Hey all, I’m relatively new to keeping bearded dragons (about a year of experience) and I recently purchased what I hoped were three viable breeder females off someone in Oklahoma. As soon as I got them, I realized something wasn’t right as one was severely crippled, and the other two seem a little off. Attached are some pictures and I can’t help but think this is a case of poor husbandry from the previous owner. Let me know what y’all think because I do not believe I could breed these girls with a clear conscience. Thanks.
Try feeling the tail, does it feel rubbery or like solid bone? I personally wouldn’t breed them and I would recommend a vet visit. If you don’t already I would especially recommend UV lights and dusting the feeders.
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Yeah, I have a Arcadia 12% uvb 36 inch above each one’s enclosure and dust their feeders with vitamins on mondays and thursdays and dust with calcium with d3 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday as well as bee pollen on Sundays. They were like this from the previous owner whom did not disclose these issues with me before I bought them. I felt the tail and it is stiff and rigid so maybe it’s just an injury? The second one definitely has MBD though I am almost certain.
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A good reptile vet is going to give you the most reliable answer, as they can examine your guys, (edit: take radiographs,) and palpate their limbs/etc. The only thing I feel comfortable saying for certain is that I have repeatedly seen zig-zagging of the tail in other species, which was caused by severe, longer-term dehydration. In the few cases I was able to follow, whether or not their tail straightened back out correlated with how long they had been dealing with neglect to their need for water.
Edit: If you suspect MBD keep them in flat surfaces until a vet confirms it’s safe for them to climb. You risk fractures of weakened bones.
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