you can put the calcium in with the food to feed to
him.
Did the vet not give you any liquid calcium to help him out for a few weeks?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Thatoneday24]

The vet gave me no liquid calcium although I feel like that would be better. I was advised to squish one cricket with a little bit of wet cat food and calcium powder, all together and put into a syringe and feed three times a day. But now I will most likely be switching to babyfood. He also gave me painkillers for him but I don't know if I should really use them.

 

[EllenD]

Wow, I'm so sorry your vet was absolutely horrible, but unfortunately this is not uncommon at all, even with experienced reptile vets, although it's usually "exotic" vets who "see reptiles" that do these things...NO CAT FOOD! That is maybe the worst advice I've ever heard from a vet, especially because he should keep Oxbow Critical Care or Carnivore Care in his office for bearded dragons and other reptiles. You can use baby food in the meantime, I advise mixing a punch of calcium with D3 (until you get the Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube, then you can do Calcium without D3), a pinch of a high-quality Multivitamin powder made for reptiles, like Herpavite or Repashy Calcium Plus, and go buy a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte and thin the baby food with it to keep him well hydrated. If you have a blender then yes, put the baby food (they seem to like squash, if you're not adding feeder insects to the slurry then use the chicken or turkey, but if you're adding feeder insects then use squash or a non-protein baby food) in the blender along with a pinch of Calcium w/D3, a pinch of the Multivitamin powder, a little unflavored Pedialyte, and then add in a couple of feeder insects, and blend it up very well. I'd not use crickets, though you can, but it would be better to use Calciworms/Reptiworms/Phoenix Worms/BSFL (all the same thing) because they mix better, but gut-loaded crickets or dubia roaches are actually better now that I think about it, he could use the protein. Mix very well and feed him as much as he wants. This is good for the meantime.

 

[EllenD]

As Tracie already stated, you need to order a high-quality liquid Calcium because he's definitely got MBD. His appetite will pick up almost immediately after you get him under the Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube and a bright white basking bulb (regular household halogen indoor flood bulb from Lowes is great, I use either a GE or Phillips brand for $5-$8). So after you get him under the quality UVB tube, the bright white basking bulb, and you use the digital probe thermometer to get all 3 temps inside his enclosure correct and high enough, you'll not only see him start moving around, but you'll see him start eating on his own quickly, you'll be shocked how much proper UVB lighting and temperatures matter. But I would get online and order a high-quality liquid Calcium, like CALCIVET (do not buy Flukers Liquid Calcium, it's not getting good results from what I've seen), and then also order some Oxbow Critical Care or Carnivore Care, which is the nutritional supplement the vet should have recommended and actually had on hand to give to you, not CAT FOOD, my god that's awful advice...The Oxbow is an all-in-one nutritional replacement food for omnivorous reptiles that will keep him gaining weight as well as give him the proper vitamins, minerals, and nutritional requirements that a Bearded Dragon needs....Not what a CAT needs...?

This week has been continually causing me to lose faith in veterinary medicine...