Strange infection, swelling foot.

[lizarddude]

Hi, I have a 2.5 year old BD that has had a rough few years despite our best efforts.

A briefed history:

• Got her at 5 months old in Jan 2023. She laid approx 30 infertile eggs starting at 8 months old (was housed with her brother at pet store thinking she was male.) She ended up doing well and was full of beans by Spring 2024.
• She didn't stop egg production though, and last year, she laid OVER 100 eggs, (It was around 105-110), we stopped counting at 98. She was hyper-active during that time, laying eggs everywhere but the hides we tried providing her. (She really seemed to like to lay eggs wherever 'mommy' was or under her PC desk).
• All that egg production really stressed her body tho, and she developed a pin-worm infection near the end of her laying. Becoming more lethargic and having diarrhea and stinky poo. (Also her right eye got messed up during egg laying, likley caused by a Vit A deficincy or laying stress.)
• We treated her last September for those worms (with Pyrantel) and she bounced back, but something else began showing (even the vet noticed). Small bumps/swelling had developed (these were slowly cropping up during the pinworm infec too, just pinworms were prioritized by vet), her nose, tail, and foot/leg all had thicker seeming scales, or pinhead sized nodules/bumps.
• Her nose shed off over December with 2-3 layers of scale peeling off. The nose has de-swelled.
• Her tail near the very end has a pin-head size nodule, we thought that also may have been stuck shed, but recent vet visit showed it wasn't.
• Her leg has a capsule on the knee very similar to her nose bump that eventually shed, it's not causing issue as she moves it often.
• ITS HER FOOT, the foot began swelling last week, so we booked her an apt at our local reptile vet (Dr.Gilbert), and brought her in on Tuesday.

Her back right foot started to swell up and she stopped eating her greens (Only wants bugs and fruit). She's been black-bearding a lot more, and staying under her light, not wanting to come out. The vet gave her X-rays, and took a blood test. At first he said hr X-rays didn't show much, just swelling, and it could be gout. But I noticd her foot bone looked different. He then re-evaluated and said, yes, her bone looks like its "disintegrating", which isn't good, but that gout(which is worse) doesn't do that. (He is apparently an exprt on crocodile and iguanidae gout and wrote a paper on it.) He said if her uric acid levels are ok, then it could be a bad infection or a tumor. He also checked the bump on her tail, and rubbed the scale the opposite way with his finger too "see if it was stuck shed", and the scale came off! She didn't like that but thankfully it didn't bleed just exposed a red lump (pictured).

After his assesment he prescribed oral liqui Enrofloxacin for 14 days, Taro Mupirocin cream (for her tail), and Meloxicam every 48hrs for the pain. We got the x-rays and blood tests e-mailed to us today. I feel even more lost now tho, because we have no solid answers. Just told to keep giving her the anti-biotics and pain meds he prescribed, and if she doesn't improve that we'll need to give her injections every 3 days, 10x... I'm worried as shes lost 40grams since mid-Dec, and is at 400g even now. IDK if this is a combo of brumation, infection, and maybe a brokn bone, or if she has cancer AND an infection of her foot bone. Either way I don't feel good about her diagnosis and am wondering if someone knows or can point out anything my vet may have overlooked.

I saw someone in the forums with a very similar issue posted today too, maybe theres a common factor or somthing?
Any experienced advice or second opinions from a hrp expert would be greatly appeciated.
Attaching the X-Ray, the test results and 2 pics of our sweet lil-girl.

Thanks,
Lizarddude Chris.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, I have a 2.5 year old BD that has had a rough few years despite our best efforts.

A briefed history:

• Got her at 5 months old in Jan 2023. She laid approx 30 infertile eggs starting at 8 months old (was housed with her brother at pet store thinking she was male.) She ended up doing well and was full of beans by Spring 2024.
• She didn't stop egg production though, and last year, she laid OVER 100 eggs, (It was around 105-110), we stopped counting at 98. She was hyper-active during that time, laying eggs everywhere but the hides we tried providing her. (She really seemed to like to lay eggs wherever 'mommy' was or under her PC desk).
• All that egg production really stressed her body tho, and she developed a pin-worm infection near the end of her laying. Becoming more lethargic and having diarrhea and stinky poo. (Also her right eye got messed up during egg laying, likley caused by a Vit A deficincy or laying stress.)
• We treated her last September for those worms (with Pyrantel) and she bounced back, but something else began showing (even the vet noticed). Small bumps/swelling had developed (these were slowly cropping up during the pinworm infec too, just pinworms were prioritized by vet), her nose, tail, and foot/leg all had thicker seeming scales, or pinhead sized nodules/bumps.
• Her nose shed off over December with 2-3 layers of scale peeling off. The nose has de-swelled.
• Her tail near the very end has a pin-head size nodule, we thought that also may have been stuck shed, but recent vet visit showed it wasn't.
• Her leg has a capsule on the knee very similar to her nose bump that eventually shed, it's not causing issue as she moves it often.
• ITS HER FOOT, the foot began swelling last week, so we booked her an apt at our local reptile vet (Dr.Gilbert), and brought her in on Tuesday.

