Weird twitching

[Gryphex]

I've got a male beardie that's 2 1/2 years old now and I've never had any issues with him. He's well behaved and mellow, and seems to be in a decent mood most of the time. What's caught my attention now is this odd twitching that occurs on his right side in the space between the end of his ribcage and the start of the joint where his hip and leg meet, and the times I've seen it, it's seemed to last maybe ten seconds. I've seen it twice or three times in the past two weeks and when I went to touch that spot just now, I couldn't feel anything that seemed abnormal and he didn't have any problems with me touching. If anything, he was a little perturbed that I picked him up off one of my pillows where he was relaxing.

His poops are normal, his lighting is good, he's got a diet like he should (bugs and good greens) and he gets baths fairly regularly so I don't think there are any hydration issues. His color is good and his eyes are bright and active, so I don't know if this is just me doing what I do best (worrying), or if there is indeed something else going on. I know we people get random twitches now and again and we're typically fine, but I'm also aware that twitching in the limbs, fingers and toes for a beardie means that there's something serious going on.

Any ideas?

 

[snazzyglasses]

I'm in the same boat! Noticed a couple of tiny muscle twitches (on his beard and upper arm) on my guy and now I'm worrying lol. Especially since he's also eating less (but that could be because of shedding) and a bit sleepy looking (though he's still pretty active). Been doing tons of extra research.
Typing a semi-long answer, stay tuned!

 

[snazzyglasses]

I've been doing research the past few days, and here's what I've come up with-
Twitching can be caused by a vitamin B1 (aka Thiamin) or calcium deficiency. Solutions sound simple- increase thiamin and/or calcium in the diet, usually through Vitamin B Complex and/or Calc. supplements, and make sure they're getting enough good-quality UVB so they can make enough vitamin D3 to process the calcium. A low dose of D3 in the diet wouldn't hurt either. There are mixed opinions on that D3 though! Some people say don't give any because that's what the UVB bulb is for, some say a little is okay, and some say always use D3. (My dragon's previous owners used calcium without D3 + a ReptiSun 10.0. I'm using the calcium without D3 that they gave us, but plan on starting him on calcium with a low dose of D3 to see if that helps).

As for the causes--
Thiamin deficiency can be caused by feeding large amounts of frozen vegetables instead of fresh (something in the freezing causes the veggies to eat up the dragon's thiamin stores). Not getting multivitamins or enough multivitamins could be the culprit as well. There are probably other causes but those are the main ones I've found so far.
Calcium deficiency can lead to MBD, which is probably what you heard about the twitching. Insufficient UVB and/or calcium can both cause a calcium deficiency.
Sorry if you already know all the UVB stuff! You can skip the UVB lecture if you want haha. Make sure you have a good UVB source (ReptiSun 10.0 tube or Arcadia 12% tube. Mercury Vapor Bulbs are also good), and that it's not too old because UVB output decreases after about 6 months (12 months for MVB). If it's a tube bulb your beardie should be able to get within 6-8" of it, and I'm not sure what the recommended distance is for an MVB.

Shoot. I had something else to say and forgot what it was. That's what I get for getting distracted halfway through typing this out, lol

 

[snazzyglasses]

I remember! I read that muscle fatigue can also be a possible cause of twitching. I'm assuming it goes away on its own though? :study:
I also found an older thread about someone with similar issues; it has a lot of good info: viewtopic.php?f=45&t=161142
... Sorry about the rambling and information overload. I hope something in there is helpful!