Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK .. so .. we go to a nice reptile place to get crickets all the time
and they needed room for there beardies so they gave away a beared dragon to us ..
they told us it has a nerogical problem ? with its neck so it cant move its neck or body really well its pretty skinny and is 10 inches long
shes in a 10 gallon by herself with a heating bask at 100 ( she hides under the branch though .. and then sence she cant move just stays there ? )
also im working on getting a UVB asp ...
( IVE BEEN giving her calcuim and vitamins too
substrat is paper towels

i feel bad for the little girl she was eatting well they said till like she got this mess up with the spine .. or something
anyways .. i tryed giving her crickets she eats them .. i have to feed her by hand ( she wont eat them by herself ) but she trys to move
and she is throwing the crickets back up ? anyone have any suggestions ? for me

i know i got this beared dragon sick / with some problem but shes a pastel cross with a hypo pastel and shes a little cutie and i know saving her might be diffecult even though impossible but i would like to try ..
( maybe theres a more easy food to digest for her )
and im afriad if i take her to the vet they will just tell me to put her down )..
below is a picture of her .

another picture ..

I would get her to a vet. The problem with her neck/spine could be genetic, due to a blow to that area (either something fell on her, she fell off something or tried to burrow under something heavy and it pressed against her spine/neck area and damaged it. In either case only a vet can determine if the damage is treatable, caused by some form of injury or a genetic mutation.

As for her hiding all the time, give her time to adjust to her new environment. Also double check to make sure your temps are not too hot. If she has trouble moving, it could be due to injury/genetic defect. The vet you take her to will be able to tell if she will regain part or full movement etc. If it turns out to be a genetic defect, best not to breed her, as this can lead to the defect spreading among the dragon populations, especially if somebody is fool enough to breed two of her offspring together in the future...whether intentionally or accidently.
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PHLdyPayne

My 2 cents worth for those more trained.

Is it possible she is impacted and the pressure is building up on the spine? That being the reason she regurging as well?

Again, just a thought.

thanks for your help ..

Hi
i would surlely buy a reptisdun 5.0
and dust her prey items with calsium like,mineral from sticky toung farms .
say 5 times a week.
and vitam ines 1 time a week?.
also would raise the temp to 110 on baskingspot .
then maybe you asee in 3,4 weeks improvement.
if that not help i think its genetic.
byeeeee
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www.dragoncave.nl

you can try baby food or mostend pellets, i give the baby food (beef) sometimes as a treat and it really seems to move though them so maby that could help if there is any impation going on, also try giving less food more times a day instead of big meals, aslo you can mix in calcium and vitamins with the baby food, mine also like bannana baby food but again this is just a treat, to much i think would be bad but it might be a gentile way to spark proper digestion

and really think about a vet check, hopefully you will get good news but if you find out its not going to get any better then you have a hard choice to make

well i wish you 2 the best of luck!
Tony

Couple ideas.

I've said before a 10 Gallon tank is too small for any size Bearded Dragon. Especially a 10" one. You need at least a 20 Gal long (30 x 12 x 12) for proper temp. gradiants. She may be hiding under the log because she is too hot. If the heat is causing her stress she may not eat.

I agree with everyone else and you should take her to the Vet right away. Looking at the pictures, I'm more inclined to say that she is injured. The bend in her neck may make it difficult or impossible for her to pass any large food. Hence the regurgitation. Crickets do have an exoskeleton and may be hard for her to get down. I would recommend silkworms as live food. They are a soft caterpillar than she may be able to pass.

You are a better person than I. I personnally couldn't handle the emotional stress of your predicament. I applaud you.

Also if no one mentioned it before, when you take your dragon to the vet you might want to ask about Glucocalcium. A liquid calcium for extreme deficiancy. Its easily dosed oraly and works wonders.