Sick beardie

[Dragondinoguy45]

I've been gone for about 5 weeks on vacation. The first week, I had no one to look after my beardie, but for the rest, I did have a caretaker. The caretaker misted her, fed her veggies, turned the heat and uvb lamps on and off daily, and said she was alert and normal for the time I was gone. When I got back about 3 days ago, I saw that my beardie was skinny and lethargic. She still is skinny and doesn't really open her eyes, and yesterday, I had to assist feed her a few waxworms. Although she doesn't currently have physical symptoms of mbd such as rubbery jaw, bumps from bones, etc, the store owners of the exotic pet shop I got her from immediately said it was mbd, so I've been bathing her in Pedialyte water 2 times daily and threw out the coil uvb, which is what they said caused it, and replaced it with a strip uvb, and purchased a 100 watt desert bulb and a 150 watt desert bulb (and yes, I've had the strip before, but I decided to go with a coil uvb thinking it would be simpler to replace, not knowing they are garbage, and I did have a desert bulb, just not as high). However, I called an exotic vet office, I when I informed her that she hasn't had insects in those 5 weeks, she suggested that the weight loss could be muscle loss from lack of protein since she went a long time with being feed insects. So, could it be mbd that just isn't really showing symptoms, or likelier to be weakness from lack of protein? I tried to put the image below, and I don't know if it'll work, this is my first time on here. Thank you.

http://20190717_141557.jpg

[SilentHill]

you could try reptiboost or carnicare...
dunno about the mbd v. lack of protein but i'm not a vet.

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[Cheesenugget]

I cannot see the picture.

What are the temps, size of tank, type of substrate (ie tile? Sand?), UVB info on the coil (Is it a 10.0 or 5.0? High Output?), the new UVB info? Do you have a mesh lid for a tank? Pictures will help.

MBD takes months to show symptoms. Meaning she could have this but did not show problems until now. Coil UVB are the worst, imo, and can blind your beardie as well as not providing enough UVB for most of the area where your lizard is in the tank. However, other problems depends on far is your lizard basking spot to the UVB light. Mesh lids filters out 70% of the rays. So if you was using a regular Reptisun 5.0, and your lizard basks about 12-15 inch from the lid, your lizard is not getting enough rays.

Another common mistake is to not place the UVB close to the heat source. They need to be on together and placed close together as your lizard needs the heat for the rays to get processed in its body. I had seen owners move the UVB fixture on the opposite side of the tank which is not the correct way to set it up.

Bad lighting, not hot enough, impaction, egg bound, etc... The list goes on as to why your beardie won't eat. One thing for sure: even though it did not eat insects for 5 weeks, it will eat (With a lot of gusto) if everything else was fine.

Besides the lighting, does she have a nesting box? Usually you can add it in when you see her scratching the floor. However, with you being gone for 5 weeks, she may had shown signs of laying but did not do so.

Pick up a timer for your lights. Your beardie needs 10-12 hours of day and night. Avoid relying on memory and pet sitters to do it right.

Please make an appointment asap with a vet who knows bearded dragons. In the meantime, I can try my best to help you but the vet is the only one who can confirm with bloodwork and physical exam of what is wrong with her.

[Dragondinoguy45]

It's a 40 gallon breeder, substrate is newspaper. The coil was a 10.0, the uvb strip is a Zilla slimline desert fixture, desert 50 uvb T8 flourescent bulb, 18 inches. There is a mesh top. I'll have to get another therometer as the other broke, but right now I have a double sided lamp, one side with the 100 w desert bulb and the other with the 150 w night bulb, both on right now.

[Cheesenugget]

It's a 40 gallon breeder, substrate is newspaper. The coil was a 10.0, the uvb strip is a Zilla slimline desert fixture, desert 50 uvb T8 flourescent bulb, 18 inches. There is a mesh top. I'll have to get another therometer as the other broke, but right now I have a double sided lamp, one side with the 100 w desert bulb and the other with the 150 w night bulb, both on right now.

Assuming we are talking about an adult (Over 1.5 years old) beardie, a 40 gallon is a bit small unless you have a small adult. A 75 gallon at minimum for adults is best, not just because of the floor space, but prevents burning your beardie with the UVB strip if it a has nowhere to escape or go under and a better temp gradient.

