Beardie having seizures while feeding.

[Phoenixflame717]

I picked up a bearded dragon about a month ago from a local pet store, and he is about 3 months old. During the past week once i went to feed him 10 small crickets from the pet store and he had what i believe to be a seizure, this happened only when i put the crickets in and happened again the next day with 10 crickets again, he still eats them but when they are first in the tank he bugs out. It seems to only happen when hes eating live food, has anyone else had this problem Im worried i might lose him over this please let me know

 

[phanatical92]

If you got him from a pet store, he probably had some sort of husbandry problem. Seizures are very commonly caused by a lack of calcium- do you dust his crickets? What kind of UVB bulb do you use? Also, what kind of substrate was he on? Has he pooped at all in the time you've had him?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What sized feeders are you using, are they smaller than the space between the eyes?
What type of substrate are you using, sand, tiles, non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?
It could possibly be either impaction, or a calcium deficiency. How often do you give calcium supplementation? At his age, he does need calcium 5 times weekly.
Are you using a UVB source? If so, what type & brand do you use? A compact/coil light or a fluorescent tube bulb?

Tracie

 

[Phoenixflame717]

I have him in a 29 gallon tank with news paper as substrate for now, hes pooped since i got him a few times i wouldnt say so much as everyday though. i keep one side of the tank at 100 and the other at 85, and the light i am using is a Zoo-Med 100w daylight blue bulb. I have a calcium spray i try to put on the lettuce is the dust better for when feeding crickets?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ok, great that you are using newspaper as the substrate instead of a loose substrate!
Are you measuring the temperatures with either a digital probe or a temp gun then? The 29 gallon will be fine for now, but, soon he will need an upgrade as he will quickly outgrow that one.
I am afraid that the Zoomed 100 watt light is just a basking bulb & is not emitting any UVB. Is it a Powersun, or just a regular basking light?
The liquid calcium spray is fine, but, if you are not using a UVB light, he wont be able to properly absorb the calcium. What type of "lettuce" do you feed, regular lettuce like iceberg?

Tracie

 

[Phoenixflame717]

Just regular heads of lettuce or sometimes roman but what bulb should i pick up that will emit UVB?

 

[Toyguy]

Plain lettuce really isn't that nutritious. Check here for some good nutrition information: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

As for UVB, the only recommended bulb right now is the ReptiSUN 10.0 fluorescent tube. Don't get the compact fluorescent type, and don't get ReptiGLO by mistake. They are not as good.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Any improvements on your baby? Please let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Phoenixflame717]

Well i bought the UVB lamp and got calcium dust for the crickets. He seems to be on his way to recovery for a night or two he didnt eat much but today he was running around very happy and eating crickets with no issue. I will keep you guys posted hes an important part of me and Thanks for all the help