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Thread: twitching

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    9

    Default twitching

    I bought my Columbian tegu about 2 weeks ago from a reptile show and he has ben doing fine until today when i went to take him out of his cage. His legs, lower back, and base of his tail were twitchin and so i just left him in the cage and kept an eye on him then he started to open his mouth and his tounge would hang out and it seemed like he couldn't get it back in his mouth. this happend twice today and it worried me :(. If anyone cant help that would be great, thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

    Default

    Welcome cjr94.

    I'm sorry your tegu is having this problem. Another member wrote recently with this issue, so please excuse me if I paste my questions and suggestions from another thread:

    We may be able to help figure this out with you if you provide information about his set-up. What kinds of lighting, heating, UVB does he get. Do you have a UVB bulb and what kind? How far is it mounted from the tegu? How old is it (the bulb) and how long have you had the tegu? Does your tegu get any natural, unfiltered sunshine? Please describe what he eats. Do you use a calcium and vitamin D3 supplement?

    I don't know enough yet to make suggestions or tell you what may be the matter. But a frequent problem with tegus is that they don't get enough calcium and vitamin D3 to metabolize calcium. In captivity, D3 is usually supplied by vitamin supplements and by UVB light rays, which helps many animals produce D3 in their bodies. Without sufficient calcium in the bones and muscles, reptiles develop serious problems. Their bones can get fragile and break easily like an old person. A frequent indicator that an animals muscles are lacking the proper balance of calcium and other elements is a tremor, usually first noticed in the limbs. I don't know if this is what your guy has.

    You can search the Health forum on this site for topics such as MDB (metabolic bone disease), shaking, twtching, etc. to see where some people have posted videos or descriptions of their tegus with this problem.

    We are not veterinarians on this site, mostly just pet owners with varying degrees of experience and knowledge. I would suggest you get your tegu to a vet who works with reptiles ASAP, since diagnosis and treatment may require more than what we can offer.

    There is a sticky on the Health forum to help you find a lizard doctor in your area.

    Please write back with more information.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    And I do recommend the vet since it seems that both people who posted with this issue recently lost their tegus. I'm not saying that will happen to yours, but if it is a MBD type of issue, then the injectable or oral calcium from the vet is much more readily absorbed by the tegu's body than the calcium dust we buy. In the meantime, it sounds as if he needs calcium and some direct sunlight or a good UVB bulb like a mercury vapor bulb.

    Also, has he been exposed to any chemicals lately, pesticides or cleaners?
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    9

    Default

    yesterday i bought a zilla light, it says that it produces full spectrum and uva and it does give off heat. i do have the vitamins (calcium and d3) that i give him daily. i dont take him outside very much because i dont really have a setup out there. The bulb sits on the top of the cage so i guess its about a foot above the tegu. i feed him chicken with the vitamins everyday and about once a week i throw in a cricket. ive been having it for about two weeks, and it seemed fine until yesterday. i have it in a 20 gallon for now because he's still really small, and i use cypress mulch for bedding. i hope this helps guys, thanks.
    Last edited by cjr94; 10-28-2010 at 03:30 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    915

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    i had this issue when I first got my B&W. It was not as serious as yours though. I gave him alot of calcium powder and PLENTY of crickets. He'd go through 500 a week. Until I found out about roaches....

    It sounds like the vet would be the best bet though. Just to be safe.
    1.0.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    0.0.2 African Pyxie Frog
    1.0.0 Blood Python
    1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python
    1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink
    1.0.0 Basilisk
    0.0.1 Cane Toad
    1.0.0 Albino Western Hognose


    Roaches (Dubia & Lateralis)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Passaic, NJ
    Posts
    101

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    I've had this problem before with a blk/wh tegu so I bought a shallow rubbermade container that I would place him in and put the UVB fixture directly on top so he has to stay and absorb the rays. I also put calcium powder on his every meal. That worked for me but I am no vet and I would take it to see one because its better to be safe than sorry.
    1.0.0 all American tegu (Jedi)
    0.0.1 Argus monitor (Blitz)
    1.0.0 macklots python (Punisher)
    0.1.0 snapping turtle (Spike)
    0.1.0 fat tail gecko (Lady Jaye)
    0.0.1 tokay gecko (Snake eyes)
    1.0.0 fire skink (Blaze)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    9

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    so should i give him some crickets?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    915

    Default

    Yes definately up his cricket in take.
    1.0.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    0.0.2 African Pyxie Frog
    1.0.0 Blood Python
    1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python
    1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink
    1.0.0 Basilisk
    0.0.1 Cane Toad
    1.0.0 Albino Western Hognose


    Roaches (Dubia & Lateralis)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    9

    Default

    ok thanks ill try that and i think in supposed to be taking him to the vet tomorrow so ill see whats really up with him. thanks.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by cjr94 View Post
    yesterday i bought a zilla light, it says that it produces full spectrum and uva and it does give off heat.
    If the package doesn't say specifically, "UVB" then you don't have UVB. The lizard should have 10.0 power UVB. Also, IMHO, zilla lights suck. I'm sorry to say that, but that has been my experience. We wasted a lot of money on them and they do not stand behind their products.

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