Beardies Twitching Legs-Advice Please

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Try Google, the search term used is: Bearded Dragon Twitching

http://www.sundialreptile.com/care%20sheet--bearded%20dragon.htm

Calcium/vitamin deficiency:
This is a serious problem that can have permanent effects on the life of your bearded dragon. Too little D3 and calcium can lead to metabolic bone disease. Some early symptoms of this problem include the shaking, twitching, or stiffness of limbs (especially rear legs), separation of the mouth, and difficulty chewing food. If this problem is caught early enough, supplementation and exposure to natural sun can be good remedies. Calcium deficiency is often seen in older dragons, or under supplemented dragons. There is also the possibility of over supplementing your dragons, causing a myriad of problems all its own.

http://www.dachiu.com/care/abeard.html

Calcium Deficiency -

Without adequate calcium and vitamin D3 in your Dragon's diet, aside from a slow growth rate, you will more than likely encounter Metabolic Bone Disease. The first symptom usually noticed is uncontrolled twitching of the dragons toes or legs. This can be a fatal disease if not treated promptly. If this problem occurs, we suggest raising the amount of calcium in the Dragons diet immediately and taking it outside in direct sunlight to bask for a period of time each day until the twitching stops. If there is no change in a few days, consider veterinary care as an option.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5086/health.html

Calcium/Vitamin D3 Deficiencey

One of the first symptoms of calcium deficiency in juveniles is usually tetanic twitching or the shakes. To treat this condition you should supplement the food with a calcium/vitamin D3 supplement, not a general vitamin/mineral supplement and exposing the bearded dragon for at least 30 minutes each day. Exposure to sunlight is generally the most effective way to treat this condition.

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/vitamins/

A thiamine deficiency is characterized by nervous disorders such as: twitching, spasms, blindness, abnormal posture, and an inability to use specific muscle groups.
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Calcium Sandoz syrup, available from vets and some stockfeed/petshops, is a good supplement to have on hand for young lizards. It is sweet so is readily accepted and is in liquid form so is quickly absorbed.

Don't forget the role UV light has in conjunction with Calcium absorption. Without adequate supplies of each at the same time, the other is often quite useless.

IF you are giving heaps of Vitamins and Calcium, I would suggest the UV light is your issue. It may have been old in the store, returned stock, faulty, packaging changed accidently. Either way, your lizards won't get to convert the D3/Calcium/Vitamins correctly without the correct UV.

Move quickly, once MBD sets in, especially in youngsters, your time is limited. Get them into some natural sunlight, now.
 
I sill REPTI-GLO.
They come in a 2, 5 & 8!!!
I also have a book with other products, available overseas, but I CHECKED my book, and they are still only available in 2, 5 &8.
I have a URS brand in a 10, and maybe the reptisun in a 10, but not the reptiglo!!
At least not the wholesaler where I buy them from, and I have a NEW book from them.
 
Hey big bird
you dont need to bath your beardies that often.. Misting is fine and just give them a bath if they get soiled.. Sounds like youve got an excellent set up for your babies there how old are they?
 
baths are good for them, keeps em clean, helps em poo, helps em shed, and they enjoy it.

mine get a 30 min bath every morning, bathe them as often as you like,...
 
i bathe mine once a week, i would go as far to say they enjoy it, mine franticly try to get out of the tub, they are fine once they fine the rock to sit on but yes helps em poo and shed
 
If the twitching persists or worsens it is definately calcium deficiency. It often does not matter how much calcium you give, or how much uvb is given, they can still get it.

As Wrasse stated go to a chemist and purchase Calcium Sandoz. I have never tried the liquid form, but instead use the soluble tablets. I just break off a quarter, disolve it in 1 to 2 mls of water and give some to each of the lizards by syringe into their mouths. If given daily for a week, plus a few minutes in natural sunlight you will find in nearly all cases its gone within a week.

This is such a common disorder with Bearded and Frillneck hatchlings and is easily rectified with calcium sandoz
 
My two love their baths, Loki always poops in her bath and Lucius loves to do laps of the bath tub. I also put a rock into the bath so they can sit on it but it is slightly submerged.
When i fisrt bathed Lucius (6mths) he went crazy but he has become accustomed to having them.
 
i have only just started bathing, hopefully they will get used to it soon enough
 
If the twitching persists or worsens it is definately calcium deficiency. It often does not matter how much calcium you give, or how much uvb is given, they can still get it.

As Wrasse stated go to a chemist and purchase Calcium Sandoz. I have never tried the liquid form, but instead use the soluble tablets. I just break off a quarter, disolve it in 1 to 2 mls of water and give some to each of the lizards by syringe into their mouths. If given daily for a week, plus a few minutes in natural sunlight you will find in nearly all cases its gone within a week.

This is such a common disorder with Bearded and Frillneck hatchlings and is easily rectified with calcium sandoz


i use a liquid calcium and lquid multivitamin, i use reptical and reptivite. Heaps easier to use than the powder. I apply it to their skin and it is absorbed.
 
absorbs through their skin?? i just use the dust and dust the insects and vegies, works for me
 
yeah i found it heaps easier, the powder is messy and quite often my beardies wouldn't eat the crix if they were dusted.
 
Benson - I'm not trying to argue with you, but why would the exo terra website list a repti glo 10.0 bulb if they did not sell them? I could be wrong on the brand of my UV bulb as I am not home to check and it could well be one of the others - I will let you know later. Have you looked at the link I posted and seen that exo terra do list a UV tube called repti glo 10 on their site?

Dottles - Thanks! My beardies are just over 11 weeks old. I am only bathing them so often at the moment because they have been shedding. Otherwise I would probably only do it once a week. Oh and also because I gave them strawberry the other day and it went a bit mushy and they got it all over them! They had pink feet - it was hilarious!

hornet - I wouldn't say mine enjoy it! Thay can touch the floor of the bath as I only fill it up a little bit, but they still try to climb out!

Wrasse - Thanks for the info - I have read most of these articles before. I have a spare UV bulb at home so I will switch them over and see if there is any improvement. I will also get them outside at the weekend. I would love to do it sooner, but due to work, I am not home during sunlight hours.
 
Bigbird, I'm not trying to argue either. There are HEAPS of stuff companies sell, but they are an overseas brand, like most of our reptile accessories are, and as I said, are only available here in a 2 5 &8.
If they are changing the 8 to a 10, I haven't seen any yet, in that brand.
And all the best with your lizards.
 
Bearded dragons will twitch after eating large food items and get a partial impaction, I don't feed hatchlings "hard vegies" like carrot and pumkin or pellets. If your dragons eat to many small insects in one feed this will also happen. For the record, I keep and breed heaps of dragons without UV or cal powders, I would not waste money on a man made UV bulb, if you want UV, make use of the sun.
 
hmmm id replace the uv - & get them out into the sun for a while
check the expirey date on the calcuim powder - it might be out of date
 
JasonL - I would rather let them out in the sun too, but during the winter months (like now) I leave for work before it's light and come home when it's dark, therefore I'm not around to keep an eye on them while there outside and as I don't have a garden, I can't just leave them outside during the day without me being there.

tuke - calcium powder is in date. I am going to replace the UV and see how they go from there.

I have come home tonight and fed them and they both look good. Ate up very quickly and have been very active. No sign of stiff limbs or twitching limbs. There was also a fair bit of shed skin in the cage so obviously they are still very much in the process of a shed.
 
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