# sick baby; twitching problems



## chelsea (Apr 17, 2011)

yesterday was the first time I seen my baby columbian tegu samsam twitching and it was none stop. I was so scared I felt bad for him/her too small to tell, here are some details I do have a uvb light I don't know which kind but its the same kind I have for my 6 year old beardie and he's fine, but sam he always burrows himself in the dirt so I don't know how he can receive good uvb, and I do dust his crickets with calcium dust and I always mist his tank before I put them in because I know the calcium dust will come right off but see as though sam is only 8 inches he doesn't eat that often or he will wait until the cricket comes by him to get it and I go to school so I don't think he/she eats them right away cuz I come home and there are still crickets in the tank and by the time they do get ate the dust is gone, but so far I have given sam some alaskan salmon cat food which was top of the line, eggs, crickets, and he/she loves the fruit cantalope which was offered only twice. He doesn't eat super worms which sucks because I have over 300 of them. And the weather out here sucks so I cnt put him outside to get natural sunlight :/ 

I bought sam from a retile show April 3rd and they told me he was 6 mnth but he's too small so I figured he's about 2-3 mnths and about 8-9 inches long.

I NEED HELP


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## chelsea (Apr 17, 2011)

I figured out the bulb I have produces UVA only


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## chelvis (Apr 17, 2011)

Ya your going to need a bulb that produces UVB as well, if its folrecent then its going to have to be with in 8" from the animal (or how ever close the bulb manufacture says to put it). Screens can often filter out some of the UV that is somthing to keep in mind. Until the twitching stops i would avoid egg in the diet, it can cause problems with calcium deffciancy. Try some ground trukey with the calcium dust, this will hold the calcium better than the crickets. Also for younger animals i think its wise not to use cat food (even high quality cat food can be too high in fat becuase that is what cats require not what reptiles need). 

Switching bulbs and changing the diet will help alot.


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## chelsea (Apr 17, 2011)

ok thanks so much so will turkey lunch meat do? 
becuz I offered it to sam before & he didn't like it too much he only took two bites, and if he keeps burrowing himself in the dirt take him out? so he can be exposed to the light?


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## laurarfl (Apr 17, 2011)

It's the overall diet. Regardless of the UVB and Vit D, if there is not enough calcium in the diet, you are going to see twitching. Calcium is automatically associated with bones, but it is also a part of muscle contraction. All the foods being fed are low in calcium. 

Even though you are feeding a high quality cat food, almost all cat foods are high in phosphorous, throwing off the Ca: P ratio. I went through this with a very sick kitty and it was almost impossible to find a low phosphorus cat food. Even though there are some great cat foods, I wouldn't recommend it because of this. Turkey lunch meat is full of preservatives and isn't a good alternative. Really, egg isn't any worse than other foods as far as calcium deficiency is concerned, and the yolk is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, good fats, and proteins. 

Good choices are gut loaded crickets and roaches, ground turkey, chicken gizzards/hearts/livers, pieces of raw chicken/fish/lean beef, eggs in any manner (no more than once every week or two), frozen/thawed rodents as large as he can eat them, and papaya. All fruits are good, but papaya is high in calcium. Put calcium on any food that does not have bones.

Getting a mercury vapor bulb would be the best bet at this point, and a basking site of about 100-105. He's a cute little guy! I think Colombians are great tegus and very underrated.


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## james.w (Apr 17, 2011)

I agree with Luara, get a MVB and change his diet. As far as rodents get some adult mice and cut them up while frozen. It is pretty gross, but your little guy will get the calcium from the bones.


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## chelsea (Apr 17, 2011)

thank you so much tomorrow I'm going to go to the grocery store, and the chicken gizzards and all the other meats doesn't have to be cooked right, or does it. I purchased a zoo med 10.0 uvb/uva bulb today and I took him out to get some sun because it was kind of nice out. And I was just following what the reptile vender told me to do and he told me I wasn't going to need a uvb light but I read some care sheets that said I do. I also thought he was too small to eat mice that's why I haven't bought him any. thank god I have y'all 


Thank you so much today he did get some natural sunlight and I bought a zoo med 10.0 uvb/uva light. Im going to go the grocery store tomorrow and does the chicken gizzard and livers have to be cooked? I was just following what the reptile vendor told me he even told I didnt need a uvb light but I looked up some care sheets and they said I do. I also thot he was too small to eat mice so I was trying to hold off on them. But thank god I have yall


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## laurarfl (Apr 18, 2011)

Don't cook the meat, but add calcium. The 10.0 bulb should be a long tube type, not a coil. Then hang the fixture inside the cage so it is about 8" from the lizard's basking site and doesn't have the screen barrier.


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## hanniebann (Apr 18, 2011)

good luck! I hope for a quick recovery.


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## chelvis (Apr 18, 2011)

For furutre note, no processed meat (ie deli turkey meats) just plain old ground meat, and yes organ meat is great for a sick tegu. Like Luara said gizzards, heats even turkey necks will help.


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