Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I managed to acquire through a rescue group a two year old male beardie. He seems to be having a few problems...First and foremost he has not had uvb(its on him now) so he hasn't been getting what he needs there. secondly he hasn't been eating any veggies. I have them in his cage now but i was told the only thing he would eat any of was blueberries. When he walks he seems to drag his body. he doe not stand at all. He is always laying flat. He also seems like he has the hiccups. I haven't had anything quite like this so i need some help in getting him into better shape. Like i said his temps and what not are good but i don't have animals like this so i am not enirely sure what to do. Let me know and thanks for your help!

I managed to acquire through a rescue group a two year old male beardie.I am surprised any rescue group would send out an animal like this and not have it medically cared for and you know what is going on BEFORE it was given to anyone. Thats inexcusable and not a rescue. IF you got him from the prior owners and you are the rescue, you need to gt him to a vet and be prepared in the future when you take in some, that most of them have been neglected and need extensive medical care.

He also seems like he has the hiccups. I haven't had anything quite like this so i need some help in getting him into better shape. When you have a rescue or take in one, you need to have the skills youself or take him to a vet to treat him. This sounds like a RI and needs professional care ASAP

Like i said his temps and what not are good but i don't have animals like this so i am not enirely sure what to do. Let me know and thanks for your help!

How do you know his temps and what not are good? what are you measuring them with" stick on and those round inexpensive onesa are as much as 20 degrees off...... onc he has medical care and is getting proper treatment for what you know is wrong with him, people can help you make sures his set ups and hundandy are correct now to give him a chance to recover.
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www.reptilerooms.com

No he was not from a direct rescue group but through a school program that accepts animals that need homes. I keep several beardies but what i meant by i don't have animals like this is animals in poor condition. I know his lights were not correct becuase the people who gave him up stated this. They also were the ones that said he would not eat veggies. I was unaware of his condition when i agreed to help. Yes it was not wise to blindly accept this animal but i thought with my previous experience with reptiles including uros and beardies i may be able to help. He is in the process of seeing my personal reptile vet in addition i have acces to one of the houston zoos reptile veterinarians that comes highly recommended

As i have stated i was unaware of his condition until he was brought to my door. I do not have experience with a beardie with this particular type of illness hence the reason i was asking for suggestions...as i stated previously any help would be appreciated.
Thank you

My dragon "Bob" I got in a similar fashion, He was left in my current home with no heat and no light, I think he would have passed on weeks ago if i had not come along. He has realy brightened up since i added UVB and upped his viv temp. I still need to find a vet as he sometimes has watery stools but here findinging a vet that has experance with reptiles has been a little hard

If he wasn't getting any direct sun and if wasn't getting any D3 supplement and since he has been without UVB, its quite likely its MBD (metabolic bone disease). The fact that he drags his body and doesn't stand at all also makes me think that this is what it is. I'm not a vet and you need one to confirm it.

If this is the case, the vet could give him calcium injections for several weeks and then a shot of calcitonin to pull the calcium back into the bones. THIS HAS TO BE DONE BY A VET BECAUSE IF ITS DONE IMPROPERLY, IT CAN RESULT IN THE DEATH OF THE DRAGON.

I don't know what to say about the hiccups right now.

Hope that you can solve his problems!

Thanks I appreciate your feedback. He is going to the vet because i have heard of the calcium injections and i also really wanted him to be gone over so there aren't any other little suprises. I had one beardie who suprised me a week afer i got him with coccidia and pin worms...that was fun. I assumed it was MBD just from what i knew of it but I had never had anything with it so I wasn't sure if there was anything in addition to the vet that may help. I know alot of people have little hints of advice in here. Thanks again! i will let ya'll know what the vet says

ok the first available appointment with the really good vet was friday at one so i will be taking him in then...wish the little guy luck!

The dragging of the body sounds like an advanced stage of MBD. Deffinitely suppliment crickets with calcium powder and D3 to help him till you can get him to the vet for a proper diagnosis. Dust crickets once a day, no more than that.

I won't worry about the greens right now, but later on, or you can just try now, finely chop up his greens etc (finer than normally is necessary for adult dragons) and drop silkworms or crickets right on the greens, before offering to your dragon. THis way he will most likely eat some greens (especially with silkworms as they tend to hang on to anything their feet are touching).

The hiccuping may be due to an upper respiratory infection or possibly a bad case of internal parasites, or some other problem. I haven't really heard bearded dragons hicuping before. Check for any discharge from the mouth or nostrals, if he tends to breathe with his mouth open all the time (don't confuse this with the normal gaping when basking, to cool down). Listen for any wet sounding wheezing, or bubbling inthe mouth or nostrals. (its normal for some bubbles to form in the mouth in a healthy dragon, but not alot, it deffinitely shouldn't look like he has a mouth full of soap suds).
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PHLdyPayne

Thanks for the info...i will certainly try that. He hasn't been doing the "hiccupping" thing for a but so it may have been him trying to head bob or act aggressive but he couldn't do it very well...just a thought. He does have a descent weight to him. I am not sure of his exact weight but he isn't thin. Heres a picture of the little guy...his name is Archimedes.

Good luck with the vet appointment!