I think my Bearded Dragon is Dieing?

Question

okay i have 2 bearded dragons. there both about 3 or 4 years old. one of them is playfull and is always runin around the place. the other is very lazy, it used to move around when it was younger but now it just sits there and sleeps. and when it does move around it doesnt walk it kind of drags itself with his arms not using his feet. and when i feed him i have to kind of put the kricket in his mouth for him because he cant catch it on his own. he's been like this sinse about summer last year. i dont know if he is lazy or if he is dieing

Answer 1

he's been like this for a year and you haven't taken him to the vet for it at all??

Answer 2

well bearded dragons only live from 3 to 5 years. yours must be really old if it cant catch its own food. there also can be the problem of a broken bone thats causing it to not move because of the pain. you might want to go see a vet.

Answer 3

well they don't live from 3-5 years at all. i have one that is 6 years old, and hes almost 7. Mine did the same thing for about 2 years, it just a stage. ive had many many reptiles, and most of them go through something like this, but usually not as long.  He'll be fine, dont worry.

Answer 4

This isn't just a stage.  It can be two things.  Impaction or Metabolic Bone Disease.  Impaction is when they have something stuck in their digestive tract and can't pass it, so if he is still pooping regularly that is probably not it.  And since it is going on so long, I really think it is MBD.  

This happens when you don't have a decent UVB light.  The decent UVB lights on the market right now are the fluorescent Reptisun 5.0, Reptisun 10.0, and Reptiglo 8.0, the Megarays, the T-Rex's and the Powersun Mercury Vapor Bulbs (last 3 are Mercury Vapor Bulbs).  Anything else and your Beardies aren't getting enough UVB, same if the light is older than 6 months.  What probably happened here is his spine became brittle, because he can't use calcium to strengthen his bones if he doesn't have UVB, and snapped, causing paralyzation.  This process will continue until he dies a painful death, if you don't a) get him a good UVB bulb and b) get him to a vet for further treatment.  You can find a reptile vet in herpvetconnection.com.  Good luck, please post an edit as an update, as I'm really worried about your little guy.

Answer 5

Sweetie, not knowing the age of the "lazy" dragon, or the light they are getting, or the diet?  It's hard to made an educated guess for you, but this sounds like MBD to me:

"Without adequate calcium and vitamin D3 in your Dragon's diet, aside from a slow growth rate, you will more than likely encounter Metabolic Bone Disease. The first symptom usually noticed is uncontrolled twitching of the dragon’s toes or legs. This can be a fatal disease if not treated promptly. If this problem occurs, we suggest raising the amount of calcium in the Dragons diet immediately and taking it outside in direct sunlight to bask for a period of time each day until the twitching stops. If there is no change in a few days, consider veterinary care as an option."

Advanced MBD results in malformed limbs, or rubbery legs which can't support the lizards weight...

This can be fatal.  If the dragon isn't over 9 yr. (they tend to live around 10 yr.), and isn't dying of old age - it needs immediate vet care.

If you don't already have a qualified/reputable exotics/reptile vet in your area, you can contact  Ã¢Â€Âœherpetologicalsocieties.com“ for the nearest one in the city of your state.

I'm sorry I don't have better advice for you, and I sure hope the lil darlin recovers.

I hope this has been of help.

Answer 6

Where are all these people getting bearded dragons from?