Bearded Dragon Wont Eat

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TallBoy

Member
I have a 3 year old beardie. The past month, he went from having a healthy appetite to not eating at all. I have had to force feed him baby food through a syringe for the past couple weeks.
I had taken him to the vet and he has a parasite and pinworms. He is in the middle of antibiotic treatment for the parasite, and I have paper towels down in the cage, cleaning them up every time he goes #2. I have liquid panacur on order for the pinworms.
He is passing the baby food without a problem, however there is a bit of blood in his stool occasionally. He will still not eat any bugs or vegetables on his own.
I am keeping him well hydrated.
Temperatures are good, brand new uvb.

What can I do to increase his appetite?
Is there a way to flush out pinworms?
HELP
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Medications oftentimes affect their appetites a bit. Which medication is he on for pinworms,
Panacur?
What is the dose he is on & how long has he been on the meds for?
Since he has lost a lot of his appetite, you could try getting some probiotics such as non dairy
acidophiliz or non dairy soy yogurt, flavored or non flavored to help out his tummy.
Also, try keeping him around 80 in his tank over night by using either a ceramic heat emitter
or a heating pad on LOW with a towel in between the pad & your dragon. This can help to
boost his immune system.

Tracie
 

TallBoy

Member
Original Poster
UPDATE
He is still not eating by himself. I have purchased a ceramic heat emitter for night time, and have upgraded my uvb to a reptisun 10.0 t8 fluorescent bulb. He is on his last dose of meds for parasites, and the panacur hasn't arrived yet for the pinworms. Trying different methods to increase his appetite, and I am open to more suggestions.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
What medication have you been giving him for the parasites? And what parasite was he shown to have on the fecal tests? If he had a high pinworm count and didn't get a working medication right away, this would certainly keep his appetite at bay, and if he's been given either a very harsh medication, an ineffective medication, or the wrong medication for whatever parasite he was diagnosed with, then this would also cause his appetite and general health to steadily decline...

You used the word "Antibiotic", but you don't prescribe an "Antibiotic" for parasites. Possibly an Antiprotozoan med if he was found to have a high coccidia count (low to moderate coccidia does not need to be treated typically, as it's normal), but not an antibiotic. And not all Antiprotozoan drugs are equal, for example, Albon is a very harsh drug that takes a long course and isn't always effective, Sulfatrim is only effective against 2 strains of Coccidia and can cause serious side effects, etc.
 

TallBoy

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":1v5epa0t said:
What medication have you been giving him for the parasites? And what parasite was he shown to have on the fecal tests? If he had a high pinworm count and didn't get a working medication right away, this would certainly keep his appetite at bay, and if he's been given either a very harsh medication, an ineffective medication, or the wrong medication for whatever parasite he was diagnosed with, then this would also cause his appetite and general health to steadily decline...

You used the word "Antibiotic", but you don't prescribe an "Antibiotic" for parasites. Possibly an Antiprotozoan med if he was found to have a high coccidia count (low to moderate coccidia does not need to be treated typically, as it's normal), but not an antibiotic. And not all Antiprotozoan drugs are equal, for example, Albon is a very harsh drug that takes a long course and isn't always effective, Sulfatrim is only effective against 2 strains of Coccidia and can cause serious side effects, etc.

I'm giving him metronidazole, he's gone through his last treatment. Panacur with antiprotozoal is on order. I don't know what kind of parasites he has..
 

TallBoy

Member
Original Poster
UPDATE

I gave a half dose of panacur to him on Friday, in 7 to 14 days I will give another half dose to kill any eggs. He is now eating by himself again, couldn't be happier.
Thanks for the help everyone
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Awesome! I'm so glad he's recovering and the meds are working...Happy endings are always a big deal to us here!

Just an FYI, be sure to completely disinfect his entire enclosure both inside and out, and EVERYTHING inside the enclosure (all decor, any thermometers, basking platforms, light fixtures and bulbs, etc., EVERYTHING) immediately, and use either the reptile disinfectant F10SC in very hot water, if you can find it, or regular bleach in very hot water, or what I use is Hibiclens in very hot water. You don't want him reinfecting himself, and those damn bugs and their eggs can live in the tiniest little crevice. Hibiclens, if you aren't familiar with it, is a medical antiseptic that can be purchased at any Walmart or drugstore in the medical supplies aisle next to the Betadine (iodine), Bactine, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, etc. It comes in a little teal green colored bottle and is a pink liquid. Pretty much every hospital in the United States is now using Hibiclens in their surgical scrub packs that all surgeons scrub-in with before performing a surgical procedure. They used to use Betadine/Iodine, but Hibiclens was found to kill absolutely EVERYTHING, all bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. including HIV and other retroviruses, and even MRSA. And a little goes a long way, when I'm disinfecting my enclosures I dilute a couple tablespoons of the Hibiclens with extremely hot water in a spray bottle, and also fill my bath tub up with extremely hot water and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the Hibiclens under the running water, and then soak all of their decor in it for 20-30 minutes. Then spray out the inside of the enclosure and wipe it out with papertowels, spray it all again, let it soak a while, then wipe it out, then do the same to the outside of the enclosure, then rinse everything with water until you don't smell the Hibiclens (or the bleach or F10) anymore.
 

TallBoy

Member
Original Poster
Thank you I greatly appreciate the advice.. I won't make it near a Wal-Mart today, but I will go home and clean with bleach and hot water.
 
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