Sick beardie?

Today, I got home from work and my 4 month male beardie Blaze was VERY dark, his beard was showing a black color. He was just laying on his hammock and wasn't very active. I checked back for his dinner to see how he was doing and he looked a bit better. He was still slightly dark, but was excited for his dinner. I saw that he had defecated, but it wasn't very solid and he had not digested many of his phoenix worms.

I took him to a vet a couple weeks ago and had his stool checked. They told me he had something called oxyurids, but they go through a life-cycle and should die away and my dragon would be fine. I just curious if that has something to do with all this?

Hello,

I am sorry your dragon isn't doing well.
Did the vet not medicate him at all for the pinworms?
It sounds like he still needs some type of treatment then, if his stool is too loose or smells very strong. Panacur is normally the drug of choice to help with the pinworms or oxyurids.
Is he eating very well right now?
Can you review your overall tank setup such as the type/brand of UVB, the temperatures in the tank as well as the supplementation you give him.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

Thank you for replying so quickly. The vet did not give me anything for the oxyurids and said they would just go away...so now I am here.

He eats very well! I give him 30 phoenix worms twice a day (and he is always eager to eat them all) along with his salad. He loved green beans, asparagus, basil, and strawberries, but I always give him a mixture of a bunch of greens, veggies, and the occasional fruit. I use phoenix worms because they are a great source of calcium. I give his repti-vitamins twice a week, usually Friday and Saturday. For his tank, I use a 100 watt basking bulb and a reptisun 10.0 compact bulb. I am aware that I should switch to the reptisun fluorescent bulb, but I haven't had the funds to do so, but I definitely plan to soon. His basking temp is around 110 degrees, his ambient hot side in 90 and the cool side is 75-80 degrees.

His poop today was much more compact, but I could see some undigested phoenix worms...his poop is also pretty smelly. Although it is compact, there is a liquidy absorption in the paper towel, is this all signs of parasites?

Finally, where could I buy online some medication to treat the parasites? I'm hoping to order something off Amazon Prime so I can get it asap. I just want Blaze to be happy and feel good too!

Hello,

That's great he is eating so well then. Maybe his levels were low enough that the vet wasn't compelled to give any drugs. Though, a few doses of Panacur would be fine though, if you
wanted to give some since he did have pinworms.
You can look for Panacur on Amazon, as it isn't necessary to have a prescription.
It is relatively normal for them to excrete a small amount of fluids with stools, especially if they are well hydrated.
If he is acting normal & doesn't have a constant black beard, he should be fine.
It is fairly common for small worms to go through them undigested, if they don't chew them up very well.
If possible, I would recommend replacing the Reptisun compact/coil light because they really don't emit very good quality of UVB. You could look for either the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb. They are both very good & emit excellent quality of UVB.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

You'll want to make sure you do something about the undigested Phoenix Worms, since if he doesn't digest them, he isn't getting anything from them. Typically it is because the dragon takes in large mouthfuls of the worms and doesn't chew. To alleviate this problem, try feeding one worm at a time so he has to chew each one. You can also try pricking a hole in each worm before serving to make sure his digestive fluids get inside and kill any worms he didn't chew. You can also grow the worms, which is the easiest and most nutritious option anyway. There is a great tutorial here: viewtopic.php?f=76&t=191525

Is there a Panacur medication for reptiles/ bearded dragons in specific? I mostly find it for canines...can I use the canine medication for my dragon?

As for feeding, for lunch I give him his worms in a dish because I don't have time to hand feed him. But for dinner I hand feed him one at a time.

Then maybe growing the worms larger is your best option, so you can still put them in a dish but they will be big enough to force him to chew instead of swallowing them whole.

You can order reptile specific supplements and medications from here: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Reptilestore.html