BloodWork Results - Please Help

[dragonqueen4]

The results from his bloodwork just came back and it turns out its not MBD. His calcium levels are high, yet the twitching is still there..which doesnt make sense. His kidney and liver came back as fine.
This means there is another problem, the vet is not sure what it is yet. Maybe viral? He didnt say what it could be, just that it could be something treatable or something not treatable. Does anyone know what could cause a tegu to have no energy and have muscle tremors really bad other than MBD? Im really worried him

 

[VARNYARD]

There are two things that I know of that can cause twitching in tegus. One is lack of a good UV light and the other is over heating, what is your cool side temps? A tegu needs a basking spot between 90-110, but the cool side should not get over 80.

Another thing your vet might want to check is parasites, parasites can cause neurological problems in reptiles, to name a couple, flagellates and giardia, there are a few more, but these are most common. Heavy parasite burdens in captive reptiles present a threat to the immune system and combined with the added stress of captivity are enough to cause severe illness like neurological problems, and in some cases death.

A thiamine deficiency in your reptile can cause severe neurological problems as well.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head to look into.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Thank you so much for your help
I will pass this on to the vet.
His basking spot is 103 degrees and the cool side is in the 70's, but he has never gone to the cool side of his tank. He stays in his basking spot, or goes in his cave, which is on the warm side.
I use a 10.0 uvb, repti glo compact bulb, 26watts.. its the screw in coil bulb. They are within 10 inches of him now. Before they were about 16 inches away. BUT he spends 75% of his time in his cave away from the lights.
As of yesterday I took out his cave and gave him a little house with spaces in the roof so that the uvb can get through.

 

[crimsonrazac]

I have read that coil bulbs can cause lots of problems with reptiles, you might want to stick with one of the long tube lights, or a murcury vapor bulb.

 

[laurarfl]

Try taking his house and hidey away completely during the daytime so he can bask under the UV for a few hours.

I wonder if his calcium is high, but he doesn't have enough Vit D to use it properly? I'm not sure if that would be a possibility, but they go hand-in-hand.

 

[PuffDragon]

I've never used the coil types so i can't speak from experience on them, but I never will as well. Please read these two articles:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm</a><!-- m -->

and

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://uvguide.co.uk/reptisuncompacts.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://uvguide.co.uk/reptisuncompacts.htm</a><!-- m --> (make sure your bulb is the proper distance away- use the chart provided)

 

[VARNYARD]

UV is the problem, coil bulbs suck, he will show signs in the next test results, it is the start of MBD without a doubt. Coil bulbs are just like using nothing, you need the proper UV lighting, and then your tegu will stop twitching.

 

[dragonqueen4]

I kind of hope thats what it is and that he gets better with the proper lighting. I took out the coil lights tonight and I bought a repti glo 10.0 tube light, 24inches long. I have a mecury vapor bulb in there too. How close should these be, because the tank is 18inches high. Why are the coil lights so bad? I work in a pet store and all we sell are the repti glo by hagen and every single person who comes in and buys uvb for their reptile buys the compact coil lights. I have them on all of my reptiles, Im going to have to buy all new ones.
Puffdragon, thanks for those websites. I am going to order some new bulbs tmw, what are some good ones?

 

[PuffDragon]

I can recommend T-Rex's ActivUV Mercury Vapor or ReptileUV's Megaray Mercury Vapor bulbs. Those are the only 2 I have used regularly. I have heard good things about ZooMed's Powersuns but never used them.

MMRR-Jif (Jane) also wrote up an article on UVB lights to use:
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3002" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3002</a><!-- l -->

 

[dragonqueen4]

ok, thank you so much. i will try and order some of these tmw.
the mercury vapor bulb i have now is a hagen solar glo

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2184" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... ts_id=2184</a><!-- m -->

any idea of those are good?

 

[PuffDragon]

It's better than nothing, but I personally would go with something more trusted like a Megaray or Powersun. First, figure out what the problem is with your tegu before going out and spending more money if you do decide to change bulbs.

 

[omgtaylorg]

Thats why I suggested taking the tegu out in the natural sunlight for a while if your weather allows it, if it is a lack of UV light the sunlight would stop his twitching and then you could go get a better UV bulb, I recommend the Powersun by ZooMed, only bulbs I use and I plan to keep it that way, love them.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Unfortunately the weather doesnt allow it. Its very cold here and lots of snow until about May/June.
Im thinking I should buy some new bulbs anyway, because I have a lot of reptiles, and they all have the coil uvb bulbs.

 

[omgtaylorg]

In that case, 100% suggest Powersuns, everyone i personally know uses them and I do as well, just a great bulb...its the sun in a lightbulb props to ZooMed I love all their products actually..

 

[LouDog760]

Go with Powersun and reptsun 10.0. Those work the best. Get a powersun for the tegu.

 

[Mvskokee]

i use reptisun 10.0 tube lights for all my lizards. and i use flood lights for heat

 

[dragonqueen4]

so I tried to order a powersun today from the pet store I work in.. Pets Unlimited, and I dont think I can get one there. I will probably have to try and find one online.
Ive had the tube light uvb 10.0 on him yesterday and today and its about 9 inches away from him.. but the twitching is still there. should I expect to see an improvement that fast or will it take longer?

 

[laurarfl]

When I've had rescue beardies with twitching, it usually goes away within 24 hours to 3 days of calcium supplementation and proper UV exposure. Being in the southern US, I have more access to strong sunlight than you do, which helps.

I know Vit D supplementation is currently under scrutiny because of possible toxicity, but are you currently supplementing with Vit D? Is it in your calcium supplement? While it may not be great for long term use, it may be very helpful right about now. Monitors can utilize dietary Vit D pretty efficiently and while I'm not certain about tegus, I would think they would do the same.

As for your UV bulbs, make sure there is no filtering screen between the tegu and the light. For instance, is it sitting on top of the screen lid? For my bearded dragons, I use strip lights in a kitchen fixture and then rig it so that it is hanging inside of the tank unfiltered.

If you have new bulbs with proper set-up and you're supplementing and the tegu has been getting calcium injections and all the bloodwork is in the normal range, I would suspect another cause if there is no correction in a week.

 

[dragonqueen4]

Thank you, you have been a great help.
I am supplementing him with vit d and calcium and there is nothing between him and his uvb light.
He is getting much worse everyday. I just had him out and not only are his toes, feet and legs twitching but he can barely hold himself up. when he walks he has a hunched over apparence, every step is a major effort and one strange thing that I have never seen before.. when he lefts his back leg he nearly loses his balance and falls over on his back. I might try and video tape this and post it.

 

[argus333]

i know it is very cold where u are but as soon as things warm up a little get him outside. u may want to try and double up the long florescent bulbs. i use 4 reptisun bulbs and 3 zoomed mercury vapor bulbs with my rhions and have window with shades open all the time( which does nothing but cannot hurt) and on 50 degree days i open window for about 30 mins to even let them get natural sun light in winter but not let in the cold.