Loose stool for a few weeks—help!!!

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My bearded dragon Pyxis has been having loose stool pretty consistently for the last three weeks. I have tried tweaking a couple things in my hudbandry to fix it, but that hasn't worked thus far. Maybe the hive mind out there can help.

A little background info:
Age: About 4 months
Measurements: 150 grams, 14 inches (including tail)
Diet: He averages about 55 dubia roaches and 30 BSFL each day. He doesn't really drink water, even if I try dripping some on his nose. When he eats veggies, it is mainly collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, papaya, and acorn squash.
Supplements: Ca + D3 7 times a week, Multivitamin every other day
Enclosure: 40 gallon tank (36"x18"x18')
Substrate: Tile
Setup: Includes stacked flat rocks for basking, a small hide he sometimes curls up in, dishes for bugs/veggies, artificial succulents. No water dish.
Lights/Heat: I have a 22" Reptisun 10.0 HO T5 UVB lamp and a MegaRay 100w UVB. I have a CHE that I turn on when the weather gets cooler.
Temps: Basking spot is averaging about 105. Warm side is 95. Cool side is 75-85.
Baths: About once a week

The problem: His stool is very mushy and unformed. He essentially appears to be having big piles of diarrhea instead of the well-formed logs he used to be producing. He usually poops twice a day, usually after each of his dubia meals. Most days, the morning poop is a mushy pile of mess and the afternoon poop is slightly more well-formed. Some days both are just loose piles.

What I've tried:
The first thing I tried was increasing his basking temperatures as they had been a little low with the weather cooling down. I added a CHE to my setup and asking temps have been steadily between 105-110 for the past week and a half. This did not seem to change his loose stool.

Next I tried cutting out veggies and fruit. It was only a few weeks ago that he started showing a lot of interest in his salad, taking big bites of it first thing in the mornings. I thought this change could have been causing his upset stomach, so I cut out all veggies and fruit almost a week ago with the intention of introducing them back one, but this change hasn't seemed to make a difference in his loose stool. I also tried cutting out some of the treats I was occasionally giving him (such as hornworms), but that didn't help either.

His appetite seems unaffected by whatever is going on (which makes me think it isn't parasites). Everything else appears to be normal. I haven't noticed any behavioral changes or other signs of a problem. The consistently loose stool is the only issue I can identify.

I have a vet appointment for Tuesday and will see what they say. Just figured I'd put this out there for you all in the meantime!

Any ideas or thoughts? I would SO appreciate the input!

Thanks!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Your husbandry looks good, he sounds healthy, and if it had been caused by his sudden interest in greens and veggies (which is good btw, he's getting his hydration from those) it would have been temporary. So the fact that it's been continuous and constant without other symptoms indicates a need for fecal testing for parasites, worms, high coccidia counts, etc. He can certainly have parasites present without an appetite issue or weight loss, usually you see weight loss with either worms, or after a long period of time with the parasites present, but not all intestinal parasites will cause weight loss. It's good you have a vet appointment, take a fresh fecal sample with you...And if he ends up with a high coccidia count ask for Toltrazuril (Ponazuril) instead of Albon, Albon is much harsher, doesn't work as well, and takes 14-28 days to finish. The Toltrazuril is quick and usually works extremely well.

Have you tried adding probiotics?
 

emisapisou

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":2ucdy0yj said:
Your husbandry looks good, he sounds healthy, and if it had been caused by his sudden interest in greens and veggies (which is good btw, he's getting his hydration from those) it would have been temporary. So the fact that it's been continuous and constant without other symptoms indicates a need for fecal testing for parasites, worms, high coccidia counts, etc. He can certainly have parasites present without an appetite issue or weight loss, usually you see weight loss with either worms, or after a long period of time with the parasites present, but not all intestinal parasites will cause weight loss. It's good you have a vet appointment, take a fresh fecal sample with you...And if he ends up with a high coccidia count ask for Toltrazuril (Ponazuril) instead of Albon, Albon is much harsher, doesn't work as well, and takes 14-28 days to finish. The Toltrazuril is quick and usually works extremely well.

Have you tried adding probiotics?

Thank you so much for your response and your advice. I will definitely bring a fecal sample with me and keep your comment about Toltrazuril in mind.

He definitely hasn't lost any weight. In fact, in the past week he set a record for amount of weight gained (25 grams! Which is more than he weighed total when I first got him. Wow). He has been growing so fast, which I take to be a good sign, at least.

I have actually been reading up on probiotics a bit as something to try while waiting for the vet appointment. Would it be worth it to try giving him some soy yogurt? Or is there something else you'd suggest?
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Non-dairy soy yogurt is great, as is non-dairy acidophilus. Either should cost his tummy and protect it from the meds, as well as replace the normal flora in his gastrointestinal tract that the meds may deplete.
 
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