Baby Beardie Just Had a Seizure PLEASE HELP!

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Okay, so I got a baby beardie from Pet Co, and a 3 weeks later I noticed that he would twitch a little on his legs. Next week, or today, he flexed his beard and twitched from behind, and it did not look normal. 2 hours later, I hear a loud sound and I see him twitching like crazy, just like a seizure. He just kept shaking uncontrolably, what's wrong? I finally raised enough money to get him a uvb light this weekend, but what does the seizure mean? He only eats 2 or 3 crickets a day since I got him, and he is always thirsty no matter how much water I give him. I put T-Rex calicum powder over every cricket I give him, and I know I should be in jail for not getting a uvb in the first place. Will this full body seizure permenetaly cause problems for him in the future? Is this fixable? I feel like the scum of the earth for not properly taking care of him by not getting a uvb lamp, but I'll do my best to help him recover.
 

Twobeardieguy

BD.org Sicko
What type of UVB did you get? Seizures and trembles can be caused by improper or no UVB. It sounds like a start of MBD .Also I would dust the live feeders with straight calcium or start on liquid calcium.

Edit, It happens and you can punish yourself later :) but for now lets take care of your dragon. What type of sound did you hear? Also you may have caught it in time if given the correct UVB and calcium.
 

CKY

Member
from what i understand about UV light.
the time that you have had him with out any UV light @ all has caused this and i agree from what i have read it soulds like MBD 3 weeks is a long time to not have any uv light on him
 

TASTIGER

Extreme Poster
can a beardie really go into full body seizures in just 3 weeks without UVB?? or could it just be that petco got a bad batch of babies? cuz i have heard in the "petition for petco" viewtopic.php?f=1&t=116494&hilit= that a couple people were complaining of their baby having seizures even though they had UVB and that petco had gotten a batch of sick babies and didnt inform their customers
 

LegendKiller04

Member
Original Poster
It was like someone smack the glass of the tank, and then i saw him on his side holding onto the tree branch unable to stop shaking. I just held him for about 15 minutes, and he did not seem as scared or alert as before, and a bit before I was gonna put him back, he had a small seizure, around his head. I tried to make him eat water mixed with calcium powder as much as I could, but still. Oh, and before I had fully taken him out of the tank, his front feet were having a seizure. How long would it take, with the proper amount of uvb rays, for him to stop having these?
 

Twobeardieguy

BD.org Sicko
Though it is possible they may have had some bad hatchlings I think most of it is caused by no UVB. You cant actually reverse the effects but you can stop them from getting worse or possibly happening again. Only time will tell. Did you get a UVB and what type?
 
It could be the lack of uvb but it could be something else as well. I suffer from seizures myself and being lethargic and unresponsive afterwards is exactly what happens with reg seizures. Epilipsy is a brain disorder that is sometimes is easily fixed in humans with medication. Is there anyway you can make a vet appt for him? They can actually do a calcium level for you which will tell you if he is in danger of/or has the beginning of mbd, or if it is something else. I know you said it took you a while to save up money for the uvb but maybe you can call around and see if there is a vet around you that you can make payments to.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Which UVB light did you get? There are not very many good UVB lights, but the best fluorescent tube bulb is the Reptisun 10. It is much cheaper to get online, instead of the pet store. You can get it here:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html

The reason that they get seizures when they are low in calcium or developing metabolic bone disease is because the neuromuscular system operates off of calcium for muscular contractions. When the blood serum levels get too low, calcium is pulled from the bones, to try & balance out the calcium levels in the blood so that the body can function properly. This leaves the body very weak & unable to control its muscular system or contractions which cause violent tremors or seizures. They cannot properly absorb calcium & vitamins without UVB exposure helping their bodies to synthesize D3 in order to maintain the proper levels in the body.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 
I'm certainly not disagreeing with you Tracie. And i certainly agree that the uvb situation has to be taken into account. However, i don't think anything should be ruled out yet. At least not until a complete check up can be done with a vet.

Could info on that!!!
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Yes, please fill us in on the brand & type of UVB you bought so we can let you know if it is a good one or not.

I wanted to share my experience with the twitching and severe spasms that our baby had many years ago. I wasn't told by the pet store that he needed a UVB light, was only told about a basking bulb and about dusting with calcium. Our baby was only 4" long and he would shake so badly that he would fall. At times, his back legs would get wrapped around his tail and he wasn't able to free them. I did a search about bearded dragons and twitching/muscle spasms and was brought to this forum where I asked questions about it and learned about the importance of a good UVB light. Only 2 days of having the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent bulb, our beardie completely stopped having all those painful spasms. My husband also did leg massages and helped him exercise his little legs and we also moved his legs around in the bath water to help his muscles build strength, the change was unbelievable. So, yes, I can honestly say that if it is caught in time, it can be helped if that is indeed the only problem that is going on. I also wanted to mention that even though you've been dusting with calcium, they need a good UVB bulb in order to process it efficiently. Please let us know how he is doing. If you have any questions, just let us know.
 

LegendKiller04

Member
Original Poster
Okay, I got the Reptisun 10.0 bulb, not the tube. Still good right? He hasn't been acting weird today, but his back legs seem a bit pale. How many inches was the bulb supposed to be close to the beardie for the full effect?
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
So, you got the coil/compact Repti-Sun? I'm sorry to have to say this, but that was not a good idea. Lots of problems with those coil/compact bulbs. If you have the receipt, I would exchange it as soon as you can.

For the tube Repti-Sun, it should be 6 to 8" from your beardie and right alongside a bright white basking bulb. Do you think you can exchange the other bulb?
 

vickson420

BD.org Addict
Retired Moderator
I agree with Diane.You need the tube especially since he is already showing signs of MBD.The coil isnt going to do very much for him.Sorry but if you can return it you definately should.
 

Twobeardieguy

BD.org Sicko
I agree with both of these ladies! You really need the tube Reptisun 10.0. Once you have that you will be on your way to a healthier beardie. The coil bulbs cause other problems you don't even want to get into. If you need help locating this please let us know because that is why we are here. :D As for the lighter part of the legs this is most likely from a shed! :D


To dragonlady04, I am sorry to hear that you suffer from seizures however the bearded dragon is different from a human body. There are a lot of people that study these reptiles on here including myself and what was mentioned before is the common for a beardie! If you need any more help please PM one of us. Good day and sorry if I have stepped on any toes. :D
 
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