Coccidia level +4?

[Vexor1717]

Does anyone know about Coccidia levels? We just brought our new beardie (2.5months old) in to test his and it came back with Coccidia +4 which the (regular) vet says is high. He's not ill We just brought it in because you are supposed to when getting them. Can a large meal of crickets raise the level for that bm since crickets are known carriers? We were out of dubias so we had to get crickets one day. Anyway this is how it all started with our 1st beardie Shenron who passed of gout at 7.5 months old. He had pinworms and Coccidia. He was also a Petsmart dragon and our new one is from a reputable breeder from Morphmarket. With Shenron it was almost like the meds he was on for the parasites arewhat made him able to get gout at that age. Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance

 

[Claudiusx]

Pretty much is the highest rating that a vet would use for a parasitic infection.

Definitely needs treatment at those numbers, under normal circumstances.

However, it is NOT recommended to bring your new dragon to the vet right away. Parasite numbers are affected by numerous things, stress being the main one. One of the biggest stressors of your dragons life is the relocation stress it's going through when it moves into a new home. Waiting a few weeks for the relocation stress to settle is what I recommend prior to getting a fecal done.

-Brandon

 

[Vexor1717]

Pretty much is the highest rating that a vet would use for a parasitic infection.

Definitely needs treatment at those numbers, under normal circumstances.

However, it is NOT recommended to bring your new dragon to the vet right away. Parasite numbers are affected by numerous things, stress being the main one. One of the biggest stressors of your dragons life is the relocation stress it's going through when it moves into a new home. Waiting a few weeks for the relocation stress to settle is what I recommend prior to getting a fecal done.

-Brandon

Thank you! A couple of people have told me this now. He is very stressed and skittish so hopefully this is the case. We've had him just over a week how long would you wait?

 

[xp29]

In the mean time you can try to get ahead of it just in case. Coccidia is a tough parasite and it can survive outside the body for a long time. The best way to stop it is to break it's life cycle. It's life cycle requires it to be pooped out and reingested. That happens when your beardie tracks through its poop and spreads the parasite around its enclosure. It then licks things as beardies do and reingests it. Poop needs to be cleaned up ASAP to help prevent that. Like i said above Coccidia it tough. Most cleaners will not come close to killing it. The two main ways are high heat (200ish degrees) and ammonia. Both need to be in contact for around 10 minutes to be effective. Ammonia is toxic so it needs to be rinsed throughly and aired out to zero fumes. Heat wands will work but it's very slow go. Any decor that gets poop on it needs to be sanitized as well, 10 minutes in 200 degree water or 200 degree oven. I would remove any decor that can't be sanitized that way until the Coccidia is cleared up. That's how you will break the life cycle. Beardies carry a load of it naturally and their immune system will keep it in check as long as they are healthy and it is stopped from getting a chance to get ingested again.
I agree completely with @Claudiusx about waiting on the meds. The meds wreak havoc on their appetite and small beardies need to eat to stay healthy and to grow.
I recommend staying on top of sanitizing his habitat and retest in a few weeks.
Oh and btw bleach absolutely will NOT kill Coccidia.

 

[Vexor1717]

In the mean time you can try to get ahead of it just in case. Coccidia is a tough parasite and it can survive outside the body for a long time. The best way to stop it is to break it's life cycle. It's life cycle requires it to be pooped out and reingested. That happens when your beardie tracks through its poop and spreads the parasite around its enclosure. It then licks things as beardies do and reingests it. Poop needs to be cleaned up ASAP to help prevent that. Like i said above Coccidia it tough. Most cleaners will not come close to killing it. The two main ways are high heat (200ish degrees) and ammonia. Both need to be in contact for around 10 minutes to be effective. Ammonia is toxic so it needs to be rinsed throughly and aired out to zero fumes. Heat wands will work but it's very slow go. Any decor that gets poop on it needs to be sanitized as well, 10 minutes in 200 degree water or 200 degree oven. I would remove any decor that can't be sanitized that way until the Coccidia is cleared up. That's how you will break the life cycle. Beardies carry a load of it naturally and their immune system will keep it in check as long as they are healthy and it is stopped from getting a chance to get ingested again.
I agree completely with @Claudiusx about waiting on the meds. The meds wreak havoc on their appetite and small beardies need to eat to stay healthy and to grow.
I recommend staying on top of sanitizing his habitat and retest in a few weeks.
Oh and btw bleach absolutely will NOT kill Coccidia.

