Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For anyone who can help you can refer to my previous post right below this as to what is wrong with the dragon!!!

For those of you who read the post can anyone outline for me the thing I DEFINETELY need to do to get this dragon back on his feet??? Um, I only have a 20 gallon tank for the moment so that will have to do...He can't really walk anyhow so that's not a big deal...How will he bask since he can't really climb??? I just need all the help I can get!!!
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**KILL 'EM WITH KINDNESS**

hi, sorry to hear he is sick. you should get him to a vet asap.
if it is MBD the vet can do alot, if hes not to far gone. i would suggest a full spectrum light 8-10 inches above him. also if you mix his vitamin and mineral suppliments with a fruit babyfood you can hand feed them. (even if he doesnt want to eat )also climbing to bask is a danger, if he falls or bumps himself to hard he could easly break a bone,removing any branches/decorations would be much safer. i hope this helps

good luck
betty
Heart Mountain Herps

Here is some info on metabolic bone disease that I wrote a while back. I think Heartmountain is exactly right and you should get him/her to the vet ASAP. Also remove any climbing furniture for exactly the reasons he stated. Especially when he starts feeling better, he may want to climb before he is ready.

Here's the old post:

MBD (Metabolic bone disease) is a catch-all phrase for a myriad of syndromes.

All of these syndromes are characterized by a decrease in bioavailable calcium. This can be because of several reasons: they are not fed a diet of calcium rich foods and/or are not supplemented with calcium, they are not exposed to UVB and therefore cannot synthesize vitamin D3, the animals have a negative calcium: phosphorous ratio (phosphorous binds calcium to form calcium phosphate which is not a bioavailable form of calcium), and finally the less common causes of the decreased amount of calcium is a disruption of the animal's ability to synthesize vitamin D3 (even if supplemented or exposed to UVB) due to kidney, liver,intestinal, thyroid, or parathyroid disease. (ref. Mader, et al 1996)

With that said as to your question, no beardies are not more or less susceptible to MBD. Mostly because it is primarily a dietary/husbandry related disease. It can be a heritable predisposition for offspring of individuals with organ dysfunction that is congenital. Knowing your animals and your care ( I am sure you have ruled out an bad UVB bulb, and/or competition between individuals keeping these two away from the dietary supplements you feed, etc), I would rec. bloodwork on these two individuals to try and establish why they are not utilizing their calcium. Hope this helps!
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Stacey

I'd try to get a large Rubbermaid to keep em in, since a 20 gallon doesnt have a whole lot of room to turn around in. Hopefully he'll turn around soon after seeing the vet, and he'll be able to use that space... Zeo and I wish you and your new rescue the best of luck!
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Zeo)
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Vienna, Chomps)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Rocky, 11 y.o.)