Her back right foot started to swell up and she stopped eating her greens (Only wants bugs and fruit). She's been black-bearding a lot more, and staying under her light, not wanting to come out. The vet gave her X-rays, and took a blood test. At first he said hr X-rays didn't show much, just swelling, and it could be gout. But I noticd her foot bone looked different. He then re-evaluated and said, yes, her bone looks like its "disintegrating", which isn't good, but that gout(which is worse) doesn't do that. (He is apparently an exprt on crocodile and iguanidae gout and wrote a paper on it.) He said if her uric acid levels are ok, then it could be a bad infection or a tumor. He also checked the bump on her tail, and rubbed the scale the opposite way with his finger too "see if it was stuck shed", and the scale came off! She didn't like that but thankfully it didn't bleed just exposed a red lump (pictured).

After his assesment he prescribed oral liqui Enrofloxacin for 14 days, Taro Mupirocin cream (for her tail), and Meloxicam every 48hrs for the pain. We got the x-rays and blood tests e-mailed to us today. I feel even more lost now tho, because we have no solid answers. Just told to keep giving her the anti-biotics and pain meds he prescribed, and if she doesn't improve that we'll need to give her injections every 3 days, 10x... I'm worried as shes lost 40grams since mid-Dec, and is at 400g even now. IDK if this is a combo of brumation, infection, and maybe a brokn bone, or if she has cancer AND an infection of her foot bone. Either way I don't feel good about her diagnosis and am wondering if someone knows or can point out anything my vet may have overlooked.

I saw someone in the forums with a very similar issue posted today too, maybe theres a common factor or somthing?
Any experienced advice or second opinions from a hrp expert would be greatly appeciated.
Attaching the X-Ray, the test results and 2 pics of our sweet lil-girl.

Thanks,
Lizarddude Chris.

@AHBD
@Drache613

 

[AHBD]

I'm not really sure about these symptoms. How long has she had the postule/blisters ? Does she have a water bowl in the tank ? What type of substrate does she have for digging ? The blisters might be from bacteria caused by dampness somewhere in the tank. Make sure she has proper heating/uvb and spends most of the time in her enclosure rather than out. Can you post a pic of Pyro's enclosure and lighting ?

I'll let Tracie respond about the foot, she's more up on that sort of thing.
As for her weight, Pyro is actually pretty chunky so you don't want her to gain any back. Keep her on a healthy diet focusing on a variety of greens like kale, mustard, collards, turnip, arugula, dandelion.

 

[lizarddude]

She's has had postules/blisters for some time now. We first noticed the bump on her tail and knee about 6 months ago. The tiny foot knuckle bump showed up about 3 months ago. When we brought her in last Sept, the vet was more concerned about her pinworm infection (it was really bad). And made no comment on the postules.
She refuses to drink water from a bowl, and keeping one in her tank makes it too humid, so we bottle feed her daily and give her baths every 2 to 3 days (she loves baths and refuses to poop anywhere else).
Her tank is pictured, we use tiles groutd with clay and clean them bi-weekly. We use a Reptisun 10.0 and replace it every 6 months (since it's on a screen).
Her hide currently has a towel in it but she hasn't used it since egg laying last year. We had an earth-clay-sand substrate in there last year but after the pinworm infection we cleared all substrates out for sanitary reasons. We were thinking of adding a mix into her hide once she starts getting energy back in the spring.

