Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My bearded dragons toes constantly twitch( its mostly his back toes)and she sometimes shakes. I am almost positive shes started to get metabolic bone disease. I have been giving her calcium supplements every day does anyone know how long it might take to clear up?

and what calcium and how often?

It's not just giving them calcium, they also need UVB and D3.

mealworms can also cause twitching in them. Small dragons should not be feed them.

omg are u serious? thats gotta b it. a couple of days ago i fed her some mealworms and i think thats when the twitching started.
but she is 10 inches long isnt that large enough?

a lot that first pointed that out to me on one of our dragons he saw, I stopped the mealworms and the problem went away in about 4-5 days and I have never used them again. He said this was a problem he saw often in small dragons feed worms.

Once ours are about 6 months old they start getting fresh shed supers occassionaly and a few regular superworms when 9 months to a year old every 3-4 days.

Mealworms have a higher chitin count that superworms and it is hard for them to digest them as the chitin does not break down in their digestive system, enough of them at one time can also impact a dragon.

I fed her three and then one the next day..... I hope that isnt enough to get her impacted.

The supplement i am giving her has vitamin d3 in it and i am using a zoo med light bulb

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I am really not sure. I bought the one at the pet store the guy recommended. He uses them on his bearded dragons and they were very healthy.

easy to tell which one by the cost.

Some on here feel that dragons can thrive without UVB lights like PowerSun, Active UVheat or the UVB tubes and only calcium with D3 supplements, I do not agree with that as we have seen far too many problems with dragons rasied that way.

Stop the mealworms, get her out in some sun and think about getting or making sure she is under a good UVB light source or natural sun.

it was a basking light.... lol

that enables them to absord calcium. Like I said before, some people feel that by giving them Calcium with D3 this can replace them having to produce the per D3 in them, which they need UVB for.

But from our personal experience with dragons raised this way, they are not thriving and start having problems like MBD, twitching, wirst walking, bone thinning and recessed jaws.

Again, get her out in some sun if at all possible and think about getting her under a good UVB light source. And ditch the mealworms

Buy an additional UBV-light asap!

What supplement, and does it contain vitamin d3?
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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

It is exo-terra electrodize it contains calcium and vitamin d. It says right on the label prevents mbd and reverses the effects of mbd.

If I'm not mistaken, that product is a liquid? If so, how are you supplementing with it, and are you sure you dragon is ingesting it? I am pretty certain that your problem is that you dragon is not getting enough calcium as a result of low d3. I would highly recommend getting a better calcium(powdered) supp. like rep-cal with d3, miner-all I, or t-rex bearded dragon ICB and VGF. Dust you crix and veggies with the powder. Don't be fooled into thinking the purchase of an expensive UVB blub will magically make your dragon better. You have to address this aspect of your husbandry, as it likely caused the state your dragon is in.
good luck
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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

Don't be fooled into thinking the purchase of an expensive UVB blub will magically make your dragon better.

One the flip side I say:

Don't be suprised if it does as it helps the dragon do what he has been doing in nature for thousands of years, using UVB to sythesize D3 and absorb the calcium...... whether from the Sun or a commerical light when the sun is not available, they thrive better with it.

Dragons without UVB and only supplemented with calcium with D3 and good diet at one year of age July 1 2003

The same dragons after a few weeks of getting sunlight and UVB light for the first time

The same dragons 2 months later in September

[img]

Derek (grimdog) has the other one now, so we need to get a pic from him, but I know she is doing awesome still
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www.reptilerooms.com

And what would a pic from Derek prove? He does not use UVB lighting on his dragons, and the one he got from you only received it for a short period of time. Also, your little "experiment" doesn't conclude anything, it is hardly controlled and many other variables could have come into play. One being the brighness of the light provided in connection to appetite.
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Bill DiFabio
Azteclizard.com
Email Me

Repti-glo 5.0 or 8.0 UVB tubes are good lights to provide UVB for dragons. They are cheaper than the MVB but you will need to keep a basking light for warmth.

If the problem is impaction, you can give your dragon regular soaks in warm water (80F or a bit more) for 10-15 minutes. Gently massaging the belly, going from belly down to vent can also help loosen things up.

Actualy the question nobody has asked yet is has your dragon pooed lately? If he hasn't than impaction could be a problem. However I would still go out and get the UVB lights just to make sure he doesn't get MBD.

she doesnt look lethargic. And has been eating so i dont think it is impaction but i am gonna give her a warm bath just in case