Frank needs your help!!

kav

Member
Frank is my daughters beautiful 16 month old bearded dragon we re-homed about 7 months ago. He is quite the character! He loves to be out and about adventuring in the living room, hiding from us and hanging out.

Recently we noticed his poops were more runny than normal and smelled very bad. Frank also went off his food, he will only eat bugs, Superworms, Hornworms and crickets, no veggies although we offer him veggies everyday in his bowl. We took him to the Vet as we suspected a parasite of some type. Frank looked healthy to the Vet but the fecal sample came back positive for both Ringworm and Coccidian. The Vet gave us Fenbendazole and Albon to treat him over the next 10 days (6 days for the Albon, 10 for the Fenbendazole). After the medication course was complete Frank was still not eating so I brought in another fecal sample which tested negative for the Coccidian but positive for Ringworm. The Vet asked what substrate we had in Franks enclosure, we had a mixture of playsand and organic top soil. The Vet recommended removing the substrate as he thought Frank got re-infected with the Ringworm through it. We removed it all and cleaned the enclosure with a 10% bleach solution making sure we rinsed it down very well before Frank went back in. We laid paper towel down and change it everyday. The Vet was also concerned that Frank maybe impacted because of the substrate but he is still very active and poops regularly.

We continued with the second 10 day treatment of Fenbendazole which has recently come to an end. Through this whole time Frank has not eaten or drank anything which was distressing us very much as you can imagine. We have started giving him a slurry through a syringe twice a day. We have tried baby food, he seems to like peas and butternut squash and even added mashed up worms to it. Frank seems unhappy about taking the slurry and we don't want to force it on him. He has also had some explosive bowel movements due to the slurry so we have stopped.

We checked all his enclosure temps and lights. His basking spot surface temp (we have a heat gun) is between 97 and 110 degrees F. His cold side is between 80 and 90. He has a hide / cave which is 75. He is not in his cave at the moment. At night the thermostat regulates the ceramic heat lamp to be no colder than 70. We also bought a new 22" T5 10.0 UVB bulb (old one had 7 months on it).

Frank still refuses to eat or drink anything although he seems very happy and active. We only let him out for 2 hours a day at the moment (before it was around 4 hours). His enclosure has timed lighting from 8am - 8pm. He sleeps well. We are starting to weigh him regularly (395 grams) and haven't noticed a big drop in his weight.

We are totally bemused by his refusal to eat. We offer him all sorts of bugs and veggies multiple times a day but he ignores it and then closes his eyes to say, "No thank you".

He has not eaten for over a month now so any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Paul, Lily and Frank.

Here is his Exo Terro 36" x 18" x 24" enclosure with lighting setup.

IMG_4883.JPG

Basking light on the left. Timer in the middle. 24" 10.0 UVB fixture. Ceramic heat emitter hooked to the thermostat on the right with probe low in the enclosure.
IMG_4887.JPG

We did have a substrate of playsand and organic top soil which we baked in the oven to sterilize it before it went in. We also had live herbs in each corner to make it look and smell nice.
IMG_4892.JPG

There's Frank!
IMG_4894.JPG


There is his cave under the basking spot. Sometimes he like to sleep or hang out in there. I made the enclosure with foam covered in tile grout and painted with safe acrylic paints.
IMG_4897.JPG


This is what the enclosure looked like when we first got Frank with the substrate (non-bioactive), herbs and tunnel leading to the cave (which he never used so it came out!)
IMG_1821.JPG
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Frank is my daughters beautiful 16 month old bearded dragon we re-homed about 7 months ago. He is quite the character! He loves to be out and about adventuring in the living room, hiding from us and hanging out.

Recently we noticed his poops were more runny than normal and smelled very bad. Frank also went off his food, he will only eat bugs, Superworms, Hornworms and crickets, no veggies although we offer him veggies everyday in his bowl. We took him to the Vet as we suspected a parasite of some type. Frank looked healthy to the Vet but the fecal sample came back positive for both Ringworm and Coccidian. The Vet gave us Fenbendazole and Albon to treat him over the next 10 days (6 days for the Albon, 10 for the Fenbendazole). After the medication course was complete Frank was still not eating so I brought in another fecal sample which tested negative for the Coccidian but positive for Ringworm. The Vet asked what substrate we had in Franks enclosure, we had a mixture of playsand and organic top soil. The Vet recommended removing the substrate as he thought Frank got re-infected with the Ringworm through it. We removed it all and cleaned the enclosure with a 10% bleach solution making sure we rinsed it down very well before Frank went back in. We laid paper towel down and change it everyday. The Vet was also concerned that Frank maybe impacted because of the substrate but he is still very active and poops regularly.

We continued with the second 10 day treatment of Fenbendazole which has recently come to an end. Through this whole time Frank has not eaten or drank anything which was distressing us very much as you can imagine. We have started giving him a slurry through a syringe twice a day. We have tried baby food, he seems to like peas and butternut squash and even added mashed up worms to it. Frank seems unhappy about taking the slurry and we don't want to force it on him. He has also had some explosive bowel movements due to the slurry so we have stopped.