 

[KarrieRee]

She's has had postules/blisters for some time now. We first noticed the bump on her tail and knee about 6 months ago. The tiny foot knuckle bump showed up about 3 months ago. When we brought her in last Sept, the vet was more concerned about her pinworm infection (it was really bad). And made no comment on the postules.
She refuses to drink water from a bowl, and keeping one in her tank makes it too humid, so we bottle feed her daily and give her baths every 2 to 3 days (she loves baths and refuses to poop anywhere else).
Her tank is pictured, we use tiles groutd with clay and clean them bi-weekly. We use a Reptisun 10.0 and replace it every 6 months (since it's on a screen).
Her hide currently has a towel in it but she hasn't used it since egg laying last year. We had an earth-clay-sand substrate in there last year but after the pinworm infection we cleared all substrates out for sanitary reasons. We were thinking of adding a mix into her hide once she starts getting energy back in the spring.

Please cut back on the baths- they dont need bathing every 2-3 days- I would offer her water dropped on her nose once a week see how she does w/ that- as far as the pooping they can go weeks w/ out pooping - the UVB is on what type of screen? Fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type? This makes a difference for UVB rays - screens cut out approx 30% of the rays- we need to get this properly placed and distance for your tank

 

[lizarddude]

Please cut back on the baths- they dont need bathing every 2-3 days- I would offer her water dropped on her nose once a week see how she does w/ that- as far as the pooping they can go weeks w/ out pooping - the UVB is on what type of screen? Fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type? This makes a difference for UVB rays - screens cut out approx 30% of the rays- we need to get this properly placed and distance for your tank

Yeah we thankfully have over the last 2 months. but all of last summer, she really liked baths while she was gravid and laying. She was an egg factory after her first clutch pops out she layed 3-10 eggs 1-3 times a week. It was rough on her cloaca and pooping so the baths helped keep her clean.

I believe I have researched the UVB well enough. It is a zoo-med tank, with a fine metal mesh screen top. I read and was told by a vet about the UV reflection and that it can cut a significant % (up to 50%). So it is 5-8 inches from her hammock [pictured] (The hammock has an incline leading to the top of her cool side.) It gets replaced every 6 months as I've read the UVB intensity plateaus for 2-3 months and starts to drop off drastically after 6. Her basking spot closest to the light is 90-95F. The hotest spot, 8" from the UVB light, is always 95-110F and she tends to sit there reading a 100-105F.

 

[AHBD]

She's has had postules/blisters for some time now. We first noticed the bump on her tail and knee about 6 months ago. The tiny foot knuckle bump showed up about 3 months ago. When we brought her in last Sept, the vet was more concerned about her pinworm infection (it was really bad). And made no comment on the postules.
She refuses to drink water from a bowl, and keeping one in her tank makes it too humid, so we bottle feed her daily and give her baths every 2 to 3 days (she loves baths and refuses to poop anywhere else).
Her tank is pictured, we use tiles groutd with clay and clean them bi-weekly. We use a Reptisun 10.0 and replace it every 6 months (since it's on a screen).
Her hide currently has a towel in it but she hasn't used it since egg laying last year. We had an earth-clay-sand substrate in there last year but after the pinworm infection we cleared all substrates out for sanitary reasons. We were thinking of adding a mix into her hide once she starts getting energy back in the spring.

Yes that's better to leave the bowl out and it's great that she drinks from a water bottle. I agree with Karrie that baths should be cut back to maybe once ever 10-14 days, especially now since she has the blisters [ could be cysts or blisters ] Although they shouldn't be too harmful they are probably itchy. She did lay a lot of eggs ! That's normal and some of my females laid over 150 in a season.

 

[KarrieRee]

Yeah we thankfully have over the last 2 months. but all of last summer, she really liked baths while she was gravid and laying. She was an egg factory after her first clutch pops out she layed 3-10 eggs 1-3 times a week. It was rough on her cloaca and pooping so the baths helped keep her clean.

I believe I have researched the UVB well enough. It is a zoo-med tank, with a fine metal mesh screen top. I read and was told by a vet about the UV reflection and that it can cut a significant % (up to 50%). So it is 5-8 inches from her hammock [pictured] (The hammock has an incline leading to the top of her cool side.) It gets replaced every 6 months as I've read the UVB intensity plateaus for 2-3 months and starts to drop off drastically after 6. Her basking spot closest to the light is 90-95F. The hotest spot, 8" from the UVB light, is always 95-110F and she tends to sit there reading a 100-105F.

I would get the uvb unobstructed - uvb is extremely important for her scales not to mention internally as well- recommended distance is 12-15 inches w/ her basking decor directly under the uvb

 

[Claudiusx]

The blood results are clearly not leaning towards Gout. They are leaning much more towards MBD.

