Shivers???

[reptilez]

I just came back from a pet store and i was looking at there baby beardies, I thought i was seeing things but it looked like she was shivering, like he was cold or something?? Is he cold? or is something wrong?

[eyespy]

Reptiles don't shiver and there's probably something VERY wrong. Tremors from advanced metabolic bone disease. The poor sweet little baby.

Please consider calling your local animal control people to investigate and help that little one.

[reptilez]

What are tremors??

[eyespy]

Muscles need calcium in order to process nerve signals properly. Without enough calcium, they twitch, kind of like miniature seizures. If deep muscle tissue such as the heart and lungs start twitching the dragon will die.

[reptilez]

How do u 'cure' this??

[eyespy]

If not too far advanced, calcium injections will work as a quick treatment, and then a few months of intensive oral calcium given along with good quality UVB lighting and/or natural sunlight exposure. If it's a bad case there's often not much that can be done.

Just giving calcium by mouth is usually not enough, as the muscles in the digestive system are also functioning poorly and they cannot effectively use it. Treatment needs to continue for some time after the tremors have stopped, as the bone tissue has usually been robbed of calcium and that takes at least 72 days to rebuild.

[reptilez]

So giving them dusted crix and dust on there veggies wont help?

[eyespy]

Not enough, unfortunately. Especially as they are still babies and the longer it takes to treat them the weaker their bones will be during their greatest growth period.

Sure, it will make the tremors stop, but their internal organs and bones will still be in calcium debt. They really do need a quick hit of calcium their bodies can use immediately.

If you don't have the budget for the vet care needed for these little guys, please do print out this thread, call animal control and show them what the babies need in order to get healthy. Tell the AC officer(s) to feel free to contact me if they have any further questions. My "business" email for the reptile rescue is eyespy@thebeardedlady.org.

[reptilez]

Thanx for the info...Have you been in this situation before?

[eyespy]

Constantly, I've been doing reptile rescue since 1978.

[reptilez]

Thats awesome!! Good for you!! Would you maybe be able to give me the site address?

[eyespy]

My site is www.thebeardedlady.org but I'm afraid there's almost nothing on it! I worked with the Reptiles and Avians Exotics Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania for 15 years and almost all the animals I rescue are their patients who need more care than their owners are capable of providing. So I've sadly neglected my site since I don't have any animals I'm actively seeking to rehome.

[reptilez]

Does Reptile Rescue have a site?

[eyespy]

Reptile rescue is a generic term for any bleeding heart like me who takes in animals for rehabbing/rehoming. There are hundreds of them out there if you feel like Googling for them.