Bearded dragon with worms. Please help!

Hello. I have a bearded dragon that is about two years old. I adopted him at the beginning of this year. A couple of months ago I did a fecal test for him. The vet said that he has pin worms. We got medicine for that and then did another fecal test a few weeks later. The vet said that he still has a high count of pin worms and now hook worms. We got more medicine and will be taking another fecal sample back to the vet this week. I took all of his wood and his stuffed animal out of his cage and replace them with boxes.
How should I clean his cage so he doesn’t reinfect himself?
How should I clean his wood pieces and other supplies?
Should I just throw all of his stuff away and replace it or should I try and disinfect it?
Thank you in advance.

Hello,

It is definite challenge cleaning out the tank!
You can soak the porous items such as wood or other décor in hot soapy water, with a small
amount of bleach, then rinse very well & let air dry. For wood items, you can bake in the
oven at or so, for 30 minutes to kill anything present.
Until the fecal exams are clear, you make it easier on things to take most of the tank
décor out & just put in some cardboard & paper towels in the tank to help keep it cleaner.
That type of material can be thrown out daily or, as needed.
You can use a steamer, water with bleach at a 10 to 1 ratio, or a vinegar to water ratio at
a 10 to 1 ratio properly disinfect the tank.
Let us know how your dragon is doing.

Tracie

Thank you so much for this info!

Is Palmolive dish soap safe to use with the bleach solution?
Should I use the bleach and water solution in the enclosure too?
And should I change the paper towel and cardboard boxes every day?

Sorry about all of the questions, I just want to get rid of his worms. And I will keep you guys updated. Thanks again!

Hello,

I am happy to help, no problem. How are things going today?
Sure, the Palmolive mixed with a small amount of bleach is just fine. Just be sure to rinse
everything off really well, so there isn't any residual on the items.
If you do use bleach inside of the container, use with extreme care & be sure to rinse well
& let it air dry sufficiently before putting everything back in. Or you can use a vinegar &
water solution for inside of the tank instead since it isn't toxic, or a steamer. If your dragon
doesn't make a mess inside of the tank, the cardboard boxes should stay clean & so should
the paper towels, too. It would probably be a good idea to change out the paper towels at
least every other day. You can use them for rags, if they aren't dirty. LOL
Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

He is doing good. He pooped yesterday and ate some veggies today. He is still basking and exploring, which is good. The next time he poops, we will be giving it to our vet. I was doing some more research yesterday. Someone said that if some pieces of wood are soaked in bleach and water, they will mold. The person suggested baking the wood for 30 minutes at 250 degrees, instead.
Should I soak the wood in bleach and water or should I bake it?

I also heard that cleaning and disinfecting aren’t the same thing. This makes sense, but also kinda confuses me.
What should I use for cleaning and how often should I doing cleanings (besides poop cleanings)?
What should I use for disinfecting and how often should I disinfect everything?

Thanks!
- Jen

Hello Jen,

That is great he is doing well today.
Basking & eating is a good sign too. Hopefully he will get past this quickly.
That can definitely happen if after washing/soaking any wood items they are not dried
off well enough. Baking them will kill anything else & sufficiently dry the wood out so
it is sterilized, also. Baking at 250 but no hotter than 300 for 30 or so minutes is perfect.
Cleaning & disinfecting are different. Cleaning just cleans basic germs & dirt while the
sanitizing actually kills coccidia & worms by using bleach & or ammonia based products.
Vinegar & water solutions are great for just overall cleaning.
You don't have to sanitize daily, but weekly during this would be good. Cleaning daily
if he goes potty in his tank is basic so you only need to do that.

Tracie

Ok thank you!

I really don’t like bleach and don’t really like using. So, I was looking into f10 disinfectant. I found two different types of f10 and I’m wondering which one I should use.
Should I use f10SC or f10SCXD?

Thank you!
- Jen

Hello Jen,

I don't blame you, bleach should be used with great caution.
The F10SC is more commonly used & safe. It is widely used for all sorts of jobs.
How are things going today?

Tracie

Ok thanks! I will definitely order the f10SC. Nikko isn’t really eating a lot, so he hasn’t pooped. Hopefully he will poop soon, so I can take it to the vet to get it checked again. I will keep you updated when he poops and his fecal is tested. Thanks again!
- Jen

Hello Jen,

Great, that sounds like a plan then. LOL
I hope Nikko starts to feel better soon & that his appetite picks up also. The meds can be a
little hard on them but his system should clear out soon.
Definitely let us know how the next fecal turns out.

Tracie

Nikko’s fecal results have came in. He only had like 2 worms in the sample, which the vet said is fine. His appetite hasn’t picked up yet. He did eat some hornworms though!

I also ordered some f10SC disinfectant and it came in today. So I will start cleaning his stuff and then put it back into his tank.

I was thinking about soaking the wood and tiles in the water and f10 solution and then scrub them. Then, bake the wood to make sure it is dry and mold doesn’t form. Does this sound good?
Thank you so much for all of your help!

- Jen

Hello Jen,

So sorry I missed your last post!
How did the cleaning go? Did the F10SC work out well for you?
Soaking the wood in the solution is fine, just be sure to rinse the items well & let them air
dry before putting them back into the tank.

Tracie

The cleaner worked well. I cleaned and soaked all of his stuff and his tank. Nikko is doing really good and is eating his bugs and veggies again! We did another fecal exam and the results came back all good too. Thank you guys for all of the help!

- Jen