The very low Phosphorus and Potassium levels are pointing towards a massive lack of calcium in the diet, or a lack of calcium absorption. Do you dust at all? If so, what is the schedule?
I might have missed it, but specifically what UV bulb are you using? Reptisun makes multiple.

The above likely solves the mystery of the foot, as its not gout. It's likely calcium leaching from the bone and the foot is just the most visible place right now, but its happening all over the body.

Your dragons blood work also has multiple bloodmarkers that are indicating an infection or systemic inflammation (wbc, abs het/poly, abs baso). The high baso can be indicative of chronic inflammation, parasites, respiratory infections, or skin infections. In your case, if a parasite test came back normal, and your dragon hasn't been suffering from any respiratory illness, this result is likely related to the tail and other skin issues.

Her bloodwork shows she's well hydrated so that's good at least. What does her daily diet look like?

The Enrofloxacin (baytril) should help with basically all of the issues in the bloodwork besides the Phosphorus and Potassium issues. That needs to be fixed via diet, supplements, and proper heating and lighting.

-Brandon

 

[lizarddude]

Spoiler: Claudius reply

The blood results are clearly not leaning towards Gout. They are leaning much more towards MBD.

The very low Phosphorus and Potassium levels are pointing towards a massive lack of calcium in the diet, or a lack of calcium absorption. Do you dust at all? If so, what is the schedule?
I might have missed it, but specifically what UV bulb are you using? Reptisun makes multiple.

The above likely solves the mystery of the foot, as its not gout. It's likely calcium leaching from the bone and the foot is just the most visible place right now, but its happening all over the body.

Your dragons blood work also has multiple bloodmarkers that are indicating an infection or systemic inflammation (wbc, abs het/poly, abs baso). The high baso can be indicative of chronic inflammation, parasites, respiratory infections, or skin infections. In your case, if a parasite test came back normal, and your dragon hasn't been suffering from any respiratory illness, this result is likely related to the tail issue.

Her bloodwork shows she's well hydrated so that's good at least. What does her daily diet look like?

The Enrofloxacin (baytril) should help with basically all of the issues in the bloodwork besides the Phosphorus and Potassium issues. That needs to be fixed via diet, supplements, and proper heating and lighting.

-Brandon

I use a 18" Zoo-Med reptisun T8 10.0, in the same-brand hood with the plastic cover removed (such a dumb design). I did buy my last and current bulb off Amazon as a pair. Though last year her eggs went well and she was soaking up the UVB, under it all the time whn she wasn't digging/laying. I can't imagine she'd lay 105ish eggs with a worn out UVB?

We feed her gut loaded super worms as a staple, always powdered with Cal+D3, and once a week Vitamin A (we were told the Vit A will help her bad eye, which it has gotten better over the last months). Plus we give her powdered crickets in a tub bi-weekly. Bug gut load is banana peel, and dried greens.
Since 18 months old she gets a big salad sometimes powdered with Reptashy Superfood, and some local bee pollen every morning, then bugs every 2-3 days (depnding if shes eating much salad, usually does). She prefers chicory/endive and pak choy, but we also feed her collard, escarole, dandelion, and parsley. Sometimes dandilions or edible flowers. Always try to have at least two diffrent greens in her dish for variety. She also gets 2-3 bluebrries or juicy blackberries about twice a month.

I'm very worried it could be tumor related or som kind of kidney disease, as the vet said it's not gout, and it's not MBD, so it could be some kind of cyst/abcess, kidney dysfunction or a tumor. If you look closely on the X-ray it's like the bone is broken/disintegrating on the toe knuckle.
Could she have broken her bone there? Is that what a bad fracture could look like?

 

[Claudiusx]

I can't imagine she'd lay 105ish eggs with a worn out UVB?

They definitely can and will. Just like it was not beneficial for your dragons body to allow it to start producing eggs at 8 months old (she had no choice), she also doesn't get the luxury of turning that off if her environment isn't proper (not saying yours isn't, just making an example).

Her Calcium stores could have just been severely depleted from all of the egg laying. If she isn't getting enough Calcium, the body will leach calcium from it's own bones to support the egg creating process. I agree, based on the x-ray alone, the bones don't look like what we typically see in MBD, however, when we see MBD x-rays, it's typically in the stage where there is already massive damage to the structure and density of the bone. Based on the bloodwork, the dragon is definitely suffering from it to a degree. Typically the Phosphorus levels are elevated, not lowered, during MBD, but it being off one way or another is going to lead to issues with calcium absorption. If not stopped and reversed, the dragon's x-rays will likely look like what you typically see in MBD x-rays. Remember, there are different severity's of MBD. MBD simply is a disease in which the body is leaching calcium from the bones due to some type of metabolic issue, whether it be a lack of calcium in the diet, a lack of absorbing it, or some other issue. However, I don't think at this point it's that big of an issue, besides the fact that it likely caused some type of foot fracture or sprain possibly.

