Spasms

[Dragontown]

Ok, I've seen a couple of well-fed, "healthy" animals do this.... Stiffen all four limbs and vibrate as if a seizure was taking place. Good eaters, calcium sacs are good, etc etc. I've also had animals that did this once or twice and never again (unless not seen). All have done it while being handled.

Had anyone determined this cause? The animals in question went on to live long, healthy lives.... for example I had a breeder pick up a hatchling from me at an expo and he freaked out because it did it in the car on the way home. It also grew up to be a beautiful female with a good breeding history. Has anyone brought up what this could be attributed to? Maybe another defense mechanism? (And please, no one say "calcium crash" or "MBD"... it ain't those!)

[Cody]

I have seen it happen only once to one of my juvies i had a while ago.
it happened just after i fed crickets.i did some thinking on it and i just thought it was a defense mechanism seeing how i put more crickets then it was going to eat in the feeding cage and it ate 6 or 7 of them.and then it plopped on the floor and did exactly what you described.so i would say that it is nothing big and nothing to much to worry about.she grew up fine and i have not ever seen her do it again.

[warnersister_2000]

if that has happened in healthy animals, then that would make me feel better about bacardi doing the same thing on two occasions while i was handling her recently. the first time, she got her toenail stuck on paper towel as she was walking and did that right after trying to get it unstuck, as if she panicked maybe.....also eyes would sink in and mouth open a bit. second time she did it i was trying to get her into a deli cup sauna. she is doing a lot better now so perhaps it is a stress reaction?

[garggrl]

well I've seen my gargs do this when they have a cricket in there mouth. they catch it and vibrate.

[Saucy]

I asked this on another reptile forum one time and was told very firmly that it's a defensive response... like if you drop the gecko. I guess it's meant to ward off predators by making them think the animal is ill.

[Ihkura]

I guess it's meant to ward off predators by making them think the animal is ill.

Well it's sure fooling us!! Lol.

[Saucy]

Yeah, I don't know if it's true... I just know I was basically called stupid for even questioning the gecko doing this. It's scary as heck to see!!

[monster]

i have seen geckos twitch (it does look a lot like spasms) after they take a big leap and land on hard floor. i normally see only the back legs and tail go crazy, not all 4 yet. i assumed it was shock.

[Lauren and Hunter]

One of my males did this a long time ago, and it frightened me. It happened while a friend was handling him, as she passed him back to me. I had never seen him do it before and have never seen it since. He has always been on a good diet and well taken care of. Now he is 50-something grams and perfectly happy. The weird seizure thing definitely confused me, too. Makes me feel a lot better to hear it was probably a defense mechanism.

EDIT: Is anyone else noticing the "eff you" letter (I can't write the letters or it will get xed out) combo is getting xed out in every post, or is that just me? Haha.

[Saucy]

That's weird... maybe a filter problem. I'd let Matt know. I was wondering about that.

[ajblazin]

my crestie did that once but with its tail start shaking mad crazy

[Reptilelectrix]

Leopard gecko leg spasm

i have seen geckos twitch (it does look a lot like spasms) after they take a big leap and land on hard floor. i normally see only the back legs and tail go crazy, not all 4 yet. i assumed it was shock.

My leopard gecko just did this. I was sitting in my bed with my palm of my hand open not restraining him as to not agitate him then he bursted right out of my hand. He ended up landing on my carpet which is a lot soften than landing on hard floor. Did your end up living long after this incident or did it died few days or weeks prior. I am worried for his health he is one of my breeders and none of my geckos have done this before.