We checked all his enclosure temps and lights. His basking spot surface temp (we have a heat gun) is between 97 and 110 degrees F. His cold side is between 80 and 90. He has a hide / cave which is 75. He is not in his cave at the moment. At night the thermostat regulates the ceramic heat lamp to be no colder than 70. We also bought a new 22" T5 10.0 UVB bulb (old one had 7 months on it).

Frank still refuses to eat or drink anything although he seems very happy and active. We only let him out for 2 hours a day at the moment (before it was around 4 hours). His enclosure has timed lighting from 8am - 8pm. He sleeps well. We are starting to weigh him regularly (395 grams) and haven't noticed a big drop in his weight.

We are totally bemused by his refusal to eat. We offer him all sorts of bugs and veggies multiple times a day but he ignores it and then closes his eyes to say, "No thank you".

He has not eaten for over a month now so any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Paul, Lily and Frank.

Here is his Exo Terro 36" x 18" x 24" enclosure with lighting setup.

View attachment 65410
Basking light on the left. Timer in the middle. 24" 10.0 UVB fixture. Ceramic heat emitter hooked to the thermostat on the right with probe low in the enclosure.
View attachment 65411
We did have a substrate of playsand and organic top soil which we baked in the oven to sterilize it before it went in. We also had live herbs in each corner to make it look and smell nice.
View attachment 65412
There's Frank!
View attachment 65413

There is his cave under the basking spot. Sometimes he like to sleep or hang out in there. I made the enclosure with foam covered in tile grout and painted with safe acrylic paints.
View attachment 65414

This is what the enclosure looked like when we first got Frank with the substrate (non-bioactive), herbs and tunnel leading to the cave (which he never used so it came out!)
View attachment 65415
The tank looks higher than 24 inches --- sorry --- I would suggest moving the UVB inside the tank w/a distance of 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor piece --- dragons need floor space not height -- basking temps need to be 95-100 taken w/a digital probe thermometer and I agree w/ the vet it is possible he was reinfected w/ the substrate - when treating for parasites etc it is best to have paper towels so you can disinfect every time he poops and to have little decor while treating as that needs to be disinfected as well and less work for you --- to keep those parasites away it is imperative to have the basking temps and UVB up to par ---
 

kav

Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the reply Karrie. As you can see from the attached photo's the enclosure is indeed 24" high. I think the wide angle of the lens makes it feel taller. I have gone ahead and moved the UVB strip light on the inside above the basking spot as per your suggestion and double, triple checked the temps.

So you think Frank's lack of appetite is down to incorrect lighting? Not getting enough UVB?

We just want to get him well and back on track, thanks for the advice.

-P.
IMG_5024.JPG

IMG_5022.JPG

IMG_5026.JPG

IMG_5028.JPG
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Thanks for the reply Karrie. As you can see from the attached photo's the enclosure is indeed 24" high. I think the wide angle of the lens makes it feel taller. I have gone ahead and moved the UVB strip light on the inside above the basking spot as per your suggestion and double, triple checked the temps.

So you think Frank's lack of appetite is down to incorrect lighting? Not getting enough UVB?

We just want to get him well and back on track, thanks for the advice.

-P.
View attachment 65445
View attachment 65444
View attachment 65446
View attachment 65447
yes watch his behavior now -- his appetite should increase --- thats also gonna help w/ those parasites --- the basking temps and the UVB all play a role in his ability to keep the parasites in check - they all carry some but when the numbers get too high they cant control them but the lighting in the tank is going to help him -- I am guessing hes not going to sit on that top part right side of the pic as its real close for a T 5 bulb -- I am thinking hes going to sit on that top wide part of the shelf on left side of the tank -- what is the distance there --- can you remove the back wall or is that permanent ?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, are you sure that your vet said ringworm ? Because that's a fungal infection on the skin, not an actual parasite. Frank probably lost his appetite because of the meds. by the way. He is pretty hefty so it won't hurt him to be off the insects for a bit. He does need some nutrition though so keep offering them a couple times a week.
 

kav

Member
Original Poster
Hi there, are you sure that your vet said ringworm ? Because that's a fungal infection on the skin, not an actual parasite. Frank probably lost his appetite because of the meds. by the way. He is pretty hefty so it won't hurt him to be off the insects for a bit. He does need some nutrition though so keep offering them a couple times a week.

Sorry Pinworm!

We've made the changes to his enclosure lighting bringing the UVB inside the tank. I also like to take him outside for natural UV and he basks on my leg for 15mins before he suddenly makes a dash for freedom! (We never take him outside without a harness). I then bring him inside and let him run around the living room for an hour or so.

Hopefully his appetite will return soon. I will continue to feed him a slurry through a syringe every other day to keep him hydrated, or should I just leave him be and wait for him to take food again?

Here is Frank basking outside!

-P.

IMG_5047.JPG
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Sorry Pinworm!