The good thing is at least with this issue, it's caught early and can be stopped and reversed. It's possible the foot was fractured. But feet don't just fracture without some type of outside factor, whether it be a drop, or bone thinning from MBD.

The diet seems ok.

Your UVB will work, but it's a little bit of a weaker option and thus needs to be a bit closer to the dragon to be effective.

A good thing to aim for is a UVI of around 3 at the basking surface. This UVI allows for proper Vit D3 synthesis while still not being too high of a UV to cause skin issues (UV is damaging, and too much of it can hurt dragons just the same as it can hurt humans). We typically recommend achieving this level with a T5 bulb mounted approximately 12-15 inches away unobstructed. IF the bulb is obstructed by a mesh tank top (Which effectively filters out a percentage of the UVI) then we recommend it being more close to 8-10 inches away.

For a T8 10.0 bulb, which is quite a bit weaker, to get a UVI of around 3 at the basking surface you need to have the bulb in a fixture with a reflector, and it needs to be unobstructed. A T8 10.0 bulb needs to be around 6-8 inches unobstructed from the basking surface to achieve this UVI.

In regards to the other skin issue, which arguably is the more concerning issue simply because it's not an issue that we see very commonly, and it is harder to diagnosis as it can be from numerous things. My best advice is to follow the antibiotic schedule your vet gave you and see if symptoms with the skin and bumps improve. Sometimes our bodies react oddly to internal stressors such as infections and inflammation. It's possible that your girl is reacting in a way that is presenting with these skin bumps.

At this point, all I would suggest is try to get your UV bulb set up as recommended, or get a stronger one. Your diet seems ok so no need to really change anything there. And keep up with the Baytril and the cream and keep us updated on the progress.

-Brandon

 

[lizarddude]

Thank you, and will do. I can get the UV sorted tomorrow (as shes asleep rn), and since its getting replaced soon I'll look for a new T5 UV fixture and light bulb. They seem easier to source nowadays anyway.

 

[Claudiusx]

I did want to add one more thing in regards to the MBD since it is a bit atypical based on your blood test results simply because in MBD we typically see higher levels of phosphorus which supports the theory of bone leaching, but that is not always the case.

You do typically see higher phosphorus levels with MBD as opposed to low ones, but yours being almost non-existent points towards some type of metabolic issue that is going to affect the calcium levels in your dragon.

The reason i'm pushing more towards it being MBD (with bone issues being only a complication, not necessarily a symptom) is because if the low P was from kidney failure or kidney disease (really the only other option here), there would be other supporting markers in the blood:

• UA is good, indicating decent kidney function.
• P is basically non-existent which could indicate kidney disease, but is also indicative of malnutrition and/or poor calcium absorption.
• K (potassium) is low also. Which could point to kidney disease, but in kidney disease K is typically HIGH because the kidneys can not properly excrete the excess K. Low K points more towards a metabolic issue, diet, or dehydration.
• BUN is within range, which would be a factor in kidney disease.
• AST is high, which is to be expected with kidney disease, however you'd expect high P and UA alongside this to support kidney disease, which you don't have here.

This doesn't change the advice I recommend, just posting it for others knowledge and to prevent people from seeing low P and immediately ruling out MBD.

-Brandon

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, your poor girl, she has definitely been through the mill with all of those eggs she laid!
I agree with Brandon, while the calcium levels on the blood test which are the mmol are normal, the phosphorus is basically non existent. The bone in the foot is probably weakened or possibly fractured from stress due to overuse on all of the egg laying.
As many eggs as she laid, it would be virtually impossible for her to be unscathed when it comes to calcium issues.
The body can have a normal calcium level but while that appears normal, it can remain that way for awhile but the 25 Hydroxy levels will drop. That will simply start a snowball effect which will begin to leach the bones of calcium when the body is seeking to maintain a stable blood calcium serum level.
I would recommend some liquid calcium for awhile to help out with getting the levels up.
The AST levels are high probably from the excessive egg laying being so hard on her system. Try to get her on some liquid or powdered Milk thistle to help with her liver function.
I believe the kidney function appears to be doing ok.
As Brandon mentioned, with renal failure, the Uric acid levels are usually over 20mg/dl & the Phosphorus levels are too. So, I dont feel at the moment, she is having any kidney issues.
Once her nutritional status gets normalized, her mineral levels should start to get back within the normal ranges. Once something gets out of balance it will trigger other things to become imbalanced, too.
Reptiles take awhile to recover, but keep working with her.
Keep her well hydrated right now. Will she drink water from a syringe or dropper?
Have you tried raw unpasteurized honey or silver gel or cream on the tail issues yet?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[lizarddude]

