Parasites or Semi-Brumation?

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RarestDragon

Hatchling Member
Lately my dragon, Lyrica, has been a bit sluggish lately. She's 7 1/2 months old now and is about 17 inches long. Her terrarium is a 36" x 18" x 18" with temps about 78 degrees on the cool side, about 85 degrees on the warm side and her basking spot is about 100-105 degrees. At night, I don't let my room fall below 75 degrees, I usually keep it at about 80 degrees. The UVB is a repti-sun T8 uvb tube that stretches across her entire enclosure. Substrate is just vinyl tile.

This started last month when she stopped eating her veggies. I thought she was just being a bit picky because she still ate all her bugs no problem. As time went on, she'd start eating less and less. She still eats every day, but only a few bugs, maybe three or four. She still poops regularly, about every other day and the poops smell pretty bad but I'm not sure how bad it needs to smell before parasites are considered. The smell isn't nearly as bad as cat poop, dog poop, or even human poop(depending on who made it and what they ate). The poop is a little mushy but is formed enough to be considered normal.

She's also been sleepy for the past few weeks. But what I find really odd is that about one day out of the week she decides to run around like she's trying to win a marathon. I let her out of her cage and she explored my desk, nightstand and bed with enthusiasm for about an hour. Then the next few days she's sleepy again. She's still somewhat alert, but just lazes around all day.

She hasn't lost any weight as far as I can tell. I also did the pinch skin thing to see if she was dehydrated, which she's not.

This is what she's been doing most of the time.

90684-478110100.jpg

This will be my first winter with a beardie and it's a bit worrying. Is this the semi-brumation that I've read about or does it sound like parasites? I'm not panicking just yet, but I'd like a few opinions. I still might make a vet appt. just to be on the safe side. But if I do, does anybody have tips on taking a beardie to the vet when it's cold?
 

RarestDragon

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Oh, and I almost forgot. What's the general price for a full range of tests? I've never gotten them all done at once. I know it varies from vet to vet but I'd like an average if at all possible.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, it could be that she senses the weather change and is going through a slight slow down phase. First things to consider , is her uvb bulb still putting out enough ub ? Some people recommend changing them every 6 months because they can produce light for years but the uvb diminishes to almost nothing. A fecal test should be less than $100 but when you say a full range of tests that would include a blood panel that's a lot more. You can just start out with the fecal and when you bring her in just ask for the cost of having a blood test done. Oh, and one of the MOST important things, be sure the vet really knows about + works with beardies. Otherwise you can spend a lot of money for incorrect advice + treatment.



Transporting is easy, just get a small gym bag , animal carrier or even cardboard box or platic container [ no need for airholes as some people think ] Line it with paper towels + shredded newspaper in case someone needs to poo during the trip. Warm the car to room temp. and just put her right in. I've taken beardies out when it was below freezing, no problem at all. ]
 

RarestDragon

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3rdcel57 said:
Hi there, it could be that she senses the weather change and is going through a slight slow down phase. First things to consider , is her uvb bulb still putting out enough ub ? Some people recommend changing them every 6 months because they can produce light for years but the uvb diminishes to almost nothing. A fecal test should be less than $100 but when you say a full range of tests that would include a blood panel that's a lot more. You can just start out with the fecal and when you bring her in just ask for the cost of having a blood test done. Oh, and one of the MOST important things, be sure the vet really knows about + works with beardies. Otherwise you can spend a lot of money for incorrect advice + treatment.



Transporting is easy, just get a small gym bag , animal carrier or even cardboard box or platic container [ no need for airholes as some people think ] Line it with paper towels + shredded newspaper in case someone needs to poo during the trip. Warm the car to room temp. and just put her right in. I've taken beardies out when it was below freezing, no problem at all. ]

The UVB bulb in her terrarium right now is only two months old. I change mine every 4 months. The vet I have in mind has a good reputation, good reviews and in fact was recommended by someone on this forum. So I'll give them a call soon. I might have to wait until after my dental appointment, though. That's why I was worried about the cost of a fecal. Such an inconvenient time to need expensive dental work done...

Thank you for the transporting tips.
 
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