About 5 months ago I bought two female mali uromasyx from a breeder, she decided to throw in two mature(approx 3-4 year old) male beardies. She had housed both species together for years and suggested for me to do the same. They are in a 5foot x 5foot enclosure, they have multiple basking sites ranging in temp from 95-130, they have a mercury vapor uvb lamp aswell as some zoo med repti sun 10.0 bulbs, they have playsand as a substrate.
The uromastyx are doing very well, one of the beardies was as well, but recently developed an abcess behind his eye and passed away before I could schedule surgery, a shame because he was an awesome beardie. The other one has not done very well from the start. He came to me with swelling on his limbs and a malformed jaw, which I believe is MBD, the breeder told me he was fine, that she had him checked by a vet and it was just his individual characteristics. But every day when I turn their lites on I am expecting to find him dead. He is lethargic, has no appetite, constantly dehydrated, runny stool with a bit of blood. I have tried different slurries, repta aid, electrolyte solutions, live prey, but nothing works. I have to force feed everything, even water into him, and he never seems to change even a little bit for the better. I have taken him to my vet, had tests done, to no avail. But it is not in my vets field of expertise, and he is the only one within a 5hour drive that will even look at reptiles.
I am pleading for any one with even a hint of advice to help me, because if I don't figure out something fast I am going to have to euthanize him.
Thanx
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Sick Beardy
Replies (1)
Personally, I don't recommend housing uros with bearded dragons. Second, from what you described, it sounds like the dragon could be suffering a combination of problems. Runny and bloody stool is often a sign of internal parasites. Rubber jaw is MBD which is caused by lack of calcium in the diet. This can be due to improper exposure to UVB rays, not enough calcium in his foods etc.
Your best bet is to have your vet consult with a herp expert on the proper treatment. But he should be able at least, to do a fecal and check for parasites. Below are a couple links to experienced herp vets. Find one as close to you as possible and recommend your vet to call him for advice, or if one happens to be close to you, go see him.
www.arav.org/
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PHLdyPayne
