New baby bearded dragon

Question
hi we got our baby bearded dragon on Tuesday. When we picked him he was fine, but when we got him home his foot started to fold in, it was really strange how he was walking fine on it for a couple of hours then it started to look limp..hes not off his food at all, he eats lots of greens and crickets with calcium and drinks lots of water with vitamin. it doesn't seem to bother him actually..he holds his body up on his basking log, runs and jumps for his food..but it folds under when he walks.
We called the person we got him from and he said his dads was like it for a few months but it sorted itself out. What is wrong with him? How can we help him?? Thanks Lisa

Answer
Hi Lisa,
Without an xray, its not really possible to know why he is doing what he does. It sounds like he has some type of joint problem which, if it doesn't correct, it may lead to more problems as he gets bigger/older. If he would happen to jump a fair distance and the foot folds, there is a risk that he can fracture the bone.. you may want to be sure he can't jump from any real distance.If this person sold you the beardie without telling you about the problem prior, I would either exchange him/her for one without this problem or have the person you got him/her from pay to have an x ray done to make sure it isn't going to cause problems.  Did you see the father of the babies?
Are you using a proper uvb source?  There is a lot of bad uvb bulbs out there..I will include some info on good uvb.  The uvb is needed to be sure your beardie can use the calcium in his foods.  With a bad foot to start with, its vital he gets plenty of uvb.  Do watch to make sure that his foot isn't developing sores on any area that folds under.  
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 lizard 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,and 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.