dozer is twitching,

[james.w]

I am willing to bet it is a calcium deficiency due to the lack of whole prey and proper supplementation. I doubt it has anything to do with the SolarGlo bulb, I raised my AA on a SolarGlo and just recently started using a PowerSun. Like I said before, you need to be very persistent on getting him to eat whole prey or get him to the vet for a calcium shot.

 

[Dirtydmc]

Got cod liver oil tonight. After Hailey goes to bed I'm destroying some rats. I'll mix the chunks with turkey, supliments, and oil. Both tegus are going on a new way of eating tommaro. I won't lose this battle without a fight.

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I just hope it works.

 

[Rhetoric]

I hope he gets better! If i can think of anything else ill post it but definitely sounds calcium related.

 

[laurarfl]

The SolarGlo has been known to have problems recently. Certainly some are OK and some are compromised. Whether or not you choose to replace it is up to you. But 6" is rather close for a mercury vapor bulb. The Solar Glo is a MVB that puts out UVB, the Sun Glo is just a basking light, so make sure that you have the bulb you need...just a thought.

Calcium is necessary for muscle contraction/relaxation. Vitamin D is as well...they go together. Low levels of vitamin D lead to hypocalcemia. Muscle tremors result when the calcium balance is off in the blood plasma, and hormones are produced to leach calcium from the bones to get the calcium levels in the blood back to normal. The bones are affected which is why it is called Metabolic Bone Disease, but the actual name is secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism.

Having the temperature at a basking temp of 105-ish and ambient of 77-80 will keep the metabolism warm enough and fast enough to process everything. Vit D needs to be provided either through the diet via cod liver oil or in the calcium supplement, and with natural sunlight or a good UVB bulb. Everything without bones needs calcium supplement. You mentioned Herptivite, but that is a multivitamin and not a calcium supplement. I get names confused sometimes, so wasn't sure if you had the right stuff. You want a diet that is about 2:1 Ca : P ratio. Ground turkey is about 1:27-33. It's very backwards, high in phosphorous and low in calcium. So it must be supplemented with calcium. Eggs, insects, pinkies are all backwards and need to be supplemented at every feeding. Many Colombians eat fruit, but mine didn't until the were closer to a year or two old. Young tegus rely on the protein of bugs and meat for growth. But in the wild, their prey feeds on greens which are higher in calcium. Fruit is high in phosphorous, so I wouldn't be concerned about during this healing process.

The fastest, surest way to get your tegu healthy is to bring him to a vet. They'll do bloodwork and then prescribe an oral calcium that is better absorbed than the powder. The bloodwork will determine if an injection is necessary or even appropriate.

 

[Dirtydmc]

The light is actually about a foot away. And the mulitvitamins have calcium.

 

[laurarfl]

Multivitamins have calcium, but usually in the form of dicalcium phosphate. So it is adding phosphorous along with your calcium. The company sells the product separately so that the beta-carotene doesn't degrade the calcium. But then you need to buy the calcium to mix with the multivitamins. http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm

 

[Rhetoric]

The SolarGlo has been known to have problems recently. Certainly some are OK and some are compromised. Whether or not you choose to replace it is up to you. But 6" is rather close for a mercury vapor bulb. The Solar Glo is a MVB that puts out UVB, the Sun Glo is just a basking light, so make sure that you have the bulb you need...just a thought.

Calcium is necessary for muscle contraction/relaxation. Vitamin D is as well...they go together. Low levels of vitamin D lead to hypocalcemia. Muscle tremors result when the calcium balance is off in the blood plasma, and hormones are produced to leach calcium from the bones to get the calcium levels in the blood back to normal. The bones are affected which is why it is called Metabolic Bone Disease, but the actual name is secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism.

Having the temperature at a basking temp of 105-ish and ambient of 77-80 will keep the metabolism warm enough and fast enough to process everything. Vit D needs to be provided either through the diet via cod liver oil or in the calcium supplement, and with natural sunlight or a good UVB bulb. Everything without bones needs calcium supplement. You mentioned Herptivite, but that is a multivitamin and not a calcium supplement. I get names confused sometimes, so wasn't sure if you had the right stuff. You want a diet that is about 2:1 Ca : P ratio. Ground turkey is about 1:27-33. It's very backwards, high in phosphorous and low in calcium. So it must be supplemented with calcium. Eggs, insects, pinkies are all backwards and need to be supplemented at every feeding. Many Colombians eat fruit, but mine didn't until the were closer to a year or two old. Young tegus rely on the protein of bugs and meat for growth. But in the wild, their prey feeds on greens which are higher in calcium. Fruit is high in phosphorous, so I wouldn't be concerned about during this healing process.

