my yellow striped lizards leg

Question
my yellow striped lizards leg is swollen and scabed i need to find out what i can do for him.  He doesn't move it when he runs.

Answer
Hi Andrew,
I really don't know anything about that species in particular, but what you describe with the swelling can be caused by lack of proper uvb. Without proper uvb on a basking lizard, they are unable to process the calcium in the foods they eat and develop what is called Metabolic Bone Disease.  It is treatable and does correct for the most part when a proper uvb source is used and also a good source of calcium with nothing added to it is used in proper dosage.  Another cause of the swelling can be over supplementation with calcium and vitamins.
On the uvb..
Basking lizards need UVB, which is the special lights that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat. The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the BD to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat. Without the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease. With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 5.0 and 10.0(not compact) are TWO of the best uvb tubes on the market. The repti glo 8.0's are a great uvb source also. Arcadia 5.0 (UK), which is the uvb tube available in the UK is a good uvb tube. These need to be positioned 6-8 inches(for the 5.0 and 8.0 and 8-10 inches for the 10.0) over the lizard so that they get the uvb that is needed.  They need to be replaced every 6-9 months as that they stop producing uvb long before they stop producing light.  They need to have access to uvb and basking temperatures for 10-12 hours daily.  At night, no white lights!!!

There has been new studies that have proven that compact uvb lights, both the spiral/coil type and the ones that look like long "U's" laying on their side and a few other brands are causing what basically amounts to snow blindness in reptiles. The companies have corrected the problem but, there may still be some of the earlier manufactured bulbs out there so be sure to double check what you are using, or even if you are using proper uvb source.  To read more on this, you can go to

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm  

The companies have been working to correct the problem with the lighting so its important to know if the light you have MAY be the old version.

This link will take you to my discussion group and to a post that tells how to tell the new compacts from the old ones.   http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners/message/6721

There are tubes and bulbs that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.

On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the MEGA RAY or the T-Rex.  www.reptileuv.com has more information on the Mega Ray lights. When using these, the distance is much greater than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.

On the scabs..that may very well be caused by reptile mites.
You can see them as tiny red, brown or black dots on your lizard.  If you place your lizard on a white towel and mist him, you may see red on the towel which is blood from the mites biting the lizard.  One of the best and safest products I know and have used is called "REPTILE RELIEF" made by the company NATURALA CHEMISTRY.  Its very important to follow the directions and treat everything in the tank, and the lizard. The leg can also be swollen from the mites biting, causing an infection. If thats the case, then a vet is needed.  
IF your uvb is correct and you don't feel its mites on the lizard causing the scabs..then a vdt is needed.
Also, you don't mention if he is housed alone but, if he has a cage mate, the other one may be biting him which, if thats the case, then they need to be separated.
Hope this all helps you out.