Post Treatment Behavior

Status
Not open for further replies.

mjdevir

New member
Have 2 bearded dragons born around Halloween last year. Got at reptile show. Both females, keep in a 55 gallon aquarium with 160 watt UVB self ballasted Mega-Ray and 75 watt halogen basking lamp. Tank also has large UTH on one end near lights. Eating since purchase has been greens, fruit and crickets. About 3 weeks ago started having eating and defecation issues (not occurring); limited eating of crickets. Took to local herp vet and diagnosed with Pin Worm and Coccidia. Administered shot of Droncit and dosage of Albon to each at vet. Continued Albon daily (0.18ml/each/day) for 6 days. Gave 2nd dose of Droncit on Saturday (vet gave needles and said dose at 7 to 10 days). Before vet and post-vet both have been very lethargic, limited/no eating, and no defecation. Presently one hides in corner cave unit above UTH and other lays/sleeps on an elevated branch. Thoughts on what to do?
 

ynevar

Juvie Member
I'd give them gentle warm baths daily to help keep them hydrated, if they will take water from a dropper from you I'd do that too. Or a diluted Pedialyte solution.

I'd also order or buy if available right away Acidopholiz. You can get it here:

http://www.bug-de-lite.com/Products Page.html

My beardies LOVE the taste of the acidopholiz. You will want to put it in a plastic syringe, so you may want to order some of those if you don't have any. The one in the bottle is glass and if yours love the taste of it as much as mine, they might bite it and break the glass one. I got scared the first time I gave it and started using a plastic syringe. Give them the Acidopholiz in the evenings and keep their tank warm, if you can get a ceramic heat emitter I'd do that. That helps the Acidopholiz work and keep the good bacteria going in their body.

What substrate do you have them on? How are you cleaning their tank? I strongly recommend the following cleaner, it is a lifesaver for me as well as many others on this forum (not just for use when they are ill either)

http://www.reptiza.net/beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=249

If you don't get this, then use either steam cleaner that gets to 165 degrees or a 10% ammonia solution and make sure it is rinsed thoroughly from your enclosure and you cannot detect any fumes. If you have sand, I'd dispose of it ASAP. Not only could it lead to impaction (could be deadly) it is impossible to clean of the coccidia parasite and pinworms out of it.

I would use paper towel while they they still have any counts of coccidia and pinworm. I would take out any decor from the tank. Any branches and wood should be cleaned and baked in an oven at 250 for at least 25 minutes (I did mine for 30). Don't put them back in until after they have a clear fecal. Use disposable cardboard boxes for basking and hides. Any pooh should be cleaned out immediately and the area cleaned with steam, the professional cleaner or ammonia.

Any crickets that come in contact with pooh should be disposed of immediately. They are not safe to feed them and will just lead to reinfection. I know it sounds like a waste of a cricket, but you cannot sanitize them and they will reinfect your dragon. To minimize the chances of pooh and crickets at the same time, I have taken to letting the dragons warm up in the morning, giving them a bath (which they almost always 99.9% of time pooh in their bath). Take them out of the bath immediately so they are not swimming in pooh, but the nice thing is you just have a small bath tub to clean vs. a whole tank. Then after they have warmed up a while you can feed them crickets and they have already pooped so the chances of crickets running in poop are small.

Also, I ordered Phoenix worms, which are high in lauric acid which apparently are natural fighters of coccidia. You can order them from Phoenixworm.com. or mulberryfarms.com

My babies were not too into eating until I got the Acidopholiz. Once I got that, then wow what a difference.

I know I wrote a book... I just have been dealing with the whole coccidia issue myself and after weeks of cleaning etc (a course of Albon and then Toltrazuril) we are finally at a point where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am expecting their next fecal check to be clear!

Hope it helps!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Lots of good advice on cleaning in the former post. I hope your girls get back on track. I just wanted to chime in that it sounds like that's a lot of heat. I would def. get rid of the UTH [ they're hardly ever necessary, unless in a very cold house ] I would think that the 160 watt bulb would heat the entire tank. I've had 2 60 watt bulbs heat a 55 gal. very well....so check in to that. Give plenty of hydration, baths and via syringe for oral hydration. Be careful that they are getting along, they can easily have dominance issues.
 

ynevar

Juvie Member
Thanks I meant to talk about temps and forgot (guess I was a bit long winded LOL) What are the temps in the tank and how are you measuring the temps?

I also meant to talk about the two being housed together. I know that two females CAN be housed together on occasion but they could be having issues, which could lead to stress, which could lead to the coccidia levels being high. Whenever they are stressed they are at risk for parasites. It is said, not sure if it is true or not that there is some level of parasites in the gut of all dragons, but a healthy immune system keeps it in check. When stressed they are unable to do so. I'd be inclined to separate them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,687
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom