Re: hmmmm ... i don't think so ....

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]

Posted by stikigekko on July 10, 2002 at 20:48:00:

In Reply to: hmmmm ... i don't think so .... posted by iZ's mom on July 10, 2002 at 17:46:23:

i just read the article, and it sounds like the twitches could be "Myoclonic jerks". however, i've never known a person who does it as often as zilla does... which happens quite frequently. still, it is one isolated, spontanious twitch not accompanied by any tremors or visual indications that it might've been harmful.

as for what he does with his back leg, this is different than the whole super-chill position iguanas generally get into when comfy. he will just be sittin there and slowly start to move his back leg back a bit but then it seems to tighten up and continue stretching out seeming involuntary and much straighter than your average chill position. at that point i'll usually gently support his foot and (extremely) gently try to get him to bend his leg a bit again and then he seems more comfy. i dunno, i'll probably get blood work done soon. the vet mentioned that he COULD do that if i really wanted but that zilla looked VERY healthy and was probably just fine. *shrug*

: have you read this article? it helps describe different kinds of twitches/spasms/jerks/etc ...
: Spasms + Myoclonic Jerks

: i *think* it sounds like you're describing normal ig behavior ...

: by "hyper extending" his back leg, do you mean that he'll suddenly just kinda "throw it" back? so that his leg is parallel with his tail???
: *that* is a "gettin' comfy" sort of thing ... they also do it with their arms some times, putting them against their sides ...

: a stray twitch now + then doesn't really *mean* anything ... humans do the same thing now + then ~ so do other animals ...

: if it's more than a once-in-a-while thing ~ if it's more "muscle-trembling" or extended shaking, like in a leg ~ THEN, yes, i'd be concerned ...

: has your vet done any blood work??? that would give you a fairly accurate answer on if it's a health issue or not ... and IMHO, well worth the cost for peace of mind ... :)

: as far as the "real sunshine" issue ...
: yes, it's preferrable, but not everyone *can* provide real sunshine for their ig ... a good healthy diet and good UV lights (+ generally good husbandry) makes that a rather moot point in my book ... the issue of keeping the ig *SAFE* is also an extremely important consideration ...

: hmmm ... i just took a quick browse thru Kingsnake's Photo Gallery to see if there is a good "leg thrown back" pic ... the best i can do right this sec is a pic of iZ with his arm thrown back, relaxing in the tub ... :)

: hope some o the rambling helped ... ?
: Bon.

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: i just read the article, and it sounds like the twitches could be "Myoclonic jerks". however, i've never known a person who does it as often as zilla does... which happens quite frequently. still, it is one isolated, spontanious twitch not accompanied by any tremors or visual indications that it might've been harmful. : as for what he does with his back leg, this is different than the whole super-chill position iguanas generally get into when comfy. he will just be sittin there and slowly start to move his back leg back a bit but then it seems to tighten up and continue stretching out seeming involuntary and much straighter than your average chill position. at that point i'll usually gently support his foot and (extremely) gently try to get him to bend his leg a bit again and then he seems more comfy. i dunno, i'll probably get blood work done soon. the vet mentioned that he COULD do that if i really wanted but that zilla looked VERY healthy and was probably just fine. *shrug* : : have you read this article? it helps describe different kinds of twitches/spasms/jerks/etc ... : : <a href="http://www.anapsid.org/spasms.html"> Spasms + Myoclonic Jerks</a> : : i *think* it sounds like you're describing normal ig behavior ... : : by "hyper extending" his back leg, do you mean that he'll suddenly just kinda "throw it" back? so that his leg is parallel with his tail??? : : *that* is a "gettin' comfy" sort of thing ... they also do it with their arms some times, putting them against their sides ... : : a stray twitch now + then doesn't really *mean* anything ... humans do the same thing now + then ~ so do other animals ... : : if it's more than a once-in-a-while thing ~ if it's more "muscle-trembling" or extended shaking, like in a leg ~ THEN, yes, i'd be concerned ... : : has your vet done any blood work??? that would give you a fairly accurate answer on if it's a health issue or not ... and IMHO, well worth the cost for peace of mind ... :) : : as far as the "real sunshine" issue ... : : yes, it's preferrable, but not everyone *can* provide real sunshine for their ig ... a good healthy diet and good UV lights (+ generally good husbandry) makes that a rather moot point in my book ... the issue of keeping the ig *SAFE* is also an extremely important consideration ... : : hmmm ... i just took a quick browse thru <a href="http://gallery.kingsnake.com/index.pl?cat=520&si=&thumb=1&page=1&sort=1&perpage=12&user=&stype=">Kingsnake's Photo Gallery</a> to see if there is a good "leg thrown back" pic ... the best i can do right this sec is a pic of iZ with his arm thrown back, relaxing in the tub ... :) : : <img src="http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/1783july2001.jpg"> : : hope some o the rambling helped ... ? : : Bon.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]