Need help and fast....

[Aerries]

No it is not your fault. It sounds like you did your research but may not have the correct info on the UVB light, which I was only able to find out through the bearded dragon forums, not from the vet, not the pet store and not even most caresheets.

First thing first, t8 is too weak. The mesh lid blocks out 40% of the rays your beardie needs. To get the sufficient amount, he would need to be about 6" from the light, not 10". And 6" is unreasonable considering he will overheat from the basking spot. You have 2 options: remove the lid/find a way to tie the T8 under the mesh lid if you want to keep the T8 or change to a T5 HO (high output) Reptisun 10.0 and keep the mesh lid. Then your beardie can stay at 10" from the light.

Imo, switch to the T5 HO. You will need to buy a new fixture too. Both are available from Amazon. It is a pricey up front cost (About $80) but the T5 is known to last longer (8 months vs 6 months of a T8). It is so strong that you would NOT use the T5 without a lid at 10" but a little further away at the risk of being burned.

Once you switch the UVB, you should see an increase in appetite and energy. Whatever damages MBD has done is permanent but you can still stop further damage and your beardie can live his life out.

How many times are you supplementing his food? As an adult, he should have at least 2x calcium + d3 and 1 multivitamin per week. But because it sounds like he may have MBD, I would increase that to 3x calcium + d3. I would RepCal for the calcium powder which I recommend, because it comes with no phosphorus. That too is a little pricey but it is another expense for the long term health of your beardie.

Veggies like collard greens have high calcium. I would increase more veggies with calcium in them in his salad.

Lastly, adults only need about 90-95F basking spot. Babies are from 98-105F. Too hot and he may not bask at the 10" that you have, hence he is not basking enough for the UVB.

Sorry it is a T5 and the issue with having the lighting inside of the cage there’s no way for me to connect it because it’s a two screen glass enclosure. That’s the issue I was having when I was setting it up two years ago. I was doing calcium (repti cal) dusting on his greens 3 times a week with a multivitamin (rep cal) once a week.....problem was that he hardly if ever ate his greens. I’m trying bee pollen as well.


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[Cheesenugget]

That is odd. Even if he was not eating a lot of salad, with the T5 and dusting, he should not have MBD (Assuming that is what it is). There are two types of T5 though: one for desert use (High Output) and the other is for jungle use. Make sure you have the HO one.

With the mesh lid, you should still be okay. There is NO plastic covering in your fixture, right? Some owners buy the Wal-Mart fixtures as a diy, and forgets to remove the plastic covering.

If the fixture is fine and the lights are fine, I am out of answers for you. I would strongly recommend you to go to the bearded dragon dot org forums for help. They have a section specifically for questions like yours regarding beardie illnesses. And of course, your new vet will confirm what he really have going on. The first things you post along with your question are a pic of your tank, enclosure size, temps, lights and dusting schedule. Good luck.

[PiperPython]

Try this: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

and this (please note the date on this older thread & realize that some things change; if you're anywhere near Dr. Rossi,
that's who I'd go see...but that's not saying the others in your area aren't excellent, only that Dr. Rossi is a household name.)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...d-Exotics-Vets

Dr. Rossi is our vet. He's super awesome and just an all-around nice guy — he even signed his book that I purchased "What's Wrong With My Snake?" haha.

Good luck with Cleo. Wishing you both the best.

[Aerries]

Okay so here’s the run down, two vets and 400$ later we have nothing.....blood work came back perfect...dr said there’s a possibility of a calcium buildup or tumor in his elbow. We have to wait till the 25th for his follow up so we can tap into his elbow for fluid and get that sent off to the lab. He’s on a Baytil and liquid calcium for the next two weeks. Worst case scenario is it is a tumor and we have to amputate.


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[Bogertophis]

Dr. Rossi is our vet. He's super awesome and just an all-around nice guy — he even signed his book that I purchased "What's Wrong With My Snake?" haha.

Good luck with Cleo. Wishing you both the best.

I have that book too...& I'm glad to know that he's " super awesome and just an all-around nice guy" too, in fact I expected as much. I'm jealous that you're close
enough to have his help.

[Bogertophis]

Okay so here’s the run down, two vets and 400$ later we have nothing.....blood work came back perfect...dr said there’s a possibility of a calcium buildup or tumor in his elbow. We have to wait till the 25th for his follow up so we can tap into his elbow for fluid and get that sent off to the lab. He’s on a Baytil and liquid calcium for the next two weeks. Worst case scenario is it is a tumor and we have to amputate.


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Back to your poor little dragon...sorry to hear about your ordeal to help him & the guarded prognosis. Fingers crossed here (-if only they were magic?).