# Twitching?..



## nessanicolle (Jun 5, 2012)

Someone please help!, I've had my tegu for a few months now and i dont know what to do.. Sometimes his toes and fingers start to twitch. i mean not like a seisure or anything just little continuous twitches and then they stop.. this happens every few weeks, could it be mbd? i have a uvb light on for 10 hours everyday and he eats fine. he seems healthy, would taking him outside for awhile help? Any replies would be much appreciated, i'm worried about him! :huh:


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## Scott_k (Jun 5, 2012)

It sounds like it could be calcium deficency. Getting him in the sun would definetly help. Try to up his calcium intake.


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## chriswizz (Jun 5, 2012)

nessanicolle said:


> Someone please help!, I've had my tegu for a few months now and i dont know what to do.. Sometimes his toes and fingers start to twitch. i mean not like a seisure or anything just little continuous twitches and then they stop.. this happens every few weeks, could it be mbd? i have a uvb light on for 10 hours everyday and he eats fine. he seems healthy, would taking him outside for awhile help? Any replies would be much appreciated, i'm worried about him! :huh:


not over sure, but im sure i read some were that to much d3 can have the same effect, dont take it for gospel though. do you give much d3, mabe to much. or it could be calcium deficiency too.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jun 5, 2012)

_More than likely Calcium deficiency. What are you feeding and how often?_


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## yulyani (Jun 5, 2012)

chriswizz said:


> nessanicolle said:
> 
> 
> > Someone please help!, I've had my tegu for a few months now and i dont know what to do.. Sometimes his toes and fingers start to twitch. i mean not like a seisure or anything just little continuous twitches and then they stop.. this happens every few weeks, could it be mbd? i have a uvb light on for 10 hours everyday and he eats fine. he seems healthy, would taking him outside for awhile help? Any replies would be much appreciated, i'm worried about him! :huh:
> ...


Hello....i hope I could share the info about this. Do you give the supplement consist of Calsium and D3 for him? If he is young probably he needs it, but if you have already provided the UVB spectrum we don't need to give it too many, probably once-twice per week. What food usually you offer to him?


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## Johnnydr (Jun 5, 2012)

How close they can get to the UVB bulb is also important, it varies on bulb types/brands. Make sure the UVB is close enough. Upping the calcium and D3 for just a couple days would probably reverse the twitching....Ca+ is a very important ion for nerve/muscle communication, so that should be the first thing to stop if it's the onset of mbd


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## larissalurid (Jun 5, 2012)

Are you feeding calcium supplements during the week and calcium with D-3 around 2 times per week? They need this as well as UVA/UVB that's not too far away, through glass, and it's better to not be through screen.


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## nessanicolle (Jun 5, 2012)

right now, he eats his turkey with the vitamin supplements every other day and a dusted pinky 2 times a month i would say(with the occasional scrambled eggs). he also has his repti-glo 5.0 inside his enclosure which is about 6-7 inches from him at all times. And i am planning on getting a bigger better uvb light for him and my iguana along with outdoor enclosures. i took him outside today for about 20 minutes and since then the twitching stopped and like i said they dont happen very often but when they do its usually after being fed.


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## Johnnydr (Jun 6, 2012)

you said vitamin supplement....

are you doing a calcium supplement as well? 

Also, I'd move up the mouse size...my '11 gu eats a small adult mouse a couple times a month


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## nessanicolle (Jun 6, 2012)

to be honest i'm not real sure about the calcium supplement.. the powder says it has calcium in it so i just figured that it would be fine, should i get a specific supplement? and i could try to give him a fuzzy i just thought that would be a little big.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jun 6, 2012)

_Vitamin supplements are not the same as Calcium, he needs Calcium either in powder or it's natural form mainly bones. Pinkies don't cut it unless you dust them with Calcium powder. If he's too small to take a hopper or something with more bone development then you can cut it up. Or use chicken wing tips, cut or grind up some chicken or turkey wings, legs, backs or what ever.

His body's telling you he's not getting enough Calcium. So it's pulling what's need from his bones for proper function of muscles and organs. They as well as we use Calcium for more than just bone development_


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## nessanicolle (Jun 6, 2012)

Alright, i was confused about the supplements. i'm going to get some calcium powder for him asap. Also, if i were to grind up some turkey and chicken i would feed it to him raw right? and what about beef?


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jun 6, 2012)

_All meat raw, doesn't really matter what kind. Just if it doesn't have any bones in it then add Calcium powder to it, but I just use bones._


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## Dirtydmc (Jun 6, 2012)

Toss the reptiglow in the trash. Get a powersun from zoomed. I went a few rounds with the twitch. Talked to people here and had a lengthy conversation with bobby hill about it. No calcium with d3. No oyster shell calcium. Over heating can cause the twitch. Feed him everyday. Dexter gets calcium added to any food with no bones. No eggs. Eggs bad. blocks calcium from absorbing. Only direct lighting. Nothing inbetween. Columbians can bask at 100 degrees but I would keep it at 85 to 90. 

It's Wierd how hard these guys are to care for until you figure it out. Then its pretty easy.


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## nessanicolle (Jun 6, 2012)

thanks! that definitely cleared up my confusion.


wait, why no d3? all the supplements i can find have some type of d3 like its a good thing.


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