Body twitches, not calcium related, vet is stumped, help?

[Akeath]

When my Bearded Dragon, Hope, woke up from brumation this spring he had brief twitches all over his body almost constantly. I figured since he wasn't basking during brumation he could have developed a calcium deficiency, so I replaced his UVB bulb early and gave him plenty of sunlight. However, the twitches never stopped entirely, so I took him to a reptile vet.
The first thing we did was a full blood panel. This showed great calcium levels and everything else, but low electrolytes. I accordingly got him to drink some Pedialyte, bathed him daily and made sure to offer water. He didn't act particularly thirsty though, and didn't drink more than usual. I'm still offering him plenty of water, I sprinkle it on his salad daily right before he eats it and offer him water from a cup every other day.
The twitches continued.
We had a fecal, and this was positive for parasites. Parasites were treated with Metranodizole until he came with a clean fecal.
Towards the end of the parasite treatment he had an extremely watery stool, and the twitches got much worse. However, within a few days they got much better, back to occasional. He hasn't had an abnormal stool since.
We did an x-ray to check his bone density. The x-ray showed that his bone density is superb. We did an ionized calcium test. Ionized calcium levels were good.
I just talked to the vet, and she says she is stumped, and doesn't know what else to do, or what is causing the twitches. I have no idea either, at this point. I was hoping some of you guys could give input into it.
Relevant info:

How old is your dragon? 6 years old
How long have you had your dragon? Since he was an egg
How long is your dragon? 18 1/2 inches
What is the sex of your dragon? Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 3 by 3 feet
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? Papertowels
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Fluorescent Reptisun 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 4 months
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 2-3 inches
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? yes. 100 watt white
What are the basking temps? 102-105
What is the cool side temp? low to mid 80's, depending on time of day
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? digital thermometer with probe
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? No
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. 50 crickets a week. Salad the other days: Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Cabbage, Arugula, Asparagus, Celery, Carrots, Apple
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? Every day, time varies each day
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? No, the pet shop I get them from has food for the crickets 24/7
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Yes, twice a week Herptivite multivitamins and Recal Calcium
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Mostly if he's shedding
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? He has water with his salad and water from a cup.
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Yes
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? No

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

I don't know if this pertains to your beardie or not, but I figured it is worth a try. I have a 7 y.o. beardie who started twitching a few years ago. I talked with Tracie(Drache613) on here and she suggested using Brewer's Yeast as it was probably a sign of a vitamin B deficiency. I tried the Brewer's Yeast and the twitching went away. Now every once in a while my beardie gets the twitching and I just get out the Brewer's Yeast and start dusting her food with it. It works every time. I know a few other members here who have done the same with their older dragons and had great success.
It's worth a try to see if this helps your beardie out with his twitching.

 

[Akeath]

That Brewer's Yeast definitely sounds like its worth a try. A few questions:
Can I get any brewers yeast, or is there a particular brand I should be looking for? Where would I get it? How much should I dust on the salad? How many days should I do it? How long did it take before you saw improvement? If it happens again, how much should I put on the salad, and do I just have to do it one time every if he gets worse or do it for a few days?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yes, great suggestion Dawn!
The Brewer's yeast has a lot of the multiminerals in it. Thiamin Deficiency often mimics hypocalcemia. Do you use any vitamins right now?

Is there anything in between him & the tube UVB light?
Sometimes, as they get older, they need different minerals than they did when they were younger, just like people.

Tracie

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

In answer to your questions... it's best to get the powdered type(easier to sprinkle), because it comes in tablets as well. Usually you have to get it at a health food store. I get mine at GNC, it is this one http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2678288&CAWELAID=293852107
Just lighly coat feeders or salad with a pinch of the powder, just as you would with the calcium/multivitamin supplements. Try it for a few days to a week and see if there is any improvement with your beardie.
I hope it helps. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Akeath]

He gets Herptivite multivitamin, and Repcal. There is nothing between the UVB light and him, I have it mounted inside of his terrarium.
I'll try the Brewer's Yeast in the morning.

 

[diamc]

The Brewer's yeast is a good idea. I saw good results when I used it on my female. Hope it helps.

One thing I noticed on the check list that you filled out was that the Repti-Sun bulb is as close as 2 to 3 inches. I think it would be a good idea to move it within the suggested range of 6 to 8" to help prevent any eye issues or any other problems. Best to play it safe.

 

[Akeath]

I finally found the Brewer's Yeast today, at the ninth place I'd looked - it ended up being at a Vitamin Store. Not even the health food stores around here carry it. I've just dusted it on his salad. Hopefully he eats it. I got an unflavored kind, I tasted it myself and it doesn't really have a taste at all, so he shouldn't turn his nose up to it. He might not try it till tomorrow though, he's already eaten today. I"ll keep you guys posted on if it works or not.
I've also moved his basking branch back a bit so he's closer to 5-6 inches away from the UVB bulb.