What is wrong with my bearded Dragons leg?!??

[EllenD]

The Calcium Deficiency is not usually caused by them getting too little Calcium at all. 99% of the time it's due to them not getting adequate UVB light, as without proper UVB light for 13-14 hours every day, they cannot absorb any of the Calcium you are giving her, she is just excreting it. And unfortunately, I bet 90% or higher of the UVB lights sold are totally inadequate for Bearded Dragons, and even the some of the ones that are adequate must be mounted in a certain way and be within a certain distance from your Dragon for them to be able to deliver effective UVB light.

I don't believe you ever told us what UVB light you actually have...could you please do that? It will be written/printed directly on the light itself. Please let us know what the Brand Name is, the Wattage, and then the Type, meaning is it a long tube (18" or longer usually), a Compact (like a regular lightbulb), or a Coil (like a regular lightbulb but spiral/coil shaped)? And is it sitting on top of a mesh lid to the tank? How far away is the UVB light in inches from your Dragon's Basking Spot/Platform?

If you answer these questions we can tell you whether it is a Calcium Deficiency and the start of MBD without any x-ray being needed. This is very important to figure out anyway, while she's still so young. If there is a problem with her UVB light and you get it corrected immediately at her age, the damage can likely be reversed. This is an extremely common issue, the most common problem posted on this forum with new, baby dragons, and is likely what is going on with your Dragon.

 

[Barbathebeardie]

The UV bulb Is a reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb that I got in in her tank kit. 3u-26w ac 120c/60hz. By zoo med

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The Reptisun 5 26 watt, that is a long tube bulb, correct? Do you have it mounted on top of
the screen top, or underneath of it?
How is she doing now, is she still eating well & basking? Can she get around better now or is
she still favoring the leg?

Tracie

 

[CooperDragon]

The 26w is a compact bulb I believe. A 5.0 compact won't provide sufficient UVB exposure so that should be upgraded to a stronger bulb.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Initially I thought the 5 was a compact/coil & found a 13 watt but not a 26 watt. Weird.
I see the reptisun 10 compact is a 26 watt.
Either way, the 5% is not strong enough for good UVB exposure, definitely. You will need
to upgrade to at least the Reptisun 10% or Arcadia D3 12% or 14% minimum.
How is your dragon doing today?

Tracie

 

[Barbathebeardie]

Barba( which is her name) seems to be getting around her tank just fine. She can even climb on to her basking log. (albeit a little clumsily) how much would the proper light cost? I am broke

 

[kyleena29]

These are my suggestions here for uvb

http://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/arcadia-d3-12-uvb-t5-bulb-22/
http://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures/t5-ho-single-bulb-light-strip-24/

You will need to find a way to get a proper uvb asap.
You will be watching your little one die slowly. If it's possible you can take them outside for real sunshine for like an hour and that will help greatly.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, definitely borrow some money if need be to get the good bulb. Other than that, make sure the compact 5.0 is close to her basking spot. Something else that can help a lot is to get her out in the sun if it's warm out. If it's above 65 and sunny, get a plastic storage tote, put a small basking log in + set with her out in the sun. If it's over 75F, be careful because the plastic can heat up quite a bit. Anything over 75 and you will need to make artificial shade in one area of the plastic tote.

 

[Barbathebeardie]

I can buy a new ubv 10.0 bulb, but what about her leg?if I leave it alone can it heal on its own? If not, could I make a splint for her?

 

[kyleena29]

I wouldn't splint. That would be up to a vet with xrays done to determine if something like that is needed. If he can get around the way it is then I would leave it alone. It's a good possibility the bulb is the culprit. You can give a ton of calcium to them but it will do no good if their body can't process it due to lack of ultraviolet light. The leg may or may not be injured. The only way to tell is with xray and they can also determine the bone density to see if there is an issue there. If the weather is nice enough outside you can take him out for sunshine for about an hour a day till you get the new bulb. A small amount of real sun is better than an artificial bulb all day. So it's always a benefit to take them outside even without problems.

 

[EllenD]

Hello,

Initially I thought the 5 was a compact/coil & found a 13 watt but not a 26 watt. Weird.
I see the reptisun 10 compact is a 26 watt.
Either way, the 5% is not strong enough for good UVB exposure, definitely. You will need
to upgrade to at least the Reptisun 10% or Arcadia D3 12% or 14% minimum.
How is your dragon doing today?

Tracie

I got screwed-up by this too a couple of weeks ago...There are still the 13 watt compact/coil Reptisun 10.0 and 5.0 bulbs like they've always made, but they must have recently introduced this 26 watt compact/coil version that I believe also comes in both a 10.0 and a 5.0, but it's a self-ballasted bulb. I've never seen it in-person, only the 13 watt ones, but I went to their page to verify because 2 or 3 new members popped-up out of no where with them, and I didn't know they even existed...

For the OP, you absolutely need to get your Dragon a long, fluorescent tube UVB and a fixture for it that has a reflector inside it. This really is not optional, as having a proper UVB tube is crucial for a Bearded Dragon, without one he will develop a bad Calcium Deficiency, MBD, and will be very, very sick in a short amount of time. I understand about money, but this is a situation where you need to borrow it from someone, that's how important this is. A 5.0 or 5% UVB light is not adequate, Dragons need a minimum of a 10% or 10.0 UVB output light, and the compact/coil bulbs do not emit adequate UVB light throughout the tank, they just emit them in one focused spot, and this doesn't work for Desert Reptiles. Plus you have to replace them every 6 months anyway, as they stop emitting any UVB light at that point. If you buy a nice, strong T5 strength UVB tube and fixture it will not only do wonders for your Dragon, but the tube only needs replaced once a year. Plus, a T5 strength UVB tube can sit on top of the mesh lid to the tank as long as it's within at least 10" of your Dragon's Basking Spot/Platform.

The cheapest place I've seen to buy a T5 UVB tube and a fixture for it is on Amazon.com, if anyone else has a cheaper place please post it...

I recommend a 22" or longer Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube, which costs about $25 shipped on Amazon.com, and then they also sell one particular T5-rated (24 watt) tube fixture that includes a reflector with it for about $28 shipped. So about $60 total shipped for both the T5 UVB tube and a fixture w/reflector.