Pin worms

My 15wk old has pin worms and cocidia, my last BD had a lot of health issues. Is this any indication of what I'm in for? Or is dumb luck and a quick fix. I've got a vet appt at 5

Hi the pin worms are an easy fix. But coccidia ummmm a little trickery did you clean the cage with boiling water to get rid of the coccidia? and just to let you know you have to do the boiling water lots of times because coccidia is very hard to get rid of!!!! so what vet are you going to? do they know about reptiles? i'm pretty sure that your little guy will be ok, is he/she still eating good?

Very good vet (board certified in exotic, or something important like that. He knows his stuff) yes he has a great appetite. Gave us stuff to treat the pin worms and cocidia. However he didn't mention anything about cleaning the tank. He said cocidia exists in all BDs. It's in the intestines in a dormant form. Certain things cause the eggs to hatch. I mean of course it's important to keep the tank clean, however he certainly didn't make a point to make sure wer clean it. And he is very thorough when discussing "treatment procedures." My last BD had server health issues and spent a lot of time at the vet

Hi there!

My guy just had similar issues. It is pretty common, so don't get too worried just yet! Yes, they often have low levels of parasites and bacteria in their gut and it is completely normal, just like us humans and our stomach bacteria. Stress can raise those levels and make it harder for them to naturally keep them under control. Has your guy had a move or anything happen that could stress him out recently?
As Birdy said, a clean home is the best way to prevent him from reinfecting himself. Instead of boiling water, it may be a good idea to pick up a steamer. I nabbed one on amazon for about $30. High heat will kill all sorts of bacteria. Clean the enclosure out with soap/disinfectant, and steam the crap (maybe literally? :lol of it! Any 'furniture' he may have will require the same treatment. If you have anything in the tank that can handle it, wash it and then bake it in the oven at around 250 for 30-40 minutes, then you don't have to steam it. If you have sand or anything loose as substrate, ditch that ASAP, it can harbor lots of grossness and he'll probably just reinfect himself. I would use paper towels or newspaper, something disposable, at least until he gets the all-clear after his treatments, and maybe keep his decor to a minimum so you don't have to clean so often. And always get rid of poos as soon as humanly possible!

Good luck!

PS. The meds can be rough on their systems and wipe out their good bacteria, too, so maybe grab some probiotics to help him out. I got some from bug-de-lite.com, run by one of the mods on this site. And keep him nice and hydrated!!

I agree you should get a hand held steamer. Keep him on paper towels or newspaper. The key is not to let him reinfect himself. Steam daily and change paper whenever he goes. Maybe give him a quick wash at times.

Yes there has been "a move," I recently got him from a breeder. He's been pretty stressed. He's only 15wks. I like the idea of a steamer, however it's not going to help me now as I don't have one. I usually use "Wipe Out" by zoo med for cleaning. I will bake his tile and cave, however last time I did the gave off a strange smell. Any other things for cleaning the actual tank that may be better than wipe out? Also, any ideas on how to clean a wood (I believe it's real wood) "log/ climbing" thing and fake plant decor?

The only thing that I know of that kills coccidia is heat and ammonia. The eggs are really hard to kill because of their outer coating. Of course ammonia has an extremely strong odor. You can get a steamer for like $30. I got mine from Walmart. You can bake wood and rocks at 250 in the oven for 30 minutes? Not sure on how long. I would soak the plants in ammonia solution, rinse till you can't smell it and leave them out till his fecal is clean or just steam clean.

Will any steamer reach the desired temperature?

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Disinfectants.html

Check out near the bottom on "Steam" it says kills coccidia oocysts above 165 F.
I would just make sure it gets that hot at least.

A good read to check out other cleaners too.

How long have you had (I'm gonna assume from your screen-name?) Rex? The moving stress definitely had something to do with his high count. It is awesome that you have already had a vet visit, and I assume your previous experience had a lot to do with it, but may I ask why you took him in? Was it just, 'I got a new dragon, and just to make sure', or was there something that made you want to take him in?** You said he's still active and eating, so just curious. On that note... This is potentially a good thing, because if the high levels are, in fact, due to stress, with the round of meds and settling into his new home, and getting his immune system all straightened out, he should be just great!

And... Yep! In order to create steam, the water's got to boil, which is 212 degrees, and 180 degrees will kill almost anything that you want to get rid of. Wood (if it is real wood!) can definitely go in the oven as well. There is a veterinary disinfectant called F10SC that is a great option, I know amazon carries it as well (I know, a lot of amazon, but I hate shopping!!), but if you're in good with your vet, maybe he can hook you up with a spray bottle full. :wink: I use vinegar for every day cleaning, but you're gonna need something stronger since you've got the coccidia issue. Maybe until he finishes his meds, you can leave out all the extras, like plants and stuff. That will give you time to figure out the best way to get it nice and clean.

**The reason I ask is because my little guy had about a month to settle in, so I knew it wasn't stress, but he suddenly had unnaturally smelly poos after I ran out of roaches and he had to have some emergency Petco crickets...

Sorry for the long posts! Just hoping my experience can help another little guy.

Rex was my baby girl that died at just over 2
My new guy is RJ (Rex jr.) I had planned to get a fecal "to be sure," but some smelly poop rushed the "just to be sure scenario." And this Saturday will be 2 weeks. So, ya, not long. He's definitely had a tough transition. Just got done steaming and cooking everything. Got a "cute purple" (ya not so much, but that's ok) steamer for $20 at Target. My wife plans to grab some probioticcs tomorrow. Any thoughts on weather a particular time is better than another to give it to him? Also, thoughts on baths being helpful? Or water from a syringe fine to help hydrate through the meds? Umm...i think that's it, my mind is going a million miles a minute. I told myself this little guy will be different, healthy. My sweet girl Rex (My first dragon) picked me cause she just had "bad health genes" and wanted someone that would take the best care of her and love her with all their heart for the short time she would have. So, coccidia less than two weeks in, I'm quite down.?

So sorry to hear about Rex. Like I said, don't worry yourself too much with RJ, he should be just fine after his meds as the coccidia is very common.

The meds I got from the vet were for coccidia and pinworms, not sure which was which any more, but one of them was 1 dose right away, then 3 days in a row, wait three weeks, then three more days. The other was seven days straight. I waited until the first round was done, then with a dropper-full, half water and half probiotics, once every morning. He was NOT a fan of the syringes with the meds. He did seem to enjoy the taste of the probiotics, though, the ones I got had fruit extracts in as well. He lapped it up when I dripped it on his nose. I kept that going for about a week, then one more week after the last round of meds. His appetite never went away, he was crushing roaches breakfast, lunch, and dinner, even munching on his salad occasionally. (But only if nobody was watching! :evil: )

As far as bathing goes, it is not at all necessary. They don't 'absorb' water through their skin or vents, that's a common misconception. However, it can help around shed time, and if he does drink in the bath, or if he likes it (some like to play in the water), baths are totally okay. Also, if he walks through his poo, it's a really good idea wash him with some gentle soap right away to make sure he's not reinfecting himself. Plastic eye droppers for water work just fine, or some people 'mist' them with a spray bottle. They'll sometime tilt their heads down to lap up the water that runs down.