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7 Reasons Your Leopard Gecko Is Twitching!

With leopard geckos being one of the most popular options for pet reptiles all around the world while currently seeing an additional surge in their popularity, there has been a spike in the number of questions that we have seen people asking about keeping a pet leopard gecko recently.

We have already published articles going over a leopard gecko rolling on its back as well as a leopard gecko throwing up but over the last couple of weeks, there have been more and more people asking about why their leopard gecko is twitching.

With some of the potential causes of a leopard gecko twitching being potentially serious health issues, we wanted to publish this article on the topic to try and help as many of our readers as possible.

Please note that this article is not intended as a replacement for professional advice from a veterinarian though.

If you do notice that your leopard gecko is randomly twitching then you really should be taking your leopard gecko to see a vet as soon as possible to have your pet examined.

Still, we hope that the information in this article will be able to help as many of our readers as possible.

Why Your Leopard Gecko Is Twitching!

Here is our shortlist of reasons that can cause your leopard gecko to twitch but we will cover them all in more detail later:-

  • Metabolic Bone Disease!
  • Stress And Anxiety!
  • Calcium Deficiency!
  • Getting Ready To Shed!
  • Fear!
  • Vitamin D3 Deficiency!
  • Communication!

Depending on your vivarium setup as well as the diet of your pet leopard gecko, you may notice that your leopard gecko may be having problems with more than one of these problems too and this is more common than most people think.

Metabolic Bone Disease!

One of the most common health problems that we see in leopard geckos is metabolic bone disease.

This is where the bones of your leopard gecko start to soften and degrade and it can lead to a whole host of other health problems for your pet too.

A symptom of metabolic bone disease is when your leopard gecko starts to twitch and this is because the bones start to put pressure on the nerves.

This is a very serious health problem that can easily be avoided by making sure that your leopard gecko has a good quality calcium supplement in its diet as well as making sure that there is plenty of UVB lighting in their vivarium too.

If you do suspect that your leopard gecko has metabolic bone disease then you really should be taking your pet to see a reptile vet as soon as possible.

Stress And Anxiety!

Another common reason that we see leopard geckos twitching is due to stress and anxiety.

This can be caused by a number of things such as a change in their vivarium, being handled too much or even just being around people that they don’t know.

If your leopard gecko is twitching then it is important to try and work out what is causing the stress and anxiety and remove it from their environment if possible.

In many cases, working out what is stressing your leopard gecko out and removing it from its environment will be enough to calm the gecko and stop it from twitching.

Calcium Deficiency!

As we mentioned above, one of the most common health problems that leopard geckos can suffer from is a calcium deficiency.

This is where the level of calcium in their body starts to drop and it can lead to a whole host of other health problems too.

A symptom of a calcium deficiency is when your leopard gecko starts to twitch and this is because the nerves start to degenerate.

Although this is very common, there are a wide range of cheap reptile calcium supplements that you are able to purchase online or in a local pet store to help boost the calcium in your leopard gecko’s diet to treat this issue.

Getting Ready To Shed!

One of the most common reasons that we see leopard geckos twitching is because they are getting ready to shed their skin.

When a leopard gecko sheds its skin, it will often twitch as the old skin starts to come away from its body.

This is perfectly normal behavior and there is no need to worry about your leopard gecko, it will just take a few days for the process to be completed.

The other normal signs of your leopard gecko getting ready to shed will usually be visible by the time the twitching phase starts helping you work out that this is the issue that is causing the twitching.

Fear!

Another common reason that leopard geckos start to twitch is out of fear.

This can be caused by a number of things such as being handled too much, being in an environment that is too loud or even just being around people that they don’t know.

If your leopard gecko is twitching then it is important to try and work out what is causing the fear and remove it from their environment if possible.

Loud sounds, issues with temperature, problems with humidity, and new decorations added to their vivarium are all common causes of fear in leopard geckos.

Vitamin D3 Deficiency!

Another common health problem that leopard geckos can suffer from is a vitamin D3 deficiency.

This is where the level of vitamin D3 in their body starts to drop and it can lead to a whole host of other health problems too but twitching can be a very common symptom of issues with vitamin D3 intake.

It is more difficult to supplement vitamin D3 than it is to supplement calcium into your leopard gecko’s diet but there are a number of supplements out there that can help.

If you do think that your leopard gecko’s vitamin D3 intake may be the problem with your leopard gecko then we would recommend that you check with the staff of your local pet store to see what suitable supplements they have.

Communication!

Although it is very rare, some leopard geckos will try to communicate with their keepers by shaking or twitching but it really is rare.

Due to this, we would recommend that you try to focus on the other potential problems covered earlier in the article than focus on this one but it can be a reason that your leopard gecko will twitch and shake.