Few questions about cleaning/handling my beardie...

Hello everyone!

Just adopted a 1 year old beardie from some people who really had no clue how to care for a pet about a month ago, and ive been trying my very best to keep him safe and healthy. Ive been feeding him salads of chopped up dandelion greens, escarole, and collard greens, with some silkworms here and there, and he seems to eat a good bit.

Thing is, my beardie seems to be pooping alot, and though I try my best to keep his viv clean, it kinda smells even though ive scrubbed everything with soap/cleaners and then rinsed again with water.

Here are my questions:

1) Ive read alot about beardies having pinworms/bacteria/salmonella/etc. should I be worried about transmission of these to me? I try my very best to wash my hands anytime I handle him or clean up after him...

2) His poop stinks, not super amazingly bad, but it stinks... Should I get it tested? Is some smell normal?

3) What should I be doing with regards to cleaning to make sure everything is clean and in order?

His substrate is slate tiles and I have a big plastic rock for him to bask on. Lighting setup is a reptiglo 10 along with a spotlight basking lamp over the rock.

Advice? Comments? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Jon

Hello! Congrats on your new beardie

1) Ive read alot about beardies having pinworms/bacteria/salmonella/etc. should I be worried about transmission of these to me? I try my very best to wash my hands anytime I handle him or clean up after him...

Salmonella is passed through fecal matter - so washing your hands before and after with a anti bactorial soap is wise. Not only to keep you healthy, but also to keep your beardie healthy. If you believe he may have some other type of worm like parasites etc you can take a fresh fecal sample into the vet for testing to see if he is clear of any other type of bacteria that may need to be treated. I am not 100% sure on the transferance to humans in regards to pinworms, parasites etc. But I do know that most of those things are transferred through poop, so keep everything clean. If you bath your lizard in baby warm water it is possible he will just go in there instead of his tank. I have slate tile as well and I clean it water down bleach water then rinse it with hot water to remove any left over bleach smell and toxins which can be harmful to the beardie.

2) His poop stinks, not super amazingly bad, but it stinks... Should I get it tested? Is some smell normal?

It never hurts to get poop tested to see if there are any problems that are not invisible. But poop does stink and I find Blazes my beardies poop rather stinky and she is very healthy and about 8 years old.

In regards to your lighting I would suggest turning of your UVB until you can replace it with a reptiSUN 10 tube light. The reptiglo actually can cause eye damage. Is your basking rock a heated rock or just a decoration? Can your beardie get 7-8 inches away from the UVB and basking light? Temps should be between 95F and 105F and be measured with a thermometer with a probe.

Hope this helps