Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I had resently sold a baby beadie to someone. She had if for maybe a day or two then brought it back to me saying that it was having seizures. The little guy looked like it was dead. But when I picked it up it picked its head up and opened its mouth. It looked in good shape. The beardie was in good shape when I sold it to her. Eating good, cricket and fruits and veggies, vitamins, proper lighting and heating. As I help him he went into a little seizure. All its legs went strait out. So I took it and set him up in a cage. He ran around in circles. It looked as if he were chasing his tail. I asked about the temp which sounded fine (it had only been a day) and every other posible thing I could think of. Sadly he died a couple of hours later. She said it was in her sons room. The only thing I can think of is maybe he was dropped.I dont know. If any one can help me out please do.Thanks

man i hope mine isnt doing the same thing, i recenly got a new born sand fire an he is acting funny, he as been heathy for at least a mounth now, and then this morning i seen him in the corner of his cage and i thought he was chocking he was all srevled and his legs were straight out so i rubbed hs stomach and his neck and place him in a warm sink and he seemed fine and hen i noticed him limping later on and then he did it agian. some one plase repy to this guys message as it may add sme insight into my beardies life. my other beardie had no problems as a new born so im not sure as how to take care of these type of things. thanks for any help offered to this guy and myself. and i sorry to hear about the passing man.

Hello,

I am very sorry to hear about what has happened to your baby beardie. I had the same thing happen to a few of our first beardies. I am in no way a DVM (vet), and there would actually be no way to diagnose this by email anyways, but I can give you some insight. The walking in circles is most of the time the result of a neurological disorder. Our beardies got this way from our water. You see, normal tap water contains chlorine, which is not good for beardies, especially young ones. In our case, a beadie got water in his ear. The Chlorine caused an ear infection. There was no visual signs of problems, until it was too late. Nothing could be done at that time.

Secondly, poor light, inadequate heat source, and calcium deficiency can cause seizures. I recently had a female juvenile begin displaying signs of seizuring, and we made a home remedy. We took repti-Calcium, mixed it with sterile water and AcidophiLiz (Digestive Tract Conditioner available at Pet Smart) and allowed the beadie to drink.(the mixture should be a creamy white) Within hours, she was back to normal, and we have had no problems since. (In extreme cases where the beardie will not drink voluntarily, force it. Using a 2 person method, have 1 person hold the beardie. You will need to use one hand to grab the beard while the other person is holding the head still. Pull on the beard until the lips open slightly, You can gently put an eye dropper full into the side of the mouth. 99% of the time, when the liquid hits their tongue, they will begin to drink) If you can rule out lighting, heat and calcium deficiency, and you are using sterile water, not tap, take a look at your feeders. What are your crickets feeding on? If it is dog food, STOP IMMEDIATELY. The red dye in dog food has been linked to severe problems when ingested by reptiles. Remember, what the crickets eat, the beardies eat. This also goes for water supplies. I hope this helps. Like I said, I am no expert, but I have gone through this several times, and it is no fun. If it works, Excellent! If there is no improvement, see a vet asap. Good Luck!! Jason

feeding dog food to feeders is bad? is this all dog food?

I have been told chicken mash is bad to give to feeders too. are there other foods not to give feeders?
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com

Man, I heard chicken mash was the best gutload!! Ugh, too much info out there that you cant quite be sure about.

About the original poster and Sand-Fire, baby dragons seem to be pretty sensitive to lots of things (this is just goin by MY experience with the babies I had this spring-summer) The two main things that cause twitching/seizures are calcium/D3 deficency (not enough) and eating things that are too big, or too much. Bulky food puts pressure on the spinal chord and can cause major problems!! Of course Neurological problems are an issue too, but not nearly as common as the first two I mentioned. Dont rule it out though.
Improper lighting, heating and food can also cause major problems with babies, remember these are babies. Improper husbandry suddenly given to an otherwise healthy adult is one thing, but babies are just running on first the Yolk in their egg and then by what their caretakers are giving them so they do not have the reserves yet.
Sorry your babies are doing poorly, and sorry about the one that died. Double and triple check husbandry, and remember, sometimes they just aren't meant to make it no matter what you do.
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DogStar

"Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." --Antoine de Saint Exupery

hey, everyone thanks for the help, but i belive theres no saving him. i took him to the vet today becuase the seizers were getting worse and he developed a large lump on his back, and the vet insisted that he was having seizers in result of a spinal injurie the occured some how, hes never been droped but i have seen him jump and land on his face a few times in the cage. and he has also done this off his basking branch and i belive he might have done it one to many times, but anyway the vet said theres not much he could do for him, he said he might make it and ill have to ge x-rays later on to see if it would be possible to set any out of place bones, but he said probaly it would just be a few days till he passes away. so sad only me second beardie and he was already my favorite, but e is trying to make it but i cant get him to eat.

hey, everyone thanks for the help, but i belive theres no saving him. i took him to the vet today becuase the seizers were getting worse and he developed a large lump on his back, and the vet insisted that he was having seizers in result of a spinal injurie the occured some how, hes never been droped but i have seen him jump and land on his face a few times in the cage. and he has also done this off his basking branch and i belive he might have done it one to many times, but anyway the vet said theres not much he could do for him, he said he might make it and ill have to ge x-rays later on to see if it would be possible to set any out of place bones, but he said probaly it would just be a few days till he passes away. so sad only me second beardie and he was already my favorite, but e is trying to make it but i cant get him to eat.

hey, everyone thanks for the help, but i belive theres no saving him. i took him to the vet today becuase the seizers were getting worse and he developed a large lump on his back, and the vet insisted that he was having seizers in result of a spinal injurie the occured some how, hes never been droped but i have seen him jump and land on his face a few times in the cage. and he has also done this off his basking branch and i belive he might have done it one to many times, but anyway the vet said theres not much he could do for him, he said he might make it and ill have to ge x-rays later on to see if it would be possible to set any out of place bones, but he said probaly it would just be a few days till he passes away. so sad only me second beardie and he was already my favorite, but e is trying to make it but i cant get him to eat.

I was using gut-load from Petsmart, but that can get pricey. From a recommendation from Mrs. Lynn (www.lynnsbeardeddragons.com) I switched to medicated chick started available at local farm stores and they have been doing great! It is cheap, approx $5 for a 50lb bag, versus $7 for a 6oz can. As a rule for dog and cat food, DONT USE IT! I am not saying all dog and cat foods are lethal, but I am not willing to take the chance. Besides, medicated chick starter is still the least expensive way to go. Good luck!! Jason
Old World Reptiles