We've made the changes to his enclosure lighting bringing the UVB inside the tank. I also like to take him outside for natural UV and he basks on my leg for 15mins before he suddenly makes a dash for freedom! (We never take him outside without a harness). I then bring him inside and let him run around the living room for an hour or so.

Hopefully his appetite will return soon. I will continue to feed him a slurry through a syringe every other day to keep him hydrated, or should I just leave him be and wait for him to take food again?

Here is Frank basking outside!

-P.

View attachment 65465
Ok watch Frankies behavior w/ the UVB being moved and its great hes outside ---- keep feeding him like normal w/ out the syringe feeding see if he starts on his own now --- he may be just lazy but we need to see if the UVB in the tank makes a difference --- and he hasnt eaten over a month-- nothing at all w/ just you feeding him by syringe? Meds can effect the appetite is he still on those meds and if not how long has he been off of them?
 

kav

Member
Original Poster
Ok watch Frankies behavior w/ the UVB being moved and its great hes outside ---- keep feeding him like normal w/ out the syringe feeding see if he starts on his own now --- he may be just lazy but we need to see if the UVB in the tank makes a difference --- and he hasnt eaten over a month-- nothing at all w/ just you feeding him by syringe? Meds can effect the appetite is he still on those meds and if not how long has he been off of them?

Yes Frank he not eaten anything for around 6 weeks unless I feed him through a syringe. I only started feeding him this way in the past couple of weeks as we were so worried about him. He finished the meds last Friday 11/19.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes Frank he not eaten anything for around 6 weeks unless I feed him through a syringe. I only started feeding him this way in the past couple of weeks as we were so worried about him. He finished the meds last Friday 11/19.
Ok so lets see if he starts eating again -- feed him first his appetite may pick back up here again soon now that hes been off the meds for awhile - how high was the parasites? If it is real high it will cause them not to eat
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Outside time is so good for them and he looks great ! Nice and lean and healthy looking. He should get his appetite back soon, syringe feeding is O.K a couple times a week until then.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Frank does look very good there! He should recover just fine, his colors look great! If he likes getting some slurries from a dropper or
syringe, definitely continue that a few times per week. Pinworms are a normal ailment so usually easy enough to get under control.

Tracie
 

kav

Member
Original Poster
**poop pictures warning**

Its been a week so I thought I’d give an update on Frank. He still refuses any type of food.

I do feed him a slurry three times a week made of mashed up Superworms and a tiny bit of butternut squash baby food to make it all flow nicely from the syringe. It’s a delight to make! He takes the syringe very well and seems to like it.

He seems happier at the moment, not so many black beards. He loves to be outside with me catching the sun and then running around the living room.

His poops have always been very watery and loose since he first got sick. They were very stinky before the medication but not so bad now. Here’s today’s stool, same as usual.

(sorry for the poop pictures but I feel it’s important to share).

Is this ok or is something else going on?

Thanks for your help.

-Paul, Lily & Frank

D1D2FB3A-8B7B-4409-A67D-CE1786591212.jpeg
6D4BDFCC-D397-492B-995E-2FF98A1EA382.jpeg
 
Last edited:

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
**poop pictures warning**

Its been a week so I thought I’d give an update on Frank. He still refuses any type of food.

I do feed him a slurry three times a week made of mashed up Superworms and a tiny bit of butternut squash baby food to make it all flow nicely from the syringe. It’s a delight to make! He takes the syringe very well and seems to like it.

He seems happier at the moment, not so many black beards. He loves to be outside with me catching the sun and then running around the living room.

His poops have always been very watery and loose since he first got sick. They were very stinky before the medication but not so bad now. Here’s today’s stool, same as usual.

(sorry for the poop pictures but I feel it’s important to share).

Is this ok or is something else going on?

Thanks for your help.

-Paul, Lily & Frank

View attachment 65613 View attachment 65611
Has a fecal been done for parasites? If not I would take one in -- NO enemas--- he may have a high number of parasites going causing the not eating
 

kav

Member
Original Poster
Has a fecal been done for parasites? If not I would take one in -- NO enemas--- he may have a high number of parasites going causing the not eating
The history on this is:

He was positive for both Pinworm and Coccidian. The Vet gave us Fenbendazole and Albon to treat him over the next 10 days (6 days for the Albon, 10 for the Fenbendazole). After the medication course was complete Frank was still not eating so I brought in another fecal sample which tested negative for the Coccidian but positive for Pinworm. We've been through another 10 days on the Fenbendazole and the Vet wants to wait 2 months to do another fecal test.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The history on this is:

He was positive for both Pinworm and Coccidian. The Vet gave us Fenbendazole and Albon to treat him over the next 10 days (6 days for the Albon, 10 for the Fenbendazole). After the medication course was complete Frank was still not eating so I brought in another fecal sample which tested negative for the Coccidian but positive for Pinworm. We've been through another 10 days on the Fenbendazole and the Vet wants to wait 2 months to do another fecal test.
I would say the meds are causing the not eating- as long as his basking temps are good along w/ uvb I would keep track of his weight and keep feeding him
 

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