I think somethings wrong my Bearded Dragon.

Question
QUESTION: When we tried holding our lizard today he started bobbling. Like his arms and head started going crazy. He has black beard but only around his bottom jaw. The bottom of his tail is darker then the rest of his body. At one point his arms and legs started to go down his sides, he would barely breath, and he opened his eyes wide and then closed them after a bit. I was wondering if you know what's going on with him?

ANSWER: Hi Gricelda,

The one condition that I am familiar with that can produce the situation you have described is a low blood calcium level. It can produce seizure-like behaviour that lasts several seconds, with stiffened limbs and sometimes an arched back. The few times that I have seen these episodes, they were also triggered by handling.  In those cases the animals were all known to have had insufficient calcium in their diets. Calcium plays a key role in the electrical nerve impulses that  control the muscles,including the heart. These seizures can be fatal. Blood calcium levels can change more rapidly then bone calcium levels which causes the symptoms to come and go more rapidly. The reptiles can seem fine one day and then have symptoms the next day as the blood calcium level dips to critically low levels. Sometimes you may also notice trembling in the toes and feet.

The condition is called tetany and the link below discusses it in some more detail. If you have any suspicion that this may be the cause then increasing the calcium supplementation in the diet is your first step. Insuring adequate exposure to UVB wavelengths will help your bearded to absorb the calcium more efficiently.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1603&S=4&SourceID=56

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QUESTION: So when I go to the store i buy calcium right? How will I give it to my lizard without him getting a seizure?

Answer
Hi Gricelda,

Under normal circumstances, calcium is given to reptiles by "dusting" their food. It comes in powder form and a pinch is added to a plastic bag containing the insects that you are going to feed to him at that moment . Shake the bag lightly to coat the insects with the powder.
You can also add a light pinch to your dragons salad.

If he is not eating right now then it would be easier to add a small amount of calcium powder to a bit of chicken or turkey baby food and dabbing that on his snout. Many dragons will respond by licking it off. You can also buy liquid calcium from drug stores and try dribbling that over his snout or gently getting some in his mouth.

It is a bit of a catch-22 situation. During the time they are prone to calcium related seizures, they can go into the seizure *while* you are trying to get the extra calcium into them!
Try to avoid excessive handling or any added stress during that time.