Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked mine up today and i really thought it was dead and then it started twitching like it was coming back to life was it playing dead or is something wrong with it like a seizure or something? Please Help

Twitching is a sign of MBD, Metabolic Bone Disease. If your beardie has this, he is suffering from a severe lack of calcium and or UVB. You need to get him to the vet right away - his life could depend on it. MBD is very deadly and if left untreated, he will die. Here's a little info I copied from my website for you on this subject:

In general, metabolic bone disease is the weakening of the bone caused by an imbalance in vitamin D3, calcium, and phosphorus. Several foods, which have a high calcium content, such as spinach, carrots, collards, chards and other thick leafy greens, also contain oxalates, which bind calcium. When foods high in oxalates are eaten by a beardie, the oxalates attack the calcium and make it useless in their body.

Vitamin D3, calcium, and phosphorus interact together to perform a number of functions besides bone growth and maintenance, including muscle contractions and blood coagulation. Too much phosphorus can throw this balance off, as can too much or too little vitamin D3 or too little access to UVB light. As the dangers of calcium deficiency become more widely known, there is also the risk of too much calcium (hypercalcemia), which is rare.

Signs of metabolic bone disease include hard knobs in the long bones of the legs, bumps along the vertebral column of the back and tail, and softening or hard swelling of the lower jaw. Regular physical exams are important as these bumps may be felt before they can usually be seen. Visible signs of moderate to severe MBD include jerky movements when walking, repeated tremors, twitches, or spasms in the limbs and muscles of the legs and toes when at rest or after exercise, and shakiness when being held. More advanced cases of MBD include all the above signs plus constipation, anorexia, and fractured bones. Severely deficient Beardies tend to be lethargic and may only be able to drag themselves along the ground.

There are several treatment options available for Beardies suffering from MBD. Moderate to severe cases of MBD require the proper diet, temperatures, and UVB as well as a more powerful calcium supplement than those found in pet stores. Oral administration of calcium glubionate (NeoCalglucon®, 1cc/kg) or injections of calcium lactate (Calphosan, 250 mg/kg) or calcium gluconate (100 mg/kg) are generally prescribed by veterinarians Studies have shown a faster recovery with calcitonin (Calcimar, Miacalcin, 50 IU/kg in the front leg, repeated once a week for two weeks) when it is administered to Beardies who have been a normal serum calcium level. A blood test by your vet will determine your Beardies serum calcium level. The use of calcitonin before normal levels have been established, may cause hypocalcemic tetany and death. In mild cases of MBD, where the signs are felt or just barely visible, can be treated by providing the proper environment and diet.

The proper amount of UVB light is important and necessary in treating and preventing MBD. Vets have prescribed the use of self-balasted mercury vapor UVB/heat bulbs as part of the treatment for MBD. These bulbs have a UVB element and a heat element, all rolled into one. The bulbs are a little pricy, but are supposed to last up to two years. I have these bulbs in all of my Beardie enclosures now and am astonished with the results. After a few weeks of installing the new bulbs, I noticed a major color enhancement in all of my beardies! Check out my Recommended Products page for names and distributors of these bulbs.

Along with proper day and night temperature gradients and a nighttime dark period, proper diet is essential to recovery. During recovery, your beardie should be fed calcium-rich, nutrient dense foods such as squashes, green beans, alfalfa (from alfalfa powder, crushed alfalfa tablets, alfalfa tea, or softened rabbit food pellets or pulverized hay cubes), parsnips, mustard greens, dandelions, escarole, and fruits such as figs, papaya, cantaloupe and berries. The food should be supplemented with additional calcium and a multivitamin formulated for reptiles.

Good luck and please get him to the vet! Keep me posted and let me know how it goes.

Veronica
Beautiful Dragons

Well i have been checking in on him and he seems fine while he is in the cage he runs around and does his usual things but when i pick him up he get all stiff and then after a hwile he goes back to normal are you sure he isnt playing dead?

When you said he was twitching that made me think of MBD. I had a beardie die from that before - horrible experience. So he's stiffing up when you pick him up? Does he inflate his body too? One time I brought my beardie outside and a big bird flew over us and it freaked my beardie out. He got all stiff and puffed his beard and his belly got big and flat. Is it kind of like that? I've don't know if beardies play dead or not, but I do know that they try to look larger and meaner if something scares them. Is your beardie friendly with you or does he run from you? If he's just scared of you - because we are so much bigger than they are - then you should try to be around him more, don't make sudden movements, offer him treats by hand, and get him out as often as you can.

Veronica
Beautiful Dragons

Thank you for the help i have been really freaked out i think i will take him to the vet anyways because i need to have him checked out i have all my pets checked out once i buy them i am pretty sure he is just scared of me but i hope to change that soon

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