The fastest, surest way to get your tegu healthy is to bring him to a vet. They'll do bloodwork and then prescribe an oral calcium that is better absorbed than the powder. The bloodwork will determine if an injection is necessary or even appropriate.

How do you know so much about this?! I've seen your posts on here and the other forum and you really seem to know what you're talking about. Where did you find out about the ground turkey ratio? I didn't know the ratio was that extreme, I might cut back on how often I feed it...

 

[laurarfl]

Well, I was a prevet and Animal Science major at the Univ of FL. I ended up getting my BS in Cardiopulmonary Sciences later on, specializing in intensive care and life support for neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care. Then I was a supervisor for respiratory care in nursing homes and home health agency therapists. Calcium is a major player in cardiac and respiratory muscles, obviously. Animals and people aren't always far off from each other, physiologically speaking. So, I've worked with veterinary medicine, human medicine (lots of basic nutrition and pharmacology in both), teaching science, talking to vets and docs (friends and as customers) for the past 23 years, and I spend a couple of hours daily reading. Nutritional charts are readily available, even on the internet, but then you need to know how to interpret what you are reading. I'm the kind of nerd who will peruse textbooks, medical journals, and studies for fun, lol.

I really never mean to come across as a know-it-all. I just try to help people out. People have helped me and I try to pass along what I've learned to help the hobby in general. I think it aggravates people sometimes though.

Here's a nutritional chart I like to use:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

They list the Ca: P of bugs and meat as less spread out harmful than I have seen on other charts. I still use ground turkey, but I always supplement with calcium, alternate with rodents a couple times a week, and I do prefer fruit over multivitamins.

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[Dirtydmc]

Wow. Why don't you just move up here. Then this wouldn't be so hard. Who knew that owning a lizard would be difficult.

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What about liquid calcium with vitamin d in the gel cap form? Is it safe to use?

 

[Rhetoric]

I used to use one of their charts all the time with my beardie. This one is even better, thanks! I've learned a lot from reading other things you've posted. I think its neat! I was just telling my boyfriend that I learn a ton about different nutrients and how bodies process different things all because of lizards lol.

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Have you tried feeding the rat yet?

 

[Dirtydmc]

The chart is very nice. The rat chopped up pretty nice too. I'll get calcium tommaro. And find a exotic pet vet up here tommaro. Stressing.

 

[laurarfl]

Don't stress...it is something treatable...you just need to stay on top of it. Keeping reptiles can be difficult, or easy once you get the hang of it. many of us have made mistakes, it's what you do with it that counts. The first reptile I owned was a sav, back in '90, before Internet and much info. I bought it because it was cool, took the pet shop advice and fed it it cat food with no supplements at all, no uv light, and a heat rock. I'm surprised that thing even survived at all. I fought bad sheds and dehydration for years. Someone else ended up taking it when I moved. When I learned more about reptiles, I realized how madly that poor monitor was kept. It sort of inspired me to keep up on the care of my animals as much as I reasonably can, and to share that info with others. Now this thread that you started can share info with other people and you can eventually share what you have learned. It's just how we all help each other out.

 

[jdpFL]

Excellent answer laura...bravo. I agree 100%. We have all made a mistake or two...since there is so much more to reptile keeping than just having a dog, cat, or hamster.
Dirty dmc, don't beat yourself up, just get that calcium onboard! Good luck!

 

[Dirtydmc]

My woman made the twitching sound worse that it is. He's out and totaly fine. I was thinking it wouldn't stop. Still, I am fully going to battle this. Just waiting for them to eat the delicious treat I left for them. Have the next three days off.

 

[babyyitslove]

And that means you get some quality time with the new Guy as well!!! So HOORAY!!!

 

[Dirtydmc]

And that means you get some quality time with the new Guy as well!!! So HOORAY!!!

For sure! He was out when I got home lastnight. Held him food a few seconds. He wasn't very calm about it. But I have all the time in the world to work with him. Thinking about sticking to the matrix thing. Might name him Neo.

 

[laurarfl]

haha, two of you posting under the same name? It will make you sound schizophrenic...kidding...sort of. Hope all goes well

 

[Dirtydmc]

haha, two of you posting under the same name? It will make you sound schizophrenic...kidding...sort of. Hope all goes well

me? No.

 

[babyyitslove]

No Apoc, Switch, or Niobe?

 

[Dirtydmc]

Nope. Dexter. He kills people. So the tegu murks rats. Supposed to Nyways.