A fully healthy bearded dragon should be able to use its front and back legs normally. If your bearded dragon is struggling to walk, can’t walk at all or move front or back legs, there is an issue. In this post, we will discuss the reasons of front or back leg paralysis, inability to use legs and more.
How should a healthy bearded dragon walk?
A bearded dragon that is healthy will use both of its front and back legs equally to move around. Your bearded dragon shouldn’t be limping, having trouble lifting its legs or move them to walk around.
While most bearded dragons love laying with their stretched legs and doing splits, they should be able to walk normally.
Why can’t my bearded dragon walk or move its legs properly?
- Metabolic Bone Disease
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Injuries
- Neurological issues
- Inner ear infection
- Pinched nerves
- Gout
- Overheating
- Vitamin overdose
- Toxins
Depending on a cause, your bearded dragon might have problems lifting legs, moving them. Or possibly your bearded dragon walks backwards or in circles and hits objects? Let’s discuss all symptoms and causes.
If your bearded dragon can’t move its legs at all, it’s likely to be suffering form MBD, broken bones, paralysis from impaction and spinal injuries. However, if your dragon is walking strangely, this can be caused by infections, overheating or other neurological illnesses.
Reason #1: Metabolic Bone Disease
Common causes of MBD in bearded dragons
If your bearded dragon is suffering from a Metabolic Bone disease, it will have trouble walking. MBD is caused due to lack of vitamin D3 and/or calcium in the body. Wrong lighting, liver disease, malnutrition, feeding wrong foods and lack of gut-loading + dusting live food are main causes of MBD.
If calcium deficiency is mild, your bearded dragon can start losing power in front or back legs. This is because body start to leach calcium from bones to compensate for the lack of it in blood. Review lighting as soon as possible, as well as supplementation.
One of the big indicators of MBD is also a swollen belly. This happens because muscles cannot properly contract and function with low calcium levels. As a result, this muscle dysfunction leads to bloating and constipation.
As a result, it will cause tail and back kinking, rubbery jaw. It will also cause soft bones that will easily break and cause joint problems. This will make it too hard and painful for your bearded dragon to move. Your bearded dragon’s bones will become covered with a fibrous tissue that will make them look swollen.
With more progressive MBD, your dragon will be limping or just laying down, as well as shaking/twitching. Its legs will be most likely extended straight and look swollen. If your bearded dragon is walking on wrists, it is also a big sign of calcium deficiency/MBD, due to weakness in wrists.
Step 1: Review lighting and heating
Your bearded dragon needs a very high output UVB bulb that will help it produce vitamin D3 in the skin. Vitamin D3 is crucial to absorb calcium in the body. So, if UVB lighting is wrong, weak or old, your bearded dragon won’t be getting enough UVB.
When was the last time you replaced UVB? What type of UVB lighting do you use? Please use only a long tube that will cover around 50-80% of your bearded dragon’s tank. So this way, UVB light will be dispersed evenly and your bearded dragon can absorb as much as it can.
Place a heat bulb near a UVB tube, so your bearded dragon can get UVB while basking on a rock/platform. You will need to get a 10.0-12.0 high output UVB tube like this.
If choosing trusted ReptiSun tube, your dragon needs a T5 bulb, as T8 is not as powerful. Never get full-spectrum plants lights, as they aren’t suitable at all. Same goes to small compact or coiled bulbs – avoid them altogether.
Make sure that the T5 tube light is mounted in a fixture (preferably with a reflector like this) in the middle of the tank. T8 tubes definitely need a reflector in the hood fixture. Don’t put it in the back, as the light will refract in various directions and most of it won’t be directed towards your bearded dragon.
If the lighting has been wrong for a long period of time, your bearded dragon will stat using calcium from its own body (bones), leading to MBD.
Mount HO T5 tube 12-13 inches (30.5-33cm) away from your dragon if hung inside and not on top of screen cover. If hung on top, you can leave it a bit lower – 10 inches (25.5 cm) from your dragon. Hang T8 6-8 inches (15-20cm) away from your dragon.
You can read a full lighting and heating guide for your bearded dragon’s tank here.