Thank you! I agree I want to avoid meds at all costs. My last beardie died of juvenile gout and we think the meds were what made him susceptible.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, that 4+ count is pretty high but since he is likely very stressed from relocating, etc
so give it just a little more time. Usually a couple of weeks or so is good. Hopefully his levels
will naturally go down. You can try giving parsley, mint, basil & oregano mixed up in his greens
to help with parasites naturally.
Is he eating anything right now? He is a little cutie, too! Be sure his basking temperatures are
optimal for him also.

Tracie

 

[Vexor1717]

Hello,

I agree, that 4+ count is pretty high but since he is likely very stressed from relocating, etc
so give it just a little more time. Usually a couple of weeks or so is good. Hopefully his levels
will naturally go down. You can try giving parsley, mint, basil & oregano mixed up in his greens
to help with parasites naturally.
Is he eating anything right now? He is a little cutie, too! Be sure his basking temperatures are
optimal for him also.

Tracie

I will try that with the herbs thank you! Yea he is lol yes he's eating great! He eats mustard greens and another green I dont remember which. He eats tons of dubia roaches but won't touch his bsfl anymore. He is stressed btw. He's very skittish but seems to be getting a little better but if someone opens the front door and he sees he FREAKS out! He doesn't seem to be bothered by us holding him but definitely skittish so hopefully this is why. I think we will wait until he seems to be doing better with that and retest him. We dont want to give meds unless absolutely necessary. This is how it all started with Shenron and I believe the meds are what made him able to catch gout so young. Thank you!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I hope he likes the greens mix variety! It sounds like he
is doing well & is very active.
I agree it is usually best not to medicate unless his health was being affected & he was losing weight, etc.
Medications can definitely be hard on their kidneys.
I'm sure that he will calm down eventually & stop being
so skittish, they take awhile to get used to things!

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

 

[Vexor1717]

Hello,

I hope he likes the greens mix variety! It sounds like he
is doing well & is very active.
I agree it is usually best not to medicate unless his health was being affected & he was losing weight, etc.
Medications can definitely be hard on their kidneys.
I'm sure that he will calm down eventually & stop being
so skittish, they take awhile to get used to things!

Keep us posted on him.
Tracie

Thank you. Yea I mixed some mint and parsley into his salad and he is eating it. Possibly better than without lol. Is this ok daily or no? Yes he is doing great though. I just picked up a steamer and I'm wondering if you could tell me the proper way to use it. It takes 10 min at 200° F right? Do you just hold it in place?

 

[xp29]

Yeah, you steam the area your working on then move on to the next. It's slow, monotonous, and boring .... the things we do for love lol.
I don't really recommend making large sweeps because it gives the area time to cool back down.

 

[Vexor1717]

Yeah, you steam the area your working on then move on to the next. It's slow, monotonous, and boring .... the things we do for love lol.
I don't really recommend making large sweeps because it gives the area time to cool back down.

Ok thanks!

 

[Vexor1717]

Yeah, you steam the area your working on then move on to the next. It's slow, monotonous, and boring .... the things we do for love lol.
I don't really recommend making large sweeps because it gives the area time to cool back down.

F10 spray kills Coccidia right??

 

[Cuttlefishh]

My girl had high coccidia when I got her. It was easily addressed with one round of meds. They always have some level apparently but stress (usually from relocation, adjustment, and being previously housed with other beardies) can cause this to get out of wack.

My girl is over 3yrs old now and on her regular check ups she's not had a reoccurance since

Your boy is gorgeous btw!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The F10 I believe kills the coccidia, since it is ammonium based.
That is great he seems to like the greens mix. You can give that a few times per week, no problem.
I hope he is doing well today!

Tracie

 

[Vexor1717]

My girl had high coccidia when I got her. It was easily addressed with one round of meds. They always have some level apparently but stress (usually from relocation, adjustment, and being previously housed with other beardies) can cause this to get out of wack.

My girl is over 3yrs old now and on her regular check ups she's not had a reoccurance since

Your boy is gorgeous btw!

Thank you! I'm hoping it's just a false high and evens out. I don't want to treat him with medication unless I have to. My last beardie was 3 months old when he started taking parasite meds and he stopped growing, got really sick and passed away it was really rough. I believe the meds messed his kidneys up.