Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just what is leg paralysis an indicator of. Is it very important - it looks as though it could be - should i be worried?

What have you been feeding him, how large, and what substrate is he on. Sounds like impaction to me. Soak him in warm water for a very long time holding him as vertical as possible to relieve pressure on the spine. Basically he's constipated except that this can be deadly in beardies.

Sean
Heart Mountain Herps

he has been feeding on head-sized crickets. my local pet shop said this would be fine.
How warm should the water be? And how long is a long time?
thankyou lots

and he is on damp coconut peat - i am changing to sand though.

Don't change to sand, change to paper towels! A 7 week old baby is so small that if he injests any of that peat or sand he is at high risk for impaction. Young beardies need to be on paper towels or newspaper to prevent this.

Crickets should be no larger than the space between the beardie's eyes. Feeding of crickets any bigger than that can also risk impaction. If your pet shop told you to feed crickets the size of his head they were wrong. As much as we wish they would be, pet shops are often not a good source for reptile care information.

Hind leg paralysis is a symptom of impaction. In my opinion you should get him to a vet as soon as possible. By the time symptoms of impaction become obvious it can be very serious and even fatal. If you can't get him to a vet tonight, go ahead and soak him in warm, not hot, water until the water cools or he poops. Give him a break then soak him again. Good luck!
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

The coconut peat is probably what did it, it's done it before. Also I wouldn't use sand at this age either. Paper towels, newspaper, or shelfliner are better choices for right now. Babys like to taste anything and if it will fit in their mouth they will eat it. A long time is a long time, until he poops is a good sign. You will probably have to repeat this also. Might want to try a drop or two of mineral oil, and keep him hydrated. What impaction does in beardies is put a great deal of pressure on the spine, that's where the neurological problems come from. If it doesn't get better, a vet visit for an enema.

Sean

Unfortunately the info a lot of them provide kills animals dead. Do a lot of research on your beardie. Here's a good place to get a lot of good info.

Beardie Info
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Rob Talkington

Noooooo!!!
My baby beardie died!!!!! While i was soaking him he just stoped breathing

Thats very sad, I saw the posts last night. And then this today !

Hang in there, and know we all share your sadness

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Eve

Awe, I'm sorry that happened.

When you think you might want to get another one remember you did what you thought was right, what the pet store had told you to do. Unfortunately some pet stores just don't understand what's involved with keeping a bearded dragon.

They are really neat lizards and I bet the next one you get will do great! If you have any questions on what you read make sure you let us know.

Take care,
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Rob Talkington