kink,bend or break in tail

Question
QUESTION: hi i have a bearded dragon he/she is 6 and half years old and i have had it since it was 6 weeks old! i noticed a slight kink in the tail about a year ago about 6 inches from the tail,  there has been no fight, falls, or any injury! over the last month i have noticed that the bend is getting bigger and looks asthough another kink is about to develop if i dont get it sorted! the kink is about 4 inches start to end, but like i said i think this is going to continue further down the tail(towards his body) i wouldnt say it is rock hard but nor is it flexible and cannot be bent into place! he shows no signs of it hurting but then would he? i have no reptile vet in my area! can you shed any light  as to what it is?  thankyou

ANSWER: Hello Emma,

The kink is most likely due to developing metabolic bone disease.  
What type & brand of UVB light are you using, is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How old is the UVB light?
Do you supplement with calcium at least 3 times per week?
Can you post a picture of her for me?
How is her appetite doing, does she eat pretty well?  Can she support her bodyweight very well, or does she have trouble with climbing & strength?

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


my beareded dragon   QUESTION: thanks for your responce. the light is the proper reptile 8.0 fluorescent bulb but is probably getting on for 2 years old but shows no black at the ends! i did stop dusting years ago but started again when she showed signs of kink. i must admit he should be in a bigger vivarium but just dont have the room, so he lacks in any climbing, he comes out at least 3 times a week to roam around (out of his tank) but never chooses to climb anything (other than the stairs on occasion)he tends to explore the floor and always seems to stay insight! he rarely runs but when walking has a nice high posture showing that his legs are easily supporting his body!

ANSWER: Hello Emma,

Overall, he looks good, but that kink is metabolic bone disease developing.  The reason is due to your UVB tube bulb.  While for the first 6 months, it was putting out, after that time the UVB emissions decline greatly.  So, he has not been getting any UVB for the last year & a half at all.  Even if the light still "lights up" doesn't mean it still puts out UVB.  It functions as a UVA just to brighten up the tank, but that is all.
Try getting a Reptisun 10 tube bulb.  You can get it for a great price here:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-rept

If you get this taken care of, it should stop the progression of the loss of bone mass & calcium reserves however it will not straighten the tail back out as the bones have become soft enough for them to deviate in that manner.
Are you giving any calcium several times per week now?  They just cannot absorb calcium without adequate UVB light.  As adults, they still must have supplementation several times per week, in combination with UVB exposure in order to maintain strong healthy bones, for life, just like us humans.  :-))  If not, for now, he should be put on liquid calcium for a month, to boost his levels for awhile.  I sell liquid calcium, if you want to take a look.  Here is my site:
http://www.bug-de-lite.com/


Tracie


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thankyou once again! i have just brought a new light but not from the site you suggested as i had already purchased before i got your response but what i would like to ask is the light i have just got staits it produces 33% uva and 10% uvb and is a 25 watt light, does that sound like the right exposure? also cannot get the liquid calcium from shop, have tried 6 or 7 times to buy from your site bug de lite but have been having problems! I do not have pay pal! have used all 4 of my credit cards to purchase, each time says it is not accepted as it is not verified by pay pal! and other times tells me that it is incomplete and wants me to put expiry date in again! all is correct but wont accept expiry date on all cards i use, are you able to shed any light as to what is going on as i really need to get this product? anyway she seems to be doing fine!

Emma

Answer
Hello Emma,

That particular UVB is perfectly fine.  Make sure it is 6-8 inches of your dragon, & mounted alongside a bright white basking light.  
Paypal must be having some problems on their end.  I will call them to try & get this straightened out.  I don't know what is going on unless you tried to use the card too many times, & it blocked it or something.  As far as I know, you shouldn't have to be paypal verified to use your credit card.  I will definitely be on the phone with them tomorrow to figure out what could be going on.  I am stumped because I have had orders recently that went through.  
If you would like, you can send a money order out & I will send it out to you that way.  Here is my email as I don't want to give out my home address on the internet.  My email is:
Drache613@cfl.rr.com  
Just write me there, & I will send my address to you.  
Sorry for the trouble.

Tracie