My bearded dragon is twitching. Is it a calcium deficiency?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
I can’t tell if my bearded dragon is having tremors or what I’m really worried please help.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 10th, 2019
Thanks for reaching out about Draco. Tremors or twitching in young reptiles can often be due to low calcium levels, often associated with an inadequate diet. Check and correct diet and husbandry including temperature and UVB exposure. A veterinary visit is highly recommended to assess, provide a diagnostic plan and review diet/husbandry. Good luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on May 27th, 2019
Thanks for reaching out about Nessie and including photos. Twitching of toes is often associated with calcium deficiency whether dietary or lack of UVB radiation. If continues, a veterinary visit is recommended, and not to wait too long as these deficiencies can result in other problems such as weak bones, weak muscles and more. Intestinal infections, inflammation or parasites can affect absorption. See a veterinarian. Good luck.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Hi so i have a bearded dragon i got her a month ago & 2-3 days ago she was doing these weird wiggling with her arms & legs today i checked up on her & it seems to look like she has a broken toe but it didnt seem to bother her at all she is very activ
Thanks for reaching out about Nessie and including photos. Twitching of toes is often associated with calcium deficiency whether dietary or lack of UVB radiation. If continues, a veterinary visit is recommended, and not to wait too long as these deficiencies can result in other problems such as weak bones, weak muscles and more. Intestinal infections, inflammation or parasites can affect absorption. See a veterinarian. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My bearded dragon is shaking quite a bit in its legs and I’m not sure whats wrong with him/her.
Thanks for reaching out about Ryuu and including photos. Shaking limbs is often and indication of metabolic bone disease, which is a calcium deficiency. A veterinary visit can evaluation diet and husbandry, as well as Ryuu. Crickets and mealworms are a poor diet, even if dusted with calcium. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I just bought my baby bearded dragon and he is stressed from moving and shedding so he has not been eating and today when I picked him up he seemed dead so I put him in water and he started spazzing out doing twist and stuff and now he will barely mo
Thanks for reaching out about Mushu. No sure if a definitive answer but hypocalcemia, parasitic enteritis, atadenovirus, are all possibilities. A veterinary visit is recommended. Check and correct husbandry and environmental temperatures should be up to 90-100 F. Offer water via a syringe to maintain hydration. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
New baby beardie has spasms every now and then. Giving calcium, water, food, UVB, heat. Neurological, MBD, or vit D deficiency? What else could it be?
Thanks for reaching out about Gabe. If calcium and other husbandry items are appropriate, one should consider metabolic concerns such atadenovirus, enteric parasites, other infections, liver or renal disease and neurologic problems. An experienced reptile veterinarian should be consulted for an examination and possible diagnostic testing. If housed with others, it is recommended to separate and quarantine, as several of these possibilities are contagious to other reptiles. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Good evening. I have an 8 year old female iguana, eats a big amount of food every day, veggies fruits and commercial food, she likes everything. Gets UVB light about 7 hours a day, outside of the cage 5 hours and 10 hours of sleep. Recently she is ge
Thanks for reaching out about Baby and including photos. Could you include the radiograph? The arm does appear swollen. Calcium deficiencies and metabolic bone disease, are the most common. Has the UV bulb been changed in the last 6 months? Neurological problems can also cause twitching, so if the radiographs are normal, a comprehensive reptilian profile is probably the next step, as kidney disease can also cause tremors. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My Pet is a mid size lizard. Tegu began to tremble upper and lower toes. I could see his muscles spaz. He really cares for no food such as crickets and worms. He had a mouse 5 days ago. There was some soured watermelon in his cage I removed. I rea
Check the temperature in his enclosure. Low temps can affect appetite in reptiles. If he isn't eating or not exposed to high quality UVB lighting, he can become calcium deficient which could account for the tremors. If he is less than 30 inches long, confirm a basking temp of around 115 F. If he is bigger, bump basking temp to between 125 F and 135 F. Multiple lower wattage lights over a larger area are recommended over one high intensity light source. Try to get him to eat and offer a calcium supplement. If you can get a liquid supplement, that would be best right now. Zoo Med and Fluker's offer such a supplement.Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to treat or prevent minor dehydration. if he doesn't eat or if the tremors worsen, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles as soon as possible.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My bearded dragon I just got which is a month and 3 weeks old is having problems with back legs. I noticed her back legs wobble and shake, and seems unenergized. Anything I can do to help her ?
This may be due to nutritional deficiency or digestive issue (impaction impinging on nerves). If Medusa is defecating normally, it likely is not a digestion issue. If she is having difficulty defecating, soak her in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 15-20 minutes. Gently massage her abdomen during the soak to encourage defecation. Feed appropriately sized prey to prevent impaction/constipation. Prey should be no bigger than the space between her eyes. Gut load prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Check temperatures since low temps can affect appetite and digestion. A calcium deficiency is another possible cause. Juvenile beardies need more calcium and vitamin supplementation than adult beardies. Rep-Cal's Herptivite multivitamin powder and Calcium with D3 powder are the gold standards for supplements. Dust prey twice weekly with the multivitamin and 5 days per week with the calcium powder. As your beardies mature, they will requ
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my gecko recently had something similar to a seizure i think. I did a bunch of research and I think it had to do with calcium deficiency but I'm not sure. I've heard many people saying to take him to the vet but my parents refuse because its "not wor
Thanks for reaching out about Leafy. Seizures in reptiles can definitely due to calcium deficiencies, either lacking in the diet, too cold of an environ or lack of UVB exposure. Diet and husbandry to be corrected, but a veterinary visit can provide injections of these medications, and anti-seizure medications during recovery. Mealworms kept in the refrigerator or crickets straight from the store are insufficient. All insects need to be gut-loaded with dark greens and red/yellow/orange vegetables. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my bearded dragon seems to be acting weird and I was wondering if someone could help me no why. I keep seeing her with her tongue out and when you pick her up she’s like a rag doll. She is not as active as she was and she isn’t eating or drinking
Thanks for reaching out about Anastasia and including photos. By the pictures she appears very thin and pliable. Metabolic bone disease (calcium deficiency) would be a primary concern. This could be due to inappropriate diet, lack of UVB radiation, too low temperature or metabolic disorders to prevent intestinal absorption. A veterinary visit is highly recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. The open mouth breathing could be due to muscle weakness, pneumonia, as well as other problems. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi, I just got this bearded dragon and he looks skinny and his toes are a little weird. I know he was underfed and didnt get calcium. Will a proper diet fix him or do I need to bring him to a vet?
It would be recommended to have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. This would be to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any other pre-existing conditions. If Rover does have a calcium deficiency or MBD, the vet will be able to begin treatment or treat it more effectively. If the deficiency is mild, you should be able to treat him at home with the proper care and diet. The toes may or may not return to normal. You can review dragon care at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