Step 2: Review supplementation
Supplements are also very important for your bearded dragon. If everything with your bearded dragon is fine, then it is possibly a calcium/vitamin D deficiency.
Blood testing can sometimes show incorrect results and even a mild deficiency can make your bearded dragon limp and not have as much control of its limbs as before.
You can read a full guide on bearded dragon supplements here.
Step 3: Blood tests and other examinations at a vet
Take your bearded dragon to the vet for a comprehensive blood test. Calcium in blood can still show inaccurately, so make sure to request a complete blood count test and an ionized calcium testing.
Ionized test will give more information about active calcium levels in blood. These levels are most important, as when they drop, body starts taking calcium from bones. Blood serum calcium levels are also important, and shows all the calcium that is connected to proteins and minerals in blood.
If you suspect MBD, review living conditions and diet immediately, and take your bearded dragon to the vet. Vitamin injections and other medications might be important to save your bearded dragon. Do not wait to act, as MBD can cause irreversible damage and death.
Reason #2: Paralysis due to impaction
Your bearded dragon might not be able to walk due to front or back (or both) leg paralysis. Back leg paralysis in bearded dragons can be a result of eating bugs or other food that was too large.
It can also happen if your bearded dragon ingested loose substrate or other objects, causing impaction. Severe constipation (too much feces) in the intestines can also compress the spinal cord.
If your bearded dragon has swallowed any food or object that was larger than the width between the eyes, it might start getting convulsions. Consequently, this can lead to body shock, shaking and leg paralysis.
Make sure not to house your bearded dragon on any loose substrate. Anything from sand, rocks, bark, chips, coco fiber and others should go immediately. Only use reptile carpets, tiles or paper towels as your bearded dragon’s bedding.
Impaction will make your bearded dragon lethargic and sick. The problem is, impaction can be even missed on X-Ray, in which case treatment might be also missed. Impaction will lead to death if untreated.
Always watch your dragon’s portion sizes, poop frequency and give it baths if you suspect impaction. Take your bearded dragon to the vet if you suspect impaction.
Reason #3: Broken bones
If your bearded dragon has broken its bones, it will have trouble walking, using its legs and will be limping.
Your bearded dragon can break its bones from falling. Another reason yet again, can be MBD. MBD makes your bearded dragon’s bones soft, as it’s leaching calcium from bones to increase its levels in blood.
As a result, bones become soft and easy to break. If your bearded dragon has soft bones, you might be able to see and even feel it. Soft bones, a slightly open jaw and swollen limbs are clear indicators.
If you suspect broken bones, take your bearded dragon to a vet for an X-Ray and blood tests. A fracture might be because of MBD, so request blood tests for vitamin/mineral levels in blood.
Reason #4: Neurological issues
If your bearded dragon is walking in circles, hitting objects or walking funny, then it could be suffering from a neurological problem. Neurological issues often show when your bearded dragon starts losing its balance, tilts its head, is walking differently.
If you suspect a neurological issue, take your bearded dragon to the vet. In this case, your bearded dragon will need supportive care and in some cases – anti-inflammatory drugs.
Another issue that might cause your bearded dragon not to walk properly is a problem with eyes, when it can actually not see properly.
Reason #5: Infection
Your bearded dragon might start losing its balance or walking differently when suffering from an inner ear infection. Inner ear includes a vestibular system, which controls balance, orientation, head positioning and more.
This can also be other central nervous system infections such as meningitis.
If your bearded dragon moves its limbs, but is walking strangely without much balance, take it to the vet for an examination. In case your dragon is infected, it will need stronger systemic antibiotics to get better.
Reason #6: Head or spine injuries and other neurological issues
If your bearded has fallen from a higher structure, it can cause back problems and damage of spine discs or nerves (pinched nerve).
Also, this can happen if someone has injured your bearded dragon’s back. For example, other cage mates, larger pets such as dogs and cats and more.
Pinched nerve is when nerves (spinal nerves) become compressed. Compression can be caused by neoplasm (tumorous growth, cysts), injuries or compression of sciatic nerves with urate waste crystals, kidney enlargement, severe constipation, impaction.
