Bearded Dragon has swollen arm

Question

Bearded dragon   QUESTION: Hi. We recently purchased a beardie that is approx 5 months old. He has a swollen and slightly discolored arm when we got him a month ago but it has gotten much worse. He seams to no use that arm very much. It does not look good. Do you have any advice on what it could be? I have attached a picture

ANSWER: Lucia,

I regret that I must say, this does not look good. I really can only speculate as to what it could be because I do not know this animal's history nor his current living conditions. Now, you said you recently purchased him, so I am assuming he was in a pet store in a tank with other beardies? Also, I am assuming you haven't had him for very long, so this is probably nothing that you have done or have allowed to happen to this animal under your care.

Just from looking at this picture, it appears there is a raised, red bump-like protrusion on the arm. This automatically makes me think there was some sort of puncture wound, almost resembling a bite from another lizard. Is it possible that your beardie was bitten by a cagemate either in his previous habitat or his current? If so, this may have caused a localized infection. Oftentimes, when baby lizards, particularly iguanas and beardies are shipped, they are thrown into cloth bags by the 10s and 20s and shipped via airplane from breeding farms and a lot of them die in the process or can become harmed. Infection and disease spreads like wildfire when they are all crammed into these small bags as well.

The only other thought that comes to mind aside from a puncture wound is a broken bone, but I do not expect this would cause his fingers to swell up like they have. I do think it is quite imperative to take this little guy to a vet and see about getting antibiotics. If you are dealing with a localized infection, it should be quite easy to cure with antibiotics. Don't let it go too long or it could spread and get into the bloodstream and make the blood septic.

Reptiles are very good actors when it comes to how they feel. Because they are wild animals and often the prey to a lot of different creatures, they have developed the mechanisms to fool us into thinking they are fine when they are not because in the wild, sickness is weakness and weakness means they will be preyed upon indefinitely. Keep a close eye on this little guy to make sure he keeps eating and if he stops eating, it is usually one of the last signs of illness before they go on a sharp decline.

I wish I could tell you exactly what you are dealing with, but you need to consider all of the possibilities and make your best educated decision as to whether or not you should take him to a vet.

Please read the following webpage about Bearded Dragons from the most reputable reptile online source that is available. Also, please read up on Metabolic Bone Disease because this is a condition which affects Bearded Dragons a lot more than it does most other lizards and can and will cause an array of health problems in the future if it does develop. It is preventable and is 100% due to how you care for your beardie.

Beaded Dragon Care:  http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

MBD:          http://www.anapsid.org/mbd.html



Thank You and I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Sara J Gwerder
President
Raptor Rescue Iguana Sanctuary
Shreveport, LA
www.RaptorRescue.org

"Good Diet + UVB Radiation + Proper Temperatures + Set Daily Schedule = Healthy + Happy Reptile"



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

QUESTION: Thank you for your insight. I am looking up the nearest reptile vet today. Just as a side I thought I would add some more info on the Beardie. He/she has lived with another Beardie (about 2-3 months older) since we got him. We purchased them from a private pet owner. They came together. We discovered only 2 days later that sharing a terrarium is not a great idea and are looking at the options of splitting them up. They get along very well now and seem to generally keep to themselves with the exception of the occasional stacking. The injured Beardie (Chicco) eats well (approx 10 crickets/day and collards, berries etc) He climb moves and interacts well. He enjoys human interaction. Loves being pet and carried on our shoulder. He lives with Ricco in a 40 gallon tank. We have a basking lamp on during the day along with a UVb lamp. The temperature is steady during the day at 92 on one side and about 83ish on the other. Humidity is moderate to dry. I spray them with water ever other day and have a drinking pool in the tank. Chicco and Ricco have a carpet not sand to walk on and plenty of things to climb.
I think we are doing what we need to on our end to keep them healthy. If you can think of anything we are doing wrong we would welcome your advice!
Thanks again for the prompt reply

Lu

Answer
Lucia,

Sounds like you have done your research and are giving these guys a great habitat, temperatures sound good, UVB is a must and you have that...the only thing is possibly diversifying the diet from strictly crickets to include mealworms or waxworms because crickets have a lot of exoskeleton. Also, if you think that beardie got bit by his cagemate, try keeping the site of the wound clean with betadine/saline solution until you cans see a vet. Thank you for being a good, caring reptile owner and I wish Chicco and Ricco the best. If you ever have any other concerns, please keep in touch.

Sara