Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a collard lizard. she is about 3 years old. a few moments ago she had what appeared to be a seizure. now she seems to be dragging her hind feet behind her as she walks and they are twitching very steadily. shes pretty pale also. she is moving around but is quite sluggish. I would call a vet but there are none trained in my area. is there anything I can do here to help her out? I do not know the cause of the seizure whats so ever. can anyone help me on this on what to do to help her out????
thank-you
abby

Does she have an active UVB light on her? If she has one and it hasnt been changed in a year she is not getting D3 and i think that she has MBD. Also, if she hasnt had the correct supplementation she would also have this. nutrtional secondary hyperpara thyroidism (a form of MDB) will cause seisures and paralisis, as well as toxicity and lethargy. If this is the case she is in alot of pain and needs veternary help NOW. It is very VERY important that she sees a vet asap, or else she will not make it. good luck.
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"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 JCP-Milton
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
1.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, Raisin, and the Runt (R.I.P. Willard. )

she has all the correct lighting and is in working order. she gets vitamin supplements with her food every other feeding, so i know that is not the cause. shes still pretty sluggish but her legs aren't twitching as much. she was hissing alot earlier but now lets me go in and pet her more. i wish there was a vet in this town that was trianed for herps but none are around here. is there anything i can do in the mean time to keep her comfortable???

i also noticed all her color has come back to she was deathly colorless when it happened. she seems more alert..i just ran and checked her right after my post lol but is still slugish..i am very worried as you can tell....

Is your calcium supplement expired? Or does it have a 2:1 ca/p ratio? Too much phosporus will contribute to MBD. I am only pushing this subject because she is exhibiting all the classic signs...if she is hissing she is in lots of pain. If you could find some calcium glubinate or a just calcium and d3 calcium supplement and mix it into some clear pedialyte and feed it to her by syringe. Oh! is the light shining through glass or mesh? Is it less than 12" away from her>?
what is her diet?
All of these things will help me to figure out the problem. In the meantime, keep her warm, and dont handle her unless it is absolutely necessary. If she does have MBD (i am pretty sure somehow she does) her bones will be brittle and she will be in pain.
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"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 JCP-Milton
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
1.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, Raisin, and the Runt (R.I.P. Willard. )

the light is above the terarium around 12inches maybe a bit closer, feeding i feed her canned crickets one every other day..(thats all she can eat some times 2) she can not eat live crickets. i got her when she was a baby and the live crickets always made her throw up. and still to this day. but the canned crickets always did well with her and she loves them i giver her live meal worms once in a blue moon for a treat but making sure to smush the head first she loves those to never has a problem with themn. and i dust the canned crickets every other feeding with the vitamin supplement..mist her cage daily,
the vitamins are Reptivite reptile vitamins. by Zoo Med. the phosphorus is 105.73gm/kg and the calcium is 211.46GM/KG she has always had the same diet for the last 3 years and has never had any problems. she always in a good spirited mood unless you wake her up when shes nappig then she can be a bit moody lol but other wise always very active always climbs all over her terarrium. was active and happy all morning lastnight showed no signs or symptoms then just all of a sudden this afternoon.it looked like a seizure or a stroke she just flipped out keeled over and layed there with her mouth gaping open, her whole body was stiff as a board her eyes were almost coming out of her head, and her legs were fully extended looked stiff as a log ( no better way to put it sorry) then she relaxed and kinda came around had lost all her color for awhile that has come back now.she tried to climb a branch earlier to bask but couldn't get up so settled for the rock underneath and sat on that..she won't lay down either she just sits and kinda props herself up on the water dish or on a rock. but she is moving around a bit more kinda wobbles her way from one end of the tank to another.occasionally dragging her legs other times she uses them a bit more and can get a good wobbly walk going. I use pine woodchips as a beding for her cage but i removed them not long after she was a little more mobile and laid down paper towel to help her move around easier if she wants..shes not dragging her legs as much but is still quite wobbly when she tries to walk and has the occastinal twithc in her head but all 4 legs and toes are still twitching. I've been doing everything i can the last 3 years in trying to take good care of her i clean her cage weekly and water dish is cleaned and disinfected everyday with anti bacterial dish soap but i rinse it super well same with her terarrium. Man alive i am so worried about her. I hope i gave you all the information you need. thank-you for being so kind and concerned and trying to help me make this a good outcome on her part. i can't stand to lose the little girl.

oh and i checked the expiry date and the vitamins are still good.

oh yes and if you want to e-mail me with more info you can i am at alparen@nb.sympatico.ca

One canned cricket every day is no where near enough food. Also, those crickets have little to no nutrition and extra phosporous due to the canning process. If she is eating only those, there is a good reason why she is sick. Also, reptivite is a calcium based multivitimin. Multivites should be used ONE A WEEK no matter what the package says...The exception would be the new superfoods by sandfire ranch. Those are designed to be used every feeding. You poor collared lizard is suffeirng from more than one metabolic problem i would say.
-----
"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 JCP-Milton
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
1.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, Raisin, and the Runt (R.I.P. Willard. )

wohhooo. I got ahold of the owner of the rteptile ocean today. I told him my situation and you were right riiot thats whats wrong. he gave me all the advice on all the vitamins to get for her and a new light to be on the safe side. I will be picking the new light and vitamins up as soon as the pet store gets them in it should be a matter of a day or two. i checked her today she is back to her old happy self. ate like a pig and has been running and jumping and climbing since i got home no risdual signs of twitching no paralysis. thank heavens. can't wait to get the new light in and start her on the new vitamins also. thanks for all your advice.

Hey! that sounds great! I am really glad that you are on the right track to getting her well. Make sure that she gets a more varied diet from now on too. I think that she was regurging the crickets as a baby because you may have been feeding her ones that were too big and the legs were hurting her belly. Give her small buggies and LIVE mealies...they wont hurt her at this age...that is a myth. My baby leos will eat live mealies without issue. Try some fruit too! Mango and mellon will be good to start. I think she will like that. AND...still be careful of her because she will be fragile until her calcium levels are righted. Good luck with her. I am glad to help!
-----
"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 JCP-Milton
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
1.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, Raisin, and the Runt (R.I.P. Willard. )