vertigo? off balance.....

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tracie,
My sweet little Lizzie is a little over 4 years old. She seems to be off balance and veers to the left when she walks. She also stretches her neck way out when lifted from her aquarium. I have also noticed that she is having difficulty striking at her crickets.(she seems dizzy and unable to pinpoint their exact location)I thought perhaps her vitamin/mineral supplement had expired and had lost it's potency so I replaced it several days ago and doubled up on the dusting of her food. The pet shop suggested that I soak her in a water/calcium-vitamin supplement bath as supplements are absorbed through a beardies skin. Any advice?

ANSWER: Hello Andrea,

Are you using a UVB light?  If so, what type & brand is it?  A flourescent tube bulb, or a compact or coil light?  How old is your UVB light?  
As a 4 year old, she does need calcium 3 times per week.  Soaking her in the vitamin & mineral supplement really wont do her any good.  The little she may soak up wont amount to much.  She needs the oral supplementation.
If she does not have proper UVB lighting, she wont be able to absorb her calcium properly.  It sounds like she has the beginnings of metabolic bone disease, with loss of balance & coordination & difficulty in walking.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Tracie,
Thank you so much for your advice. I have a Reptisun 5.0 florescent tube light which is about a year old. Although it is a year old, it has only been used 10-12 days.Our pet store swears by the fact that Beardies do not need UVB lighting. I take Lizzie out 3-4 times/week in the summer to bask in the sun. Do you think I need to buy a new florescent UVB light? Should I keep it on her every day? Also,her aquarium is approximately 16-18 inches deep. Will the depth negate the UVB benefits?



Thanks,
Andrea

ANSWER: Hello Andrea,
You know, I just do not understand how the petstore owners can get by with claiming that reptiles do not need full spectrum lighting.  That is why so many of them get ill.  It is so frustrating to me.  
Yes, Lizzie needs full spectrum lighting, year around except for brumation phases.  
The Reptisun 5 is an ok bulb, but, depending on how long it has been on the shelf prior to use, they decline or get old.  Yes, you need to get the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb, & it needs to be used 10-12 hours daily, for most of the year.  If you take her outside during the summer, that is great, but unless she spends hours outside, she still needs some full spectrum lighting to maintain her hydroxy 25 levels.  
The UVB needs to be at 6-8 inches from her as well for maximal benefit.  So you can raise the basking platform to accomodate her needs & requirements.  

How is she doing today?

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Hi Tracie,
I have taken all of your advice and put it into practice. I bought a new 10.0 Reptisun UVB light and put Lizzie in a more shallow container to maximize her UVB exposure. Thanks so much for your help.I do feel like she is improving although I assume that it will take time to reverse all the damage done. She is eating her crickets very well but not her salads and she is maintaining her brilliant orange color. She seems much more alert since the addition of the UVB. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Answer
Hello Andrea,

That is great news to hear that Lizzie is starting to improve.  It will take a little bit of time to reverse it, but with the better light & good calcium, she should bounce back pretty quickly.
So she is eating pretty well now?  Hopefully she will start eating her greens again soon.  Great that she is more alert now & her colors are improving daily.
Thanks for the update.  I am very happy to hear she is doing so much better now.  :-))

Tracie