Health Concerns!!Please Read:(

Hi everyone! My beardie, Ringo, is about 12 months old and he has been a very happy and healthy boy ever since I got him. This post might turn out to be a little lengthy, but please read because I really need some help.
As of about a month ago, I took Ringo to the vet because his limbs looked a little large. The vet checked him out and took a fecal test and said he needed some parasite medicine, which he took very well daily for about a month. Lately, he wasn't basking very often and he was quite lazy with eating (he would eat crickets enthusiastically, but if a couple got away he would just watch them walk on by). I thought that maybe his lamp was too warm, so I changed it from 100watts to 75 and he has been basking much more often, but still likes to hang out in his hammock so I'm wondering if maybe hes just getting too big to be comfortable basking on a tree anymore.
Now onto my concerns with today in particular. Ringo poops every other day to every 3 days fairly regularly. He always poops a LOT, but it looks healthy. Today however his stool concerned me. I'll provide pictures of him and the stool in this post.
ADDITIONALLY: I recently read somewhere that placing the lamps directly on a mesh ceiling of the tank can cause your beardie to lose some of the UVB rays it should be getting. Is this true?
Some background info on tank and lifestyle:
He usually ate about 20-30 or so crickets twice a day, dusted with calcium but I have recently introduced him to superworms which he has been having 5 a day, every now and then. He gets dandelion greens everyday and we mix it up with carrots, bell peppers, green beans, apple (occasional), banana (rarely), and food pellets. Sometimes I will give him an omnivore mix with calcium from the pet store- a very small serving probably 2-3 times a week. His tank is 40 gallons and I already described the heat situation above (he has a UVB light as well). Everyday his food and water dishes are rinsed with hot water and replenished. The substrate used is paper towel, changed every other day unless needed otherwise.
Also,just a disclaimer in the photos: I'm kneeling on the ground when I am holding him. I am always very careful when handling my beardie so he is comfortable and is not at risk of falling!

Before changing the basking light out did you get an accurate temp of basking spot? and w/ what ? infrared heat gun ? digital probe? stick on? what is his basking temp now? UVB what kind brand and bulb? Depending on the UVB is true of screen blocking UVB --- that is reason for question of what you have --
Karrie

KarrieRee":183jb4ku said:

Before changing the basking light out did you get an accurate temp of basking spot? and w/ what ? infrared heat gun ? digital probe? stick on? what is his basking temp now? UVB what kind brand and bulb? Depending on the UVB is true of screen blocking UVB --- that is reason for question of what you have --
Karrie

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All I have to measure temp is the stick on/Velcro one that came with the tank, so I simply moved it to be exactly where he was basking and a 150 watt bulb read as 120, but then so did the 100 watt lightbulb and the 75 at first. basking is 100-110. I have an exo terra uvb that also came with the tank

ringothedragon3":13qbzcmk said:

KarrieRee":13qbzcmk said:

Before changing the basking light out did you get an accurate temp of basking spot? and w/ what ? infrared heat gun ? digital probe? stick on? what is his basking temp now? UVB what kind brand and bulb? Depending on the UVB is true of screen blocking UVB --- that is reason for question of what you have --
Karrie

Click to expand...

All I have to measure temp is the stick on/Velcro one that came with the tank, so I simply moved it to be exactly where he was basking and a 150 watt bulb read as 120, but then so did the 100 watt lightbulb and the 75 at first. basking is 100-110. I have an exo terra uvb that also came with the tank

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Please get rid of the exo terra bulb --- coils are horrid for UVB -- here is what is recommended on the forum Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- please replace ASAP-- next you need to get a infrared heat gun from Home Depot or Lowes for $10-12 and or a digital probe theremometer-- $5 from Petsmart both are good investments --- the stick ons can be as much as 40 degrees off --- this is the reason for the funky looking poop ---
Karrie

KarrieRee":8x4ozq9m said:

ringothedragon3":8x4ozq9m said:

KarrieRee":8x4ozq9m said:

Before changing the basking light out did you get an accurate temp of basking spot? and w/ what ? infrared heat gun ? digital probe? stick on? what is his basking temp now? UVB what kind brand and bulb? Depending on the UVB is true of screen blocking UVB --- that is reason for question of what you have --
Karrie

Click to expand...

All I have to measure temp is the stick on/Velcro one that came with the tank, so I simply moved it to be exactly where he was basking and a 150 watt bulb read as 120, but then so did the 100 watt lightbulb and the 75 at first. basking is 100-110. I have an exo terra uvb that also came with the tank

Click to expand...

Please get rid of the exo terra bulb --- coils are horrid for UVB -- here is what is recommended on the forum Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- please replace ASAP-- next you need to get a infrared heat gun from Home Depot or Lowes for $10-12 and or a digital probe theremometer-- $5 from Petsmart both are good investments --- the stick ons can be as much as 40 degrees off --- this is the reason for the funky looking poop ---
Karrie

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Thank you for all of your help! Would this kind of thermometer be okay you think? https://www.chewy.com/exo-terra-combometer-digital/dp/191169?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Exo%20Terra&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2JXKp5C65AIVi56fCh0cxgoJEAQYBSABEgI_WPD_BwE

Not really you want one w/ a probe that you can set on his basking area- you can get one from Petsmart for $5- I also have a separate hygrometer for humidity that I have on the back wall of my tank its in the center of tank ---
Karrie

Hi there, Ringo is a good looking boy ! Hopefully you'll get everything figured out. His temps. were probably fine, keeping in mind that they can always move out of the direct beam of the basking bulb. One big concern, what is the name of the meds. he was on for a month ? That is a really long time to be on any of those meds. Do you know if he had pinworms, coccodia, etc ? What did the vet tell you ? A month on meds. can mess with their kidney function so hopefully he's off of it now.

AHBD":10jb6phc said:

Hi there, Ringo is a good looking boy ! Hopefully you'll get everything figured out. His temps. were probably fine, keeping in mind that they can always move out of the direct beam of the basking bulb. One big concern, what is the name of the meds. he was on for a month ? That is a really long time to be on any of those meds. Do you know if he had pinworms, coccodia, etc ? What did the vet tell you ? A month on meds. can mess with their kidney function so hopefully he's off of it now.

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I wish I remembered the meds he was taking, but he had (has) coccidia isospora. I just took him back to the vet last night, still has the parasites but got an x ray which looks healthy. Just concerned because this time the vet that saw him doesn't specialize in reptiles so I'm a little frustrated that they even made me an appointment with this guy. He basically said he still had those parasites but didn't know what to do about it and didn't wanna give him more medicine unnecessarily

KarrieRee":qfajnbot said:

Not really you want one w/ a probe that you can set on his basking area- you can get one from Petsmart for $5- I also have a separate hygrometer for humidity that I have on the back wall of my tank its in the center of tank ---
Karrie

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Okay, I'll make sure to get one today. Thank you!

Oh boy, it does not sound like the vet is competent to treat reptiles. Was the med. called albon ? Anyway, 1 month is way too long and many dragons can be perfectly healthy with a low count of coccidia so don't bother going back there.

if the parasite load is low, sometimes vets won't bother to treat because antiparasite meds can be harsh on the body. Every body has an opinion on this but me personally, I would want my baby to be rid of all parasites if possible.

And i can tell you care a lot for your boy!

They all carry a low amount of parasites- its when they are abnormally high that they get sick and need to be treated-- w/ proper lighting and basking temps the dragon can keep them in check and they wont need meds
Karrie