dirkdiggler
New member
Some background info: Dirk is a two year old translucent blood. He weighs a pound and is about 18 inches snout to tail if I had to guess. His set up is a 40 gallon breeder tank, tiled bottom and decorative driftwood, a good sized hammock, and food dish. One hot spot above his log that gets around 90-95, UVB bulb, no lid over the tank. His set up is against the window and I have him sitting upstairs. I also live in Florida so it gets pretty humid, but downstairs gets too chilled and zero sunlight so I keep him upstairs in a ventilated room with a dehumidifier. I'm not sure the level of humidity!
He's been coughing off and on for the last 6 months or so. He's been one of the most sickly lizards I've ever had which I attributed to potentially bad genetics. I lived in a home that got infested with black flies and he just have munched on some because he randomly started having blood in his stool and watery stool. I had him treated for coccidia and pinworms, and the antibiotics made him sick and sluggish. I kept his tank immaculate, made sure to keep him hydrated and keep his vitamins up and feed him lots of healthy foods. He got sick again months later and I treated him once again.
So to the coughing... I took him to the vets for this, they listened to his lungs and didn't hear anything to be concerned for. She said his coughing is probably just an aggression behavior (???)... They prescribed him antibiotics anyway and recommended that I give them to him even though he isn't obviously sick with URI. He hasn't stopped eating other than being picky as he usually is, basks when I take him outside, and drinks as much water as I give him. No lost weight and normal stools! The only concerning behavior is his occasional coughing, which he'll do sporadically a couple times a month and then not at all. He's been incredibly hormonal and head bobbing any chance he gets while black bearding. He turns a bright yellow and his beard looks perfectly normal when asleep. Sometimes I can feel his breathing hitch slightly, but there are no bubbles in his mouth even when he's coughing. Other than that, he is so needy and cuddly, however he has been like this since babyhood. The issue is, I'm so hesitant to give him antibiotics again since he's received so many in his short life. I'm worried about increasing his risk for more parasite infection. What do you guys think?
I apologize for the long post and I appreciate any insight!!
He's been coughing off and on for the last 6 months or so. He's been one of the most sickly lizards I've ever had which I attributed to potentially bad genetics. I lived in a home that got infested with black flies and he just have munched on some because he randomly started having blood in his stool and watery stool. I had him treated for coccidia and pinworms, and the antibiotics made him sick and sluggish. I kept his tank immaculate, made sure to keep him hydrated and keep his vitamins up and feed him lots of healthy foods. He got sick again months later and I treated him once again.
So to the coughing... I took him to the vets for this, they listened to his lungs and didn't hear anything to be concerned for. She said his coughing is probably just an aggression behavior (???)... They prescribed him antibiotics anyway and recommended that I give them to him even though he isn't obviously sick with URI. He hasn't stopped eating other than being picky as he usually is, basks when I take him outside, and drinks as much water as I give him. No lost weight and normal stools! The only concerning behavior is his occasional coughing, which he'll do sporadically a couple times a month and then not at all. He's been incredibly hormonal and head bobbing any chance he gets while black bearding. He turns a bright yellow and his beard looks perfectly normal when asleep. Sometimes I can feel his breathing hitch slightly, but there are no bubbles in his mouth even when he's coughing. Other than that, he is so needy and cuddly, however he has been like this since babyhood. The issue is, I'm so hesitant to give him antibiotics again since he's received so many in his short life. I'm worried about increasing his risk for more parasite infection. What do you guys think?
I apologize for the long post and I appreciate any insight!!