Ladyhawk42
Hatchling Member
Some time back I sent in a sample of my beardie's feces for analysis. I fully expected a pinworm / coccidiosis infection because her poop smells just awful. It's so bad I clean it up instantly to get rid of the smell, hating every second of it. ACK! Awful.
The analysis was: "This is one of the cleanest samples I've ever seen." There were only a couple of oocysts. That's it.
I have no way of knowing how a full-grown beardie's feces should smell because this is my first beardie.
At one point, her feces became much larger, maybe because that kink in the gut I read about got bigger. I never bothered to smell her feces up close. By the time the feces was huge, I didn't have to get close to smell it. It is gag-worthy.
I'm not sure what, if anything, to do. Fecal sample = clean. What now?
She isn't fully tame and I don't think forcing medicine down her throat will improve our relationship. When she was small, I was worried she'd get lost in the clutter of my apartment. Now I'm afraid to freak her out. I've always fed her by hand. Lately, I've been getting her to come out for the crickets before she realizes what I'm doing.
Post-feeding, she suddenly realizes she's a long way from her terrarium and freaks out. I don't like scaring her, but food seems a positive way to interact. Perhaps I should put her back before she realizes feeding time is over?
One problem is she often assumes I have a cricket and bites my fingers inadvertently. Ouch! If she isn't in feeding mode, she freaks out and wants to go back to the terrarium.
Some advice on 1) taming and 2) the smell of her poop would be welcome.
With my snakes, I just handled them until they calmed down. Is this inadvisable with the beardie? I don't want to scare her.
The analysis was: "This is one of the cleanest samples I've ever seen." There were only a couple of oocysts. That's it.
I have no way of knowing how a full-grown beardie's feces should smell because this is my first beardie.
At one point, her feces became much larger, maybe because that kink in the gut I read about got bigger. I never bothered to smell her feces up close. By the time the feces was huge, I didn't have to get close to smell it. It is gag-worthy.
I'm not sure what, if anything, to do. Fecal sample = clean. What now?
She isn't fully tame and I don't think forcing medicine down her throat will improve our relationship. When she was small, I was worried she'd get lost in the clutter of my apartment. Now I'm afraid to freak her out. I've always fed her by hand. Lately, I've been getting her to come out for the crickets before she realizes what I'm doing.
Post-feeding, she suddenly realizes she's a long way from her terrarium and freaks out. I don't like scaring her, but food seems a positive way to interact. Perhaps I should put her back before she realizes feeding time is over? One problem is she often assumes I have a cricket and bites my fingers inadvertently. Ouch! If she isn't in feeding mode, she freaks out and wants to go back to the terrarium.
Some advice on 1) taming and 2) the smell of her poop would be welcome.
With my snakes, I just handled them until they calmed down. Is this inadvisable with the beardie? I don't want to scare her.
