Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have a young dragon that every time he moves it shakes. His tail has developed a crooked section almost like it was broken but it hasn't had any trauma. The tail is moveable and he can manuver it when he chases crickets. Just today when my daughter tried to get him out he "tensed" up and shook so bad he fell off the rock he was on and couldn't correct himself. We feed him Nature Zone Beardie Bites, Tortise Bites, crickets, meal worms dusted with Zoo Med Repti Cal. We have a Repti Glo 10.0 uv light (12 hrs) and a 60 watt ceramic heater (on 24x7). He eats ravenously everyday.

Any Ideas

It could be a calcium deficiency. Dragons should be given fresh chopped greens like turnip, mustard, collard, endive, dandelions,(not iceberg lettuce) etc with shredded or finely chopped carrots, parsnip, butternut squash, sweet potatoe, frozen thawed vegetables etc. Also, fruit in small amounts is good for them and they seem to enjoy it. Bananas, strawberries, blueberries are some of my beardie's favorites My beardie gets insects 2 x a week and the other days he gets salads. I change it up daily which keeps him eating it well. He does not get any petstore food.

I would advice a vet visit and get him on a better diet. They can be picky if not offered different foods at a young age but keep trying. It is in the dragon's best interest.

Hope this helps

Hello,

I am a fellow reptile keeper, breeder and an Avian and Exotic Veterinarian. This does sound like a calcium deficiency. It will cause them to tremble, shake, even have seizures which it sounds like your little one had. Make sure he gets his food dusted with a good quality calcium supplement daily. I use Rep-cal with Vit D. Also make sure you have the correct UVB bulb. It MUST say UVB. The pet store often sell the incorrect lighting. It would be either a long flourescent tube sold as UVB or a Mercury Vapor that looks like a Flood light. I dont reccomend the MErcury Vapors for babies so Im not sure how small yours is. DO NOT use the compact flourescent bulbs (look spiral shaped) they will burn out their eyes/retina. Have seen it happen and thsi is well known amongst hobbiest. The other thing to do si to bring him to an experienced veterinarian. that vet should prescribe a liquid clacium supplement (NeoCalglucon) that is a concentrated calcium supplement that will help to replenish his calcium levels quickly.

Hope that helps

Christopher Stancel, DVM
www.dvmexotics.com (new site coming soon!)

How old is your dragon? What is the basking temperature (surface) and the ambient temperature? It seems you are providing sufficient calcium and D3 but if he's not getting proper temperatures he won't be able to digest what he eats properly. Also, I would focus more on fresh greens than using the dragon bites and tortoise foods, as these aren't complete diets and the latter not made for dragons at all.

How frequent are his bowel movements? More information about cage size and how old the UVB bulb is will be helpful.
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