Hot spot should be about 90-95F, some people go higher for adults but many including myself stays within this range. Either way, higher than 100F is an overkill.

Cool side should be no lower than 77F. They can do okay at 75F for a few days but preferred to stay within 77-80F. Room temp usually can cover that.

STOP using the night bulb. Lizards, including beardies and BTS, can see light even those red light bulbs or other night bulbs. This can stress them out and disturbs their rest. When it is night time, turn all lights off in its tank so it can sleep better. The only time you will turn anything on at sleep time is a CHE for additional heat, usually in the winter. Again, turn off your night bulbs. Ambient light is fine.

Is it 18 inches from the basking spot to the lid?

I will tell you more about the UVB later.

[Dragondinoguy45]

Oh, my fault. I should've been more specific about the lights. I don't know if it makes a difference, but the night heat bulb is a Zilla night black heat bulb, which was recommended to me by the store owner (same guy who sold me the beardie some years ago and just a few days ago said she had mbd). And the uvb is 18 inches long, I was just listing all the uvb's details listed on its box in case someone who knows more about these products had info I may not know on it, and they would know what specific product I was talking about. But while I'm unsure of her age, she is on the smaller side, but isn't a baby, likely still a juvie.

[redpandakitty]

I echo the person who said you should get your beardie to the vet asap. Also, you don't want to use a mesh lid with the UVB bulb; if your UVB is on top it can block up to 50% of your light.

You said you got her a few years ago but think she's probably still a juvenile. If she's a few years old she's definitely an adult. How long had you been using the coil bulb? The strip UVB you just installed, is it new? I apologize if you know this, but UVB lights need to be changed every 6-12 months, depending on the brand. If you've been using a coil bulb for a long time it is definitely possible that she has MBD, and insufficient care while you were gone may have caused new problems or exacerbated ones that weren't so obvious before.

Was your caretaker giving her calcium and vitamin supplements while you were gone? Also, no offense to whomever was the caretaker, but if your beardie was skinny and lethargic when you got home their assessment that she was "alert and normal" is definitely drawn into question (I understand not everyone is familiar with reptiles and it's not easy to get experienced caretakers).

[Dragondinoguy45]

I've had the coil uvb for almost a year. I used the strip before, but when I started to search for a new uvb, I saw the double sided lamp that comes with the coil uvb, which I thought would be easier to replace and would be as helpful. The strip uvb I now have is a whole new fixture I just purchased a few days ago, and is currently on.

[NewmanLovesSnakes]

I've been gone for about 5 weeks on vacation. The first week, I had no one to look after my beardie, but for the rest, I did have a caretaker. The caretaker misted her, fed her veggies, turned the heat and uvb lamps on and off daily, and said she was alert and normal for the time I was gone. When I got back about 3 days ago, I saw that my beardie was skinny and lethargic. She still is skinny and doesn't really open her eyes, and yesterday, I had to assist feed her a few waxworms. Although she doesn't currently have physical symptoms of mbd such as rubbery jaw, bumps from bones, etc, the store owners of the exotic pet shop I got her from immediately said it was mbd, so I've been bathing her in Pedialyte water 2 times daily and threw out the coil uvb, which is what they said caused it, and replaced it with a strip uvb, and purchased a 100 watt desert bulb and a 150 watt desert bulb (and yes, I've had the strip before, but I decided to go with a coil uvb thinking it would be simpler to replace, not knowing they are garbage, and I did have a desert bulb, just not as high). However, I called an exotic vet office, I when I informed her that she hasn't had insects in those 5 weeks, she suggested that the weight loss could be muscle loss from lack of protein since she went a long time with being feed insects. So, could it be mbd that just isn't really showing symptoms, or likelier to be weakness from lack of protein? I tried to put the image below, and I don't know if it'll work, this is my first time on here. Thank you.

http://20190717_141557.jpg

I sure hope she heals up but next time I would take into consideration to have proper care for her set up before your vacation or I personally would not of left. I would of been highly upset returning to see my animal in that condition if I had care already coordinated for her because it sounds like they did not understand entirely what they were supposed to do as far as care. Anyway best of luck to you and let us know if she heals up.


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