Undersized Bearded Dragon - Calcium Deficiency

[persnickety]

Hi all,

Bought my new beardie (8 months old) though she looks approx 4 months old (at least in comparison to my other beardie when he was growing).
It looks like it may have been caused by calcium deficency either from the mother, or long term (i have a feeling the breeder neglected her a little). Apart from being undersized she appears very healthy, beautiful sandy orange/redish phase. She is very alert, though very nervy when you are first picking her up from the tank, but then settles down straight away.

I have consulted a vet who suggested (what i already have done) Calcium, D3, other vitamins, sufficient UV.

I was wondering if anyone here has looked after (and sucsessfully raised) a beardie of this description, and if anyone has helpful hints for me.

I am going to feed her a range of green and very small cut varied veges, crickets, and mealworms.
I have raised a beardie before, so know all of the usual care instructions, just looking for more specific help on looking after a beardie with this condition.

 

[Bluetongue1]

It sounds to me like you have it all covered.

I assume you already know that the UV light needs to be provided over the basking spot for it to be useful. The lizard needs to be at its preferred body temperature for the efficient conversion of the skin cholesterol into pro-vitamin D3 by the UVB radiation.

It depends on how bad the calcium problem was as to how long it will take to recover. In the worst cases, which are not common thankfully, you get enlargement of the parathyroid glands. These are the glands that pull calcium out of storage by releasing parathyroid hormone. They are normally switched off when the level of calcium in the blood rises, allowing calcium to be deposited into bones. Unfortunately, in the enlarged state they don’t fully switch off. So it can take a long time for the calcium levels in bone to build up while the enlarged glands very slowly return to a more normal size. Treatment can be assisted in such cases by calcitonin injections. However, your vet really needs to know what he/she is doing in terms of the dosage because too much can drop calcium blood level with catastrophic results.

You cannot force the recovery. You can however administer calcium gluconate orally. The vet is in the best position to tell you the dosage and frequency, based on the size of the animal and its state of health. Although many believe otherwise, one of the world’s top reptile vets, who basically wrote the textbook on veterinary science for reptiles, recommends oral administration over calcium injections, as more effective. I suspect this has something to do with the slower absorption rate into the blood stream meaning less is likely to be excreted. Or possibly “re-training” the gut to absorb calcium. Maybe both just my thoughts on the matter).

Blue