Head trauma is also a possibility. Full X-Ray that will show abdomen and back legs fully is important for diagnosis.
This causes weakness and numbness in back limbs, so that your dragon can’t properly move its legs (dragging) or is reluctant to do so. Your dragon might also not be able to move back legs at all due to these reasons, depending on how bad the situation is.
Reason #7: Gout
Gout is a serious illness which can affect bearded dragons that have high uric acid levels in their blood. Uric acid is a waste product that bearded dragon’s kidneys filter and get rid of with urates.
If your bearded dragon is constantly dehydrated, it won’t be able to filter out uric acid properly. Also, if kidneys become weak due to wrong diet or age, your dragon will have trouble filtering out the uric acid.
Too much protein in the diet or overdosing on medicine can also cause gout. That is why you must never feed your bearded dragon cat/dog food, meat etc.
As a result, uric acid levels rise in the blood, causing mineralization of internal organs. Uric acid waste crystals or enlargement of kidneys can cause compression of sciatic nerves.
These nerves run in the back of the spinal cord, down to the back limbs. Compression of these nerves will cause problems using back limbs.
Reason #8: Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Low blood sugars in bearded dragons will cause spasms and twitching. However, the most common cause of body twitching and spasms is a Metabolic Bone disease due to low calcium levels.
With hypoglycemia, blood sugar levels drop significantly, making your bearded dragon unable to walk and perform other tasks. Blood tests are important to find out whether these are low sugar or calcium levels.
Reason #9: Overheating
Believe it or not, overheating might cause severe reactions in your bearded dragon. If your bearded dragon’s tank is too hot, it won’t be able to function properly. Overheating will cause dizziness, loss of balance, dehydration, loss of consciousness, even organ failure and death. It can also cause a stroke!
Make sure that a hot spot is in the range of 92-110 degrees Fahrenheit (33-43 Celsius). Anything above 110 degrees will cause confusion, dizziness and severe gaping in your bearded dragon.
Cool spot is also a must, so your bearded dragon can move there to cool down. Therefore, cool spot should be in range of 75-85 F (23.8-29 C). Anything above 85F in the cool spot will prevent your bearded dragon from cooling down.
Few of the main symptoms that your bearded dragon is too hot are severe gaping (gaping in general is normal to release excess heat), trying to hide, digging. Your dragon is also likely to try escaping the tank by scratching the glass.
Make sure to have digital thermometers like this in both a hot and cool spot. Your thermometer must have a probe for more accurate readings. Stick on analog thermometers or ones without a probe tend to be very inaccurate (even by up to 10-20 degrees).
Also, get a handheld infrared thermometer like this, that will help get accurate temperatures in any spot. You will need to point at any spot that you wish to check the temperature for.
Please note that you must hold a handheld thermometer around 2-2.5 inches (5-6cm) away from the spot, or you will be getting inaccurate readings.
Reason #10: Vitamin overdose
Vitamin overdose is as bad as deficiency. Overdosing on vitamins/minerals can cause severe body reactions and even organ failure. Some vitamins, such as vitamin A and D, E, K, are fat soluble and not water soluble.
This means that if your dragon gets too much of fat soluble vitamins, it won’t be able to excrete excess amounts, and they will get deposited in organs. Water soluble vitamins can be flushed out if ingested in excess. Too much calcium, iron and other minerals will also cause severe reactions.
However, vitamin overdose is not very common unless you used way too much vitamin/minerals. Blood tests in this case are important for diagnosis. Please see this post to learn all about supplementing your bearded dragon’s food and which doses to use.
Reason #11: Toxicity
Toxicity can cause your bearded dragon’s nervous system to shut down, and even cause death. Dizziness, losing consciousness and confusion are very common symptoms of toxicity. Toxicity can be caused by various toxins, including sprays, paint and other chemicals. Infectious parasites are also toxins.
Please make sure to always put your bearded dragon in a different room and container when cleaning its tank. When cleaning, painting or using chemicals, make sure to let it off-gas and air out completely before returning your dragon back to the cage.
Thank you for reading this post. If you wish to learn more about bearded dragon care, make sure to visit this resource page.