Hello,

Wow, your poor girl, she has definitely been through the mill with all of those eggs she laid!
I agree with Brandon, while the calcium levels on the blood test which are the mmol are normal, the phosphorus is basically non existent. The bone in the foot is probably weakened or possibly fractured from stress due to overuse on all of the egg laying.
As many eggs as she laid, it would be virtually impossible for her to be unscathed when it comes to calcium issues.
The body can have a normal calcium level but while that appears normal, it can remain that way for awhile but the 25 Hydroxy levels will drop. That will simply start a snowball effect which will begin to leach the bones of calcium when the body is seeking to maintain a stable blood calcium serum level.
I would recommend some liquid calcium for awhile to help out with getting the levels up.
The AST levels are high probably from the excessive egg laying being so hard on her system. Try to get her on some liquid or powdered Milk thistle to help with her liver function.
I believe the kidney function appears to be doing ok.
As Brandon mentioned, with renal failure, the Uric acid levels are usually over 20mg/dl & the Phosphorus levels are too. So, I dont feel at the moment, she is having any kidney issues.
Once her nutritional status gets normalized, her mineral levels should start to get back within the normal ranges. Once something gets out of balance it will trigger other things to become imbalanced, too.
Reptiles take awhile to recover, but keep working with her.
Keep her well hydrated right now. Will she drink water from a syringe or dropper?
Have you tried raw unpasteurized honey or silver gel or cream on the tail issues yet?

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

Ok yeah. She laid her last eggs in August, and things seemed on the up after that and her de-worm treatment.
She drinks water from a bottle but we dont spray it, just slowly squeze it so it drops water on her nose.
For her tail issue we were given a Taro cream and apply that daily for 14 days. It looks like it's healing well after just 5 days.
I'm going to look for some liquid or powdered Milk thistle because that sounds helpful for her nutritional absorbstion.

I think I found the culprit though.

I went out and bought her a new T5 H0 light fixture, a 24" zoo-med one, and installed it around 4pm yesterday. This morning she was all perky, and mouth agape under her basking area, and she seemed to have more energy. I really thought hard about the timeline of events and I honestly think I was sold 1 or 2 used/faulty lights from an amazon seller. (It wasn't an official zoo-med seller, but 'what america buys' a random seller from NJ, and they have a lot of bad reviews since I bought back in April '24)

I had used that T8 hood with her since she was a baby, and switching the bulbs every 6 months, plus making sure her basking hammock was within 4-8" of it seemed to work even with the screen. She never developed MBD in those 2 years, it's only been these last few months (since I switched to a new T8 bulb) that she's exhibited an illness this bad (aside from her pinworms last July as her eggs stressed her out). I switched to the second amazon bulb in Nov, and that's when things very slowly started going downhill. We figured she was low energy because it's winter here and the days were getting darker. We did also lower her light down to 11hrs a day (7am-6pm). So we figured it was all brumation signs until last month. I don't have a UVB dectector as they are pricey, but I have a feeling that I mighta been sold 1 new and 1 used bulb. Or worse, 2 used bulbs and thats why she somewhat struggled with laying last year...)

Either way, I got rid of the old T8 hood (bulbs will need to be brought to dump.), and won't be going back, as sourcing T8 bulbs became extremely difficult last year. I imagine it wont be any easier now either. (GOOD, no more poor husbandry due to misinformation and bad business research.)

Attached is pictures of her current set-up, new T5 fixture, with measuring tape for scale/distance. Towel over hammok for safety purposes rn, and she ran up to me when I took pictures, so she's really close to the UV light there, but she moved back down. Rearranging that after this post so she doen't give herself a sunburn.

Thank you all for your insights, and suggestions, I'll update again after the weekend and tell ya if the light really was the culprit.