hurt water dragon

Question
hello i am very worried about my water dragon i got her out the other day to clean her tank and she jumped out of my hands and has not been able to walk on her front legs very good what could this be i know a vet wont set them or anything bc there 2 small if something was broken she dont wiggle when u pick her up she dont seem to be in pain and is still eating and everything but i want her to be ok

Answer
Hi Amy,
A vet that is trained to work with reptiles will be able to set and splint the legs.  If that is not done, then she will always be crippled.  She may have also briken her back, which although sounds relly bad, reptiles can heal that but again, a vet is needed to see what is broken.  Also, you need to be providing a very good source of uvb to help her heal and for a long life.
A bit of info on that below....
Lighting ...diurnal(active during the day)lizards need uvb which are 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 lizard 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 BD so that they get the uvb that is needed. Recommended length of the tube is a length that allows all or most of the lizard to get under it completly. 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.
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. For small tanks/enclosures, the mercury vapor lights are generally too much.  The proper distance can't be had to maintain a safe temperature and uvb.

To find a vet that is able to treat reptiles:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com

http://www.arav.org/ECOMARAV/timssnet/amm/tnt_mdsearch.cfm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/