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Need Dragon Advice
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by wcoley on March 6, 2006
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Hey guys,
I need some advice or info regarding my bearded dragon. He can't walk straight and often staggers and stumbles around. If you've ever know someone with advanced Parkinson's, its very similar to that. But here's the interesting part. He has not lost his appetite at all. He eats and drinks regularly everyday, which leads me to believe its a neuro problem. I talked to a few vet friends of mine and they said it would be next to impossible to find a vet that diagnose and treat it correctly. Anyone else experienced this or have any advice?
Take Care,
Will
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RE: Need Dragon Advice
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by Cro on March 6, 2006
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Will:
You might want to add a bit more information.
Has the Dragon always been this way, or did this behavior come on quickly?
How old is the animal?
What do you feed it?
Have you made any changes to the way it is kept, regarding cage substrates, lighting, etc?
Is it a wild caught animal or captive bred?
Is there any chance of exposure to insecticides?
The more details you can provide, the more chance someone might be able to help.
Its problem could very well be neurological, but could be caused from inborn defects, poisoning, parasites, mad-cow from pet food, vitamin defencancy, etc.
If you can provide an overview of the husbandry and history, someone here might just recognise something and be able to help you.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Need Dragon Advice
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by wcoley on March 6, 2006
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JohnZ, thanks for the advice.
He's a little over a year and a half old. This condition came on pretty sudden. As far as husbandry, nothing has changed. There is a female that stays in the cage with him that has not had any of these symptoms. He usually eats crickets, meal worms and the beetles the become. Since he's become "sick", I don't feed him any crickets b/c he's not quick or accurate enough to catch them. Also, he has not been exposed to any insecticides.
Thanks,
Will
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RE: Need Dragon Advice
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by VenomEMS on March 6, 2006
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It is very difficult to diagnose a problem without actually seeing the animal, but there are a couple of more common possibilities. The first thing that comes to mind is vitamin deficiency and/or calcium deficiency. Dragons require full spectrum UVA and UVB lighting which provides vitamin D3 and is used by the dragon to process calcium. Proper UV lighting is necessary to produce vitamin D3 and should be changed at least once a year whether it's burned out or not. The amount of UV produced by the lights decreases over time, so the first step is to ensure your lighting is sufficient.
Next, if you don't use it currently, you should buy a jar of "RepCal - Calcium with Vitamin D3" and sprinkle it on the food items before feeding your dragon. Calcium deficiency will cause symptoms similar to what you've described. I've had two dragons with similar symptoms that cleared up after changing the old light bulbs and adding the calcium powder to each meal. For healthy dragons this should be sprinkled on food once per week.
Another thing, when you mentioned the food items fed to your dragon you only mention insects and mealworms. Although these are necessary for protein, dragons also need fresh greens on a daily basis. Kale and Collard Greens are the best choices for nutritional content. This will provide necessary vitamins as well as water for hydration. These are good possibilities if your lighting is older than six months and you haven't been using any calcium suppliments.
Other possibilities include trouble digesting a food item too large for the dragon, Trouble digesting the shell of the beetles, ingestion of a toxic substance, or other neurological disorders.
Has your dragon been pooping normally?
Is the feces loose, watery, exceptionally smelly, or strangely colored?
What type of housing do you use? What is it made out of?
Is there any Pine, Cedar or Redwood in the enclosure?
How old is your lighting? What type of lighting?
What are the temps in the enclosure?
What is the humidity in the enclosure?
What type of furnishings do you have in the enclosure?
What are the furnishings made from?
Does your dragon lay with it's rear legs stretched out behind him?
How often does your dragon feed?
How much of each food item do you offer?
What is the size of the food items?
This might help narrow down the cause.
Matt H
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