Ultrabeard
Member
Hello all, I am an owner of a 2 year old beardie named Zeus.
History is around 6-12 months old he had coccidia and pinworm issues that caused very loose stool/urate. Medicine did not work, rather it reduced the count and there was no change in symptoms. A bacterial fecal culture showed no issues with bacteria too.
For some reason, it cleared up completely when I stopped feeding his dubia roaches fruits/oranges. Now I only feed dubia what I may normally feed him, e.g. carrots, squash, and (except for him) mainly dubia diet which is a grain based gutload.
He ate greens alot when I first got him, but when he started getting the loose poops, the vet told me to try reducing greens for a week and see what happens - well he stopped wanting greens after that break, only wants a few pieces anymore.
During that time with the loose poops, I suppose he had a lot of straining, and that's when he would have a drop of blood at the END of his movements. It was an on and off thing.
He went into what I would say is brumation (1 yr 4 mths old) from last October to this past May, almost a year. He would wake up once a week or so, eat or not eat, and just want to sleep under his hide all the time. I'd say for 4 weeks straight it was heavy sleep, and he pooped once every 4 weeks only twice. Normally, he was pooping once a week, very inactive, only gets up for water/snacks once a week. Weekly baths, etc. I offered what care I could during this time.
I was getting worried in May that he was STILL sluggish. I got Repta Boost supplement, and it's almost like a pancake mix, with vitamins minerals and electrolytes. The next time he came out his hide, I offered this to him. Gave him about 6ml. Also gave a few drops of 100% coconut water. The next day he was extremely perky, eating alot, basking, etc. Seemed more normal.
But now, he is having the aforementioned issue again in the subject line. He's pooping EVERY day, the first is a good stool with urate, and almost always a SECOND movement thats just urate WITH BLOOD at the end, just a tinge. Always there's water with movements. It doesn't happen every time, but most of the time the blood tinge.
Recently got a double-sampled parasite culture by a local vet, I had two REALLY GOOD samples and he looked at both. Extremely low pinworm and coccidia! He's treated for pinworms before for one of the staff's beardies, so it would make sense if there was a problem he definitely knows what to look for...he recommended to increase bugs, reduce fruits further and try to firm up the stool, and if it persists, to 'try' antibiotics to treat the blood tinge. It's really all up in the air though,as nothing is working.
Behavior issues: He ALWAYS wants to get out of his tank and HIDE under large furniture. Except sometimes he will actually chill all day in his basking spot 98-100f, but rarely (sometimes fall asleep there too). I tried adding more things in the tank and there's no difference. He's obsessed with trying to climb the walls, etc. extremely active, but when he finds a good hiding spot under furniture...he's done. He will glass surf all day, and I leave work at 2 or 3 pm and hes still doing it, and I have a camera setup so i know what's going on. If I take him outside w/leash, he has no reaction and just BASKS! He's never once walked/run outside! Lizard is strange!
Note: today he came out at 7:30 am and waited under the basking area for it to turn on around 8:30 :? ...
I don't know what to make of this anymore as this is my first beardie. What do you guys think of this? Is he trying to get away from light/heat? How do you treat loose urate/blood tinge?
I think honestly it's a stalemate, neither parasite or bacteria...then what is it? I don't think any vet can really figure this out as it's a guessing game by now. That's why I'm posting this. Wouldn't he be like really messed up if it was bacteria? Why would he get JUST bacteria? Is antibiotic REALLY gonna do anything?
Dragon Origin: Good reviews, renown breeder at a Repticon.
Tank: 36x18x18
T5 light
gu10 35w halogen
secondary 50w basking spot bulb w/lamp (recent)
Basking area right around 98-100f (temp gun!); Cool area 80-83f
Weight: 450g beardie
Substrate: paper towels and ceramic tiles
Cleaning: Steam cleaner - monthly, flukers super scrub (rinse the tiles when soiled) Chlorhexidine on occasion.
Baths: Weekly or bi-weekly baths. Or when soiled.
Diet: dubia, supers, collards, bok choy, yellow squash, butternut squash
Treats: blueberries, hornworms, phoenix worms etc.
Rep-Cal ALWAYS with bugs (cept horns and phoenix), and vitamin dust either on bugs/fruit 1x week.
Quantity: Bugs 2-3x a week, Large dubia nymphs. 10-12 bugs.5-8 head sized pieces of greens by TRICKING him when trying to eat a bug (put leaf on his tongue when attacking roach), once or twice a week. So not many greens - only eats 4-6 pieces greens out of bowl when not fed food for 3-4 days straight.
He cannot eat more than 15 large nymphs - he gets 'full' at that point.
