Bearded Dragon MBD? Help!!!!!

[Judy Wil]

i went to feed my beardie (nate) today and he was in an odd spot in his cage. i picked him an immediately i knew something was wrong. he is normally flat but today he was more round and felt bloated. when i put him on a branch in his cage he did not move at all to grab it, when i picked him his whole body tightens and sort of jerks. i put him on a table and i set some romaine lettuce in front of him and after a while he tried moving towards it but he was not moving his left arm he was mostly pushing himself forward with his back legs sliding on his throat. and i noticed he could not pick his neck up much and his head was shaking a lot. i though it might be some serious constipation so i gave him a warm water bath and he pooped a lot but that did not change any symptoms. whenever i apply pressure to his ribs his body spasms. his back seemed to be a little arched and i put pressure there and the same thing happened. i gave him some blue berries (his favorite) and he ate about 10. is it MBD? some other deficiency?

[ladyknite]

What you describe could possibly be MBD, it could also be signs of a serious vitamin deficiency.  Romaine lettuce is mostly full of water and not nutritious for dragons...and would contribute to those things leaching out of his body.

My suggestion is to have some blood tests ran at the vet for calcium and vitamins.  it'll tell you the truth, and work up a faster solution than second guessing.  But I wouldn't wait long.

Keep in touch.  We can help you organize a good diet and proper supplements to help him along.  In the meantime, visit www.beautifuldragons.com and check out the Nutrition portion of the site.

[Judy Wil]

i have been on the computer researching all day and i think he has a sand impaction. he pooped a ton the first bath a gave him and later i gave him a few drops of oil and another bath and massage. he pooped a bit more and i also noticed "the slight lump" that people has said forms on his back during an impaction. his food often does fall into his sand and he will eat some. do you think this could be the problem?

[Mach10X]

Yes it very well could be a sand impaction, though this doesn't mean it was the only issue.
Can you take the sand out and put in ceramic tile, paper towels, news paper, or non-stick shelf liner?

Please check out our caresheet CLICK HERE for CARESHEET
There's tons of great info on the caresheet that has been compiled over years.  Keep in mind that most books on bearded dragons and pet stores have very old information from when bearded dragons were first brought over here and are seriously outdated.

It would also be recommended to go through these husbandry questions.  I know there are a lot, I've already marked out the ones that you answered.  Our goal is to make your dragons have a long, happy, and healthy life.

0. How old is your dragon?
1. How large is your enclosure (tanks size in gallons or measurement Length x Depth x Height)?
2. What exact brand of UVB source do you have, if any?  Is it a tube, coil, or Mercury Vapor?
3. How old is the UVB bulb?
4. How far is the UVB source from the basking spot?
5. How hot is the basking spot in ºF or ºC?
6. What temperature is the cool side?
7. How exactly is this temperature measured (sticker thermometer, digital thermometer with a probe, temp gun, other)?
8. If using a probe, it is placed flush against the basking spot?
9. What live feeders does your dragon get?  How many are offered?  How often are they offered per day / week?
10. What Calcium and/or Vitamin supplements do you use (brand name and product name please)?
11. How often do you dust with calcium or vitamin powder?
12. What exact greens, fruits, or veggies do you feed your dragon?  Does he eat them at all?
13. Hydration.  Do you mist your dragon, have a water bowl, or soak your dragon in a bath?
14. If you soak your dragon in a bath, how long do you soak for, how often, and what temperature water?
15. What type of substrate do you use (shelf liner, sand, walnut, tiles, newspaper, etc)? sand
  Extra question:  What type of sand is it?  Playground sand? Calcium sand?