Beardies legs twitching

[Und3adPrinc3ss]

I had Sary on my shoulder and I was leaving so I had to put we back in her cage and she put up a struggle and I was as gentle as possible. When I put her down her back legs were twitching and looked like they were maybe dislocated. She didn't seem in pain or anything. I picked her up to check her and her legs went bak to their normal place and twitched for a minute and then she seemed fine. It happened yesterday and she's been fine since. I've been keeping a close eye on her. Any idea of what it might have been?

 

[richard]

the first thing most ask is about husbandry. how and what do you feed. what kind of lights and time on. what kind of supplementation do you use. what are his temps in his enclosure. i have a 900g male who bounces off his walls and landed on his tail wrong which knocked one of his vertebrae out of line, pinching a nerve and causing his hind legs to twitch and him to walk funny. there are of course other things to cause twitching but that was my experience. i also rescued a dragon with a long period of time without calcium and uvb lighting who also twitched.

 

[mylizard]

Could possibly be early signs of MBD. Same kind of thing happened with one of my frogs and it was MBD its ok now.

 

[Mountain Bearded Dragons]

Could possibly be early signs of MBD. Same kind of thing happened with one of my frogs and it was MBD its ok now.

I agree it sounds like early stages of it

 

[Und3adPrinc3ss]

I feed crickets dusted in calcium twice a day(as many as she will eat) and I leave collard greens and carrots available 24/7. My friend had some trouble with calcium so he sprinkled some in the water and so I've tried it. I'm unsure of the brand of the light bulb. I leave it on for about 13-14 hours. I have a heat lamp but it went out and I haven't had time to get another(it's only been a day or two and my room never gets below 70f). I use sand(not calci sand). She gets baths at least twice a week for 10 minutes. Unsure of the temps at the moment because I need thermometers. She is in a cage that is a little bit too small but not too small and she is taken out quite regular, but I'm currently working on plans for a 4' long, 2' wide, and 3' tall homemade cage(I know it's not really a cage but I can't seem to stop calling it that).

 

[richard]

here's my thrashing for you. calcium should be dusted on the crickets or sprinkled on the salad, that is your best guarantee that she will get what she needs. the type of uvb bulb is VERY IMPORTANT. if you dont know what kind it is then how do you know it is adequate? the uvb bulb is what allows her to process calcium. the heat bulb is just as important as it aids in digestion. a beardie not warm enough stands a much greater chance of internal problems and respiratory infections. i personally dont think sand is safe period. tile or paper towels is better. if you just have to use sand then please dont feed her while she is in her tank. her basking spot should be 100 to 110 degrees fahrenheit. cool side should be 80 to 85f. the smaller the tank you have her in the harder it is to accomplish these temps which are critical and cannot be guessed. lack of calcium, proper heat, and lighting all contribute to the problem you say she is having. please correct these thing immediately! sorry if i'm being rough on you, i know you care or you wouldn't be here with us asking questions. good luck and the thrashing is free!

 

[Und3adPrinc3ss]

Thanks for the thrashing . I got everything from a friend of mine who could not keep her. I've learned a lot from this forum. As soon as I got her I started looking at terrariums but they were so expensive and then I ran upon the idea of building one from another post. So I'm currently working on plans and what material is the absolute best. I do dust the crickets(as previously stated) but my friend also does and had a slight problem so added it to the water and it helped. I gave her a warm bath earlier and she seems to be doing fine. The closest place to get adequate lights is an hour away and being in college managing a trip with gas prices as they are is difficult. I'm slowly getting the correct things I need for her. Next thing is lights. When I have her new cage built there will not be sand, but a sand paper type of tape that are used on steps for rv's(durable, rough, and easy to clean. And tile will be used for basking. Thank you all for the info so far

 

[jessica domke]

i also agree, sounds like it just might be the early stages of MBD!!! definately get a repti sun 10.0 uv linear tube, maintain the temps as stated above as well!

 

[richard]

you can use a regular incandescent bulb (household bulb) for emergency heat. if temps are 65 and above outside during the day, then natural sunlight will get you through for uvb, as much as you can give her. i understand times are tough but she cant go long without proper lights. hope we've helped!

 

[P]

Just a word of caution

Just dust the feeder insects, if you suspect MBD get a vet to diagnose and switch to liquid calcium which is more easy to absorb for them

Dont add the powder to the water , cos over supplementing is just as dangerous as under supplementing and may lead to hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia in turn causes bone defects, cardiac changes, shock, renal hypertension and failure and death at especially high levels. Bone defects and cardiac involvement may not be apparent until the condition is well advanced. Once shock and renal failure set it, it is usually too late.

The best way to avoid hypercalcemia is to not go overboard on vitamin supplementation, including supplementing D3 through oral vitamins.

 

[Und3adPrinc3ss]

Update on Sary. Haven't had any more trouble with her in the last month or do. Working on her new cage. She has grown a lot. There was a new pet store built closer to where I live. They don't have much but they do have the lights for a little less than petco and petsmart. I took her to the local festival a couple weeks ago since it was very warm outside and very sunny(I live in south Louisiana so it gets very hot). I have brought her outside a few times and she is wary at first but relaxes after a while. I live in a very rural area so no pesticides or chemicals. It's amazing how much and how fast she has grown