Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We recently recieved an adult bearded dragon for adoption at the pet store where I work. The dragon is female and roughly two to three years of age. She has some serious swelling on all four of her legs and seems to have trouble walking. She also flinches when you touch her legs and feet, I take this to mean that it is painful for her to have her legs so swollen. the person who dropped her off informed us that her legs had been more swollen previously and that the swelling was actually going down. She is having touble moving and can't move her extremities, even to catch prey. The legs are so swollen with pockets of fluid that you can see the skin between the scales. Since we are not making any profit off of her we are reluctant to take her to the vet and are looking for alternate solutions.

Fluid displacement is usually a protein deficiency. The dragon will likly die. Take it to a vet.

There is no alternative to a vet. It sounds like the dragon is suffering. The only ethical thing to do is help her or humanely euthanise her. Both options will need a vets help.