MBD experience needed

xarctic

New Member
My boyfriend has a young bearded dragon and he sent me a video of her laying down all of her legs except the back left leg was normal. The back left leg almost looked like it was completely numb, she had it laying flat and sprawled out and it was slightly twitching. Her other legs were taught and holing her up. I don't know much about beardies or MBD. I can try to get him to take a picture next time she does it. I don't think he has a uvb bulb and I think he might supplementing with calcium w/o D3. Do you have any suggestions he can improve on? Does this seem like an MBD related thing? I wish I could help more but I haven't ever kept a beardie.
 
I recommend that he take her to a vet but in the mean time here's some good info about MBD. https://www.chameleonforums.com/wha...ase-mbd-looks-like-how-happens-how-fix-95071/
That poor beardie is obviously in some serious health trouble. MBD can kill if left untreated.
The heart and all other muscles require calcium in order to work.

JannB provided a link to excellent MBD advice and it was written by a vet.

Natural sunlight helps reptiles to absorb calcium because the body naturally produces D3 when the skin is exposed to sunlight. (Even in people .)

You do have to make sure that the outdoor temps in your area are right for the reptile to be out in.

UVB lights gradually stop producing UVB, with levels below what is necessary after approximately 6 months, so an old UVB bulb = no UVB..

A vet visit would be the best because then the vet can give the poor beardie a calcium injection to help him immediately.
The back leg could be injured, possibly broken due to weakening by the MBD or it could just be the muscular twitches that can result from MBD.

That beardie needs help promptly if he is going to have a chance of surviving.

Hopefully, you can get your boyfriend to get the poor critter to a reptile-knowledgeable vet without delay.
 
I'm giving him an extra uvb bulb I have and a lamp just to get that started. The vet I take my animals to is well experienced with reptiles so I told him to take her there. I figured it was something MBD related idk what else would cause that. When he got her I told him he needed a uvb bulb but I guess he didn't listen.
A desert animal shouldn't receive frequent bathing correct? He told me he gives her two baths a week and followed that up with "I think she has tail rot idk why." I ripped his head off practically.
He said he dusts with calcium every other time he offers crickets.
I told him to start taking her outside, we live in central florida, he has to find something to put her in that she can't get out of, she's pretty small.
 
He may mistakenly believe that sunlight passing through glass provides UVB---but it definitely does not.
You can confirm that here:
https://www.iuva.org/uv-faqs

Beardies need a 10.0 Reptisun, rather than a 5.0, just so you know.

beardeddragon.org and beautifuldragons.com are 2 sources for good beardie care info, so you can educate your boyfriend.

The tail rot can be the result of another nutritional deficiency which led to an incomplete shed or from an injury.
It's actually perfectly alright to bathe a beardie 2-3 times a week.

Sounds like you'll have to be sure to tell him that he can't put her outdoors in a glass or plastic enclosure, because she will overheat very quickly.

That beardie is lucky that you've seen the condition she is in, so you can (hopefully) get your boyfriend to take better care of her.
If you let him know that she can die from the problems she has, maybe it will get him to do much better.
 
I would like to see a photo of leg and tail as well as the whole dragon.

Please make sure that your friend realizes that not only does she have to correct the calcium imbalance if it is mbd but also make sure the husbandry is corrected so it won't come back. This includes providing proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, proper diet of well fed/gutloaded dusted insects, and veggies and greens, etc.
 
When he got her she did have shed stuck on her entire tail so that makes sense. I didn't even think about them needing 10.0 I only have 5.0 because of my tropical animals, I'll tell him that. From what he has told and shown me her diet is pretty good, lots of veggies and greens and the breeder fed her quinoa so he does that too along with crickets. He has one red heat bulb, no idea the wattage on that but when I come over she's basking on a slate bridge he made. I'll get some pictures of her from him.
 
Is the red light on at night? There should be no light at night. For a basking light you can use a regular household incandescent light bulb.
 
The best idea as you already know, is a vet visit for both the tail rot and the MBD.
Hopefully, he does not have a light on her at night.
Bearded dragons need nighttime darkness in order to sleep.

Just saw Kinyonga's posted about this, as well.
 
No he doesn't have it on at night. Here are some pictures of her. He has only had her for about a month now so some of this could of started before he got her.
 
file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/d301dd45-f967-4deb-866a-8669624e5411.jpg

file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/aef92413-3bf6-4de3-a12b-99c1ada94486.jpg

file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/8613f9f2-fcb0-415b-89b5-4b71165fe4b2.jpg

file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/0b9713e9-c277-4a8a-b14e-4a8aa22144c5.jpg
 
file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/d301dd45-f967-4deb-866a-8669624e5411.jpg
file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/aef92413-3bf6-4de3-a12b-99c1ada94486.jpg
file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/8613f9f2-fcb0-415b-89b5-4b71165fe4b2.jpg
file:///C:/Users/Emily/Downloads/0b9713e9-c277-4a8a-b14e-4a8aa22144c5.jpg
 
Oops didn't mean to do it twice. I don't personally see the tail rot but he said it is near the end of the tail and on the tip.
 
Go get a uvb right now. I seriously mean go now. It's not optional at all. Mbd is painful as hell for the animal they're bones bend and break and become so grossly deformed they can't walk . He needs calcium with d3 1 x a week and the calcium without daily on 10 crickets. Thank you on behalf of that animal. Natural sunlight too for short periods of time 15 min 3 or 4 times a day.
 
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