Bearded Dragon's back leg is limp/floppy.. Please help?

[TedWatts]

To be honest it is still hard to tell but my first guess what a calcium deficiency. What are their diets? That is key. They should be on a healthy diet of romain lettuce, Collard greens, mustard greens, spinach (not cooked) all cleaned very well. You dont need to feed them all at once, just vary it up everyonce in a while. 3-4 medium-large crickets for each of them daily. You should gutload your crickets with an orange slice, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes.. etc. As far as the size of the cage, it is a Tad on the smaller size because as beardies grow they tend to sky rocket once they hit juveniles. I would get a 40 gallon and would be even better with a 50 gallon. Another thing is the best bet for you to hydrate them is to soak them in a plastic box of water 2-3 times a week. Make sure it is not to deep to the point to where if they decide to lay their head down that they will drown. This will hydrate their skin as well as give them time to drink, and they will. A water bowl in the tank is almost pointless. You can also do a LIGHT spray over the cage once a day.. not too much to make the sand too hard. I'm pretty sure this will get you started. There are many things you can do to try and help your beardies before ever going to the vet but it is not a bad idea to get them a general check up once every 3 months. But my bet is on calcium defiency (which can be fixed with a calcium duster for your greens and crickets, just lightly dust the food probably 2-3 times a week) or he could be dehydrated... I don't see anything wrong with the leg though. But if he is dragging it when he walks those are the most common reasons.

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Also here in the states we use Fahrenheit so I don't really know the conversion but the basking area should be in between 95-100 degrees anything over that and you are cooking them... if you see them with their mouths open constantly then that is them trying to make the heat escape from them because they can't sweat.

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[Wally]

The swelling of the leg most defiantly indicates an injury or infection of some kind. I would keep an eye on it for several days and seek vet advice if the swelling persists.

 

[kaddy1]

Thanks so much for all of your help Ted! Really appreciate it!

The swelling of the leg most defiantly indicates an injury or infection of some kind. I would keep an eye on it for several days and seek vet advice if the swelling persists.

Thanks Wally. Have spoken to numerous vets on the phone - they can't fit me in until Thursday which is when Sheldon's check-up is anyway. They have advised that as long as he is eating and seems happy, has heat etc. they he should be fine until his check-up. Will let you know how everything goes on Thursday!

 

[Wally]

I'd strip that tank of all furnishings to limit the amount of climbing he can do until such time that the problem ceases. Even better would be to set him up in a 50ltr storage tub if possible to really limit his movement.

 

[Reptar859]

I have to apologise for my earlier post. So many trolls on the forums these days asking questions to get a reaction. You have a genuine problem and all the advise above is good. Im with wally on this definately looks like an infection or injury. Again I cant apoligise enough.

 

[damian83]

Apologies are hard to come by there days, good on ya

 

[LizardLady]

Thanks for your advice! Have turned up the thermostat (the marks only went up to 30 but I found I could twist it past the end!) Basking spot is now a lovely 35 degrees.
Penny & Sheldon have been together since hatching - they are brother and sister. If there was any signs of aggression or domination, I would separate them immediately.

Thanks Chris. I'd be more worried about Sheldon attacking Penny as he is much bigger than her and would cause more damage?

Hey Kaddy!
Dragons are very clever creatures - they often don't display or exhibit any 'signs' of aggression, dominance or intimidation... The only 'sign' you get is (when it's too late), one spends more time at the cool end, doesn't eat as much as the other, bask as much as the other, and generally loses condition and size right before your very eyes... PLEASE separate them, irrespective of whether or not they are siblings...
Kudos to you for having the vet visit booked though - unless you separate them asap, you may very well NEED it!
Good luck and keep us posted!
Best,
Carolyn

 

[dragonlover1]

as some others may have suggested basking temps for beardies should be 40-45 degrees at the hot spot with a basking light plus a UVB tube or a MVB 12-14 hours per day,they definitely need a bigger area to move around and also give them space from each other (much like a married couple)I have a 2 metre tank for 2 centrals and a 1 metre tank for 2 baby pygmies.They also need calcium with D3 on their food 3-4 times per week plus vitamins 1-2 days per week.Hope this helps you make a better life for your beardies

 

[kaddy1]

Thanks everyone for all your advice! I appreciate all of your help and support. Will let you know after tomorrow morning's vet visit what the verdict is. I think probably an injury too.
And thanks for your apology Reptar!

Ok, back from the vet visit. We went and saw Tristan at the Lort Smith in North Melbourne and I cannot recommend him highly enough! He was fantastic! And very thorough too.
Anyway, an x-ray revealed Sheldon has broken his leg! It is at the thigh where the swelling was occurring. He is all strapped up now and should be healed in about 6 weeks.
In the meantime, when school resumes on Monday, I will be taking Penny to the enclosure at school and leaving Sheldon at home with me so that I can keep an eye on each of them individually. This will give Sheldon the attention he needs for his leg to heal and Penny the attention she needs so that I can be sure she is eating enough and growing normally.

Again, thanks to everyone who posted! Your support and advice is appreciated. I will be making an effort to participate in all other discussions on here and helping when I can