My guy seems a bit weak lately.

[JasonW]

I have an ArgB/W male. He is about 14 months old and 30 inches long. He has
always been a very strong and active lizard, and enjoyed his walks around
the house. About a month ago he seemed to be getting very lazy but then it
started looking more like he was weak. I took him to the vet and we did some
tests on him, and we fouund that he had a slightly high amount of internal
parasites. We treated him over a week and the numbers dropped to more
satisfactory levels. Even though he is eating properly again and looks very
healthy he still seems weak and the problem mainly seems to be with his
front legs which he is tucking under his belly a lot, and he seems to struggle
to stand up on them at full stretch. Do any of you guys have any ideas as to
what the problem is? Any help would be great. Thanks................

 

[ashesc212]

I have an ArgB/W male. He is about 14 months old and 30 inches long.

How long have you had him? That seems really small for 14 months old. My blue tegu is 32 inches long and he is only 4 months old. May I ask what you are feeding him? Are you offering any calcium supplements, etc?

I took him to the vet and we did some tests on him, and we fouund that he had a slightly high amount of internal parasites. We treated him over a week and the numbers dropped to more satisfactory levels.

How did your vet test for the parasites? Did you have a fecal done? Maybe a recheck is needed?

the problem mainly seems to be with his front legs which he is tucking under his belly a lot, and he seems to struggle to stand up on them at full stretch. Do any of you guys have any ideas as to what the problem is? Any help would be great. Thanks................

Is there any way that you can post pictures. Problems standing could be due to MBD (Metabollic Bone Disease), which is caused from not absorbing enough calcium. What are you using for UVB lighting? What is his enclosure set up like?

 

[JasonW]

Sorry my conversion was a bit off, we work in the metric system here, he's closer to 40 inches long. To test for parasites we did a fecal test and they have almost cleared up 100%, the test should be accurate because I have all my animals tested every 3 months. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow seeing as it is after midnight here and he is out for the night. As for the lighting I use two UVA heat lamps, for the day night cycle, and a 4ft 10.0 UVB tube. One thing that is a bit strange about him is his refusal to eat any rodents so I give him day old chicks instead. If the problem is MBD, is there any way to cure it or atleast make it a bit better?

 

[ashesc212]

Sorry my conversion was a bit off, we work in the metric system here, he's closer to 40 inches long. To test for parasites we did a fecal test and they have almost cleared up 100%, the test should be accurate because I have all my animals tested every 3 months. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow seeing as it is after midnight here and he is out for the night. As for the lighting I use two UVA heat lamps, for the day night cycle, and a 4ft 10.0 UVB tube. One thing that is a bit strange about him is his refusal to eat any rodents so I give him day old chicks instead. If the problem is MBD, is there any way to cure it or atleast make it a bit better?

Some of the more experienced members may be able to tell if it's MBD by looking at the pics. Vets will typically provide them with liquid calcium for a while and in that case, it is usually reversible if he hasn't had it for a long time.

The other thing is, how old is your UVB tube? They are only good for 6 months...if it is too old he probably is having difficulties processing the calcium.

 

[JasonW]

Just by reading what you wrote I think I already found one problem. Bad information by the pet store, who told me that a UVB tube will last for 18 months, I have also read on the forum that the light should not be more than 12 inches high. The pet store set up my enclosure and the light is about 20 inches up. First thing tomorrow Im going to buy a new tube and reset it so that it is much closer to the ground. My vet said that tomorrow he would also take blood to check his calcium levels. He was also wiggling too much so this is the best pic I could get

 

[ashesc212]

*bump* hopefully someone else can take a look. He looks okay to me but some people have an eye for the signs of MBD. Definitely let us know the results of the test with the vet. It does sound like the lighting could have been an issue.