The loose urate and blood:
Trying to get out:
Still trying to get out with plenty of things to climb (added paper to reduce reflection - no difference):
History is around 6-12 months old he had coccidia and pinworm issues that caused very loose stool/urate. Medicine did not work, rather it reduced the count and there was no change in symptoms. A bacterial fecal culture showed no issues with bacteria too.
For some reason, it cleared up completely when I stopped feeding his dubia roaches fruits/oranges. Now I only feed dubia what I may normally feed him, e.g. carrots, squash, and (except for him) mainly dubia diet which is a grain based gutload.
He ate greens alot when I first got him, but when he started getting the loose poops, the vet told me to try reducing greens for a week and see what happens - well he stopped wanting greens after that break, only wants a few pieces anymore.
During that time with the loose poops, I suppose he had a lot of straining, and that's when he would have a drop of blood at the END of his movements. It was an on and off thing.
He went into what I would say is brumation (1 yr 4 mths old) from last October to this past May, almost a year. He would wake up once a week or so, eat or not eat, and just want to sleep under his hide all the time. I'd say for 4 weeks straight it was heavy sleep, and he pooped once every 4 weeks only twice. Normally, he was pooping once a week, very inactive, only gets up for water/snacks once a week. Weekly baths, etc. I offered what care I could during this time.
I was getting worried in May that he was STILL sluggish. I got Repta Boost supplement, and it's almost like a pancake mix, with vitamins minerals and electrolytes. The next time he came out his hide, I offered this to him. Gave him about 6ml. Also gave a few drops of 100% coconut water. The next day he was extremely perky, eating alot, basking, etc. Seemed more normal.
But now, he is having the aforementioned issue again in the subject line. He's pooping EVERY day, the first is a good stool with urate, and almost always a SECOND movement thats just urate WITH BLOOD at the end, just a tinge. Always there's water with movements. It doesn't happen every time, but most of the time the blood tinge.
Recently got a double-sampled parasite culture by a local vet, I had two REALLY GOOD samples and he looked at both. Extremely low pinworm and coccidia! He's treated for pinworms before for one of the staff's beardies, so it would make sense if there was a problem he definitely knows what to look for...he recommended to increase bugs, reduce fruits further and try to firm up the stool, and if it persists, to 'try' antibiotics to treat the blood tinge. It's really all up in the air though,as nothing is working.
Behavior issues: He ALWAYS wants to get out of his tank and HIDE under large furniture. Except sometimes he will actually chill all day in his basking spot 98-100f, but rarely (sometimes fall asleep there too). I tried adding more things in the tank and there's no difference. He's obsessed with trying to climb the walls, etc. extremely active, but when he finds a good hiding spot under furniture...he's done. He will glass surf all day, and I leave work at 2 or 3 pm and hes still doing it, and I have a camera setup so i know what's going on. If I take him outside w/leash, he has no reaction and just BASKS! He's never once walked/run outside! Lizard is strange!
Note: today he came out at 7:30 am and waited under the basking area for it to turn on around 8:30 :? ...
I don't know what to make of this anymore as this is my first beardie. What do you guys think of this? Is he trying to get away from light/heat? How do you treat loose urate/blood tinge?
I think honestly it's a stalemate, neither parasite or bacteria...then what is it? I don't think any vet can really figure this out as it's a guessing game by now. That's why I'm posting this. Wouldn't he be like really messed up if it was bacteria? Why would he get JUST bacteria? Is antibiotic REALLY gonna do anything?
Dragon Origin: Good reviews, renown breeder at a Repticon.
Tank: 36x18x18
T5 light
gu10 35w halogen
secondary 50w basking spot bulb w/lamp (recent)
Basking area right around 98-100f (temp gun!); Cool area 80-83f
Weight: 450g beardie
Substrate: paper towels and ceramic tiles
Cleaning: Steam cleaner - monthly, flukers super scrub (rinse the tiles when soiled) Chlorhexidine on occasion.
Baths: Weekly or bi-weekly baths. Or when soiled.
Diet: dubia, supers, collards, bok choy, yellow squash, butternut squash
Treats: blueberries, hornworms, phoenix worms etc.
Rep-Cal ALWAYS with bugs (cept horns and phoenix), and vitamin dust either on bugs/fruit 1x week.
Quantity: Bugs 2-3x a week, Large dubia nymphs. 10-12 bugs.5-8 head sized pieces of greens by TRICKING him when trying to eat a bug (put leaf on his tongue when attacking roach), once or twice a week. So not many greens - only eats 4-6 pieces greens out of bowl when not fed food for 3-4 days straight.
He cannot eat more than 15 large nymphs - he gets 'full' at that point.
The loose urate and blood:
Trying to get out:
Still trying to get out with plenty of things to climb (added paper to reduce reflection - no difference):