New here, beardie is sick please help...

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moshu1

New member
Hi There,
I am new to the forum and have just recently found out about this from my vet who said I can probably get alot of my questions answered here. My bf and I have owned our first beardie for 9 months or so, he has been doing ok, other than not eating his fruit and veggies, right up until hibernating time. We understood that during this period his eating habits were not as usual. Come spring he still wasn't eating really much of anything, still very sluggish but yet still aware of his surroundings, we also started to notice a bit of weight loss over a period of time. We both can honestly admit that his habitat doesn't get cleaned as much as it should. So we heard about force feeding fruits, veggies, water, even organic baby food so we've been doing the force feeding for about two weeks and in this time we've taken Moshu (our beardie) into the vet, where we are extremly sad to say was diagnosed with worms and was weighing only 0.27kg at 9+mons :cry: The vet suggested Panacur, she said he would need 4 0.06ml doses once a week for 4 weeks, the concentration is 10%, he had his first dose today. He seems to be getting better but still very sluggish.

So my questions are....
Is the dosage good, should it be more than once a week?
Could it be possible that this could have stunted growth?
Is he susceptible to getting them again?
How can I get him to eat his veggies/fruit?
Can we give him organic baby food?
I've heard and read about soy yogurt, should he be getting this as well?
Is there anything else I can do to speed up him getting better?

I really do appologize for all the questions, I am just extremly worried about Moshu and want him to get healthy again so he can be happy!

Thanks, Shelby :D
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello Shelby,

That is the correct dosage for his weight. She prescribed 25mg/kg so the .06ml once a week is fine. Normally a 2-4 week treatment is used, so 1 month is fine. Panacur is a safe drug, but you might want to just treat for 3 weeks, that should be adequate.
What were the counts, did she say? Yes, it is only given once a week.
He does need to be a little heavier. Could you post a picture of him?
Having high loads of worms or parasites do compete for nutrition so that could stunt his growth yes.
What type & brand of UVB light are you using, a flourescent tube or a compact/coil light? What type of basking light do you use, a bright white light or a colored light?
What are the temps in the tank? What type of thermometer do you use to measure the temps with? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?
They usually have a very low count of normal gut flora bacteria which helps digestion. Unless he undergoes a large amount of stress he should not be susceptible to getting a higher load of worms or parasites again.
You can give him organic babyfood, that is perfectly fine. Non dairy soy yogurt is a great probiotic so you can get any flavor & he should really like it. That just helps their tummy while they are on medication rounds.
Just make sure that he gets extra oral fluids while he is on meds. Ensure that the basking temps are optimal as well to help ensure she will get an immune system boost. I am sure that Moshu will be on the mend real soon.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

moshu1

New member
Original Poster
Hi There!!
I am so glad someone got a chance to get back to me!! I am not 100% sure what the count was, the vet never said anything. The lighting that we are using right now ESU Reptile SuperUV Daylight F15-T8-BP flouresent bulb, for our basking we use a 100watt sunglow basking light (white light), we are not to sure what brand or type of temp gages are but the "hot" side reads 80F, humidity is at 65 and the "cool" side reads about 78. Here are some pitures for you the last one is a picture of how we have things set up right now:
http://i158.photobucket.com
[img]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t109/akira2_03/100_3037.jpg
100_3038.jpg

100_3039.jpg

100_3040.jpg

100_3035.jpg
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Well, we will need to make a few changes in your tank. :D
The ESU super coil UVB does not put out much if any UVB emissions I hate to say. This is probably the main reason he has been so lethargic. If you notice, there is a deviation in the tail which looks like it has grown incorrectly & the mouth looks like at the lips, it does not close 100%. These subtle physical changes indicate early stages of metabolic bone disease. It can be stopped but the physical deviations most likely will not reverse.
I recommend getting either a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb, or a mercury vapor bulb such as the Megaray or the T-rex active UV heat both of which are great. The Sun glo basking light is fine, so if you opt for the Reptisun 10 tube light that will be good to use with that.
How often do you give calcium? At his age, he needs it 5 times per week. You might want to look into liquid calcium right now since it is better absorbed.
The temperatures are a little off. I see a wire hanging down in the back, is that from a digital probe thermometer? Or, what type of thermometer are you using to measure the temps? The basking temps need to be 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82. The humidity needs to come down to under 50% or that leaves him vulnerable to respiratory infections.
From the picture, it is difficult to tell whether or not he has enlarged femoral pores starting but it looks like there are some small ones there. He is only 9 months old so he wont develop them until a little later. You could lift the tail to see whether or not there are lateral bulges on the outside of the tail or a single central bulge. The lateral bulges would indicate male while a central bulge would indicate a female.
Is he done with the medication rounds yet?
Can he fully support himself on all fours or does he have any problems climbing?

Tracie
 
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