beardielove10":3pjdan01 said:
Hello,
I took my beardies to the vet yesterday and it turns out they have pinworms
. Makes mom sad. Anyway, the vet told me they most likely got them from crickets. The vet told me that crickets should only be fed once a month for a "treat." Because they can get stuck in their GI tract and cause impaction with the wings and antennas and long legs. Also because they carry pinworms. She told me that my beardies look like they need more protein and told me to just use meal worms. I have seen shell casings of the meal worms in their stool...is that normal? My beardies eat and poop every day and the vet said that's not normal either. So, she prescribed my beardies with Fenbendazole. Should I buy a probiotic after I do the first five days..wait two weeks..then do the last five days to replace the good bacteria?
You need to find another veterinarian immediately. I would run from this vet as quickly as humanly possible. This entire paragraph is extremely worrisome. A cricket could get stuck in the GI tract of a bearded dragon if you are feeding crickets that are too large - larger than the space between their eyes, but appropriately sized crickets will not.
Mealworms have very little nutritional value and are difficult to digest, and they are not recommended for bearded dragons. Your vet scares me. Most of my bearded dragons eat and poop every day. This is normal. I have 14 healthy dragons, all eating and pooping constantly. Again, your vet scares me.
Fenbendazole is a good medication for pinworms. Can you please tell me the strength of the Fenbendazole that was recommended, and the dosage that was prescribed, and how much your dragons weigh in grams. I would worry if your vet has already made some mistakes in what she has told you, she may not have the dosage of the medication corrrect, so it would be good to double-check her.
What is a good source of protein? If the vet says basically no crickets and just worms..is that really the best? I thought meal worms weren;t that good for them..and crickets were the best. But if I give them crickets they will get pinworms? AHHH! I am so confused. All the research I have done on nutrition basically went down the drain after this vet visit. I have a 13 month old and a 6 month old.
Mealworms are horrible, please do not feed them to bearded dragons. If your dragons are over 16" in length, you can feed superworms. They are higher in fat than other feeders, so you will need to limit how many you feed. You can also feed silkworms, which are over 60% protein and a very high quality feeder. If you can get butterworms, they are naturally high in calcium and healthy for your dragons. You can feed waxworms as a treat, since they are like beardie candy bars. Another good staple is dubia roaches, which have a higher meat-to-shell ratio than crickets. If you get crickets from a good source that has healthy bugs, then you shouldn't be picking up pinworms. Then again, I don't feed crickets very much except to the babies.
BTW- I did go to a vet that specializes in exotics.
Hard to believe.... :shock:
Also, what veggies are good for them to eat other than greens? The vet told me frozen veggies like corn, peas, green beans, and carrots. I read on beautiful dragons nutrition chart that none of those are good. It basically said all veggies should only be fed occasionally because they aren't that good for them. What is occasionally then..once a week? What is good for them then if veggies aren't that great??
I am so sorry but I can't even believe your vet is telling you this crap. This vet is just horrid. Frozen veggies do not contain Thiamine and your dragon will get a B vitamin deficiency if you only feed frozen. What is wrong with your vet?? Your bearded dragon needs veggies offered every single day of his life. You can feed turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens. Whichever of these your dragons like should be a daily staple fed first thing in the morning.
I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET. I am so confused and just need the RIGHT advice that will help my beardies be happy and HEALTHY again
Maybe a good schedule for each beardie of mine weekly? The breeder I got them from when Gizmo was 8 months and Sheldon was 3 months must have not taken great care of them because he vet thought they are very small built. Am I doing something wrong???
Thanks!!!
Ps- the vet told me that I can get pinworms from them because I hold them all the time and sometimes let them take bites of my food, then rip off the part they touched and not eat it. Also because I give them a little kiss when I pick them up. She said I have a very high chance of getting other diseases from them also. How serious is this?
Keep kissing your dragons. I don't have worms and I have eaten of the same spoon as my blue tongue skink. If you would like to give the name of your vet and the city, I would send education materials in an attempt to educate her. I am shocked and saddened that this vet has people putting their trust in her, because the advice is horrible.
A few things I want to clarify just to make sure your vet didn't sabotage the rest of your husbandry. Do you have a UVB and what kind and strength do you have? Do you have a bright basking bulb that gets the basking spot to 105*F? Are you dusting feeders with calcium powder 5 days a week and a multivitamin 2 days a week?
Do get the probiotic to help with the medications. Please come back with the information on the meds prescribed so we can double-check. WOW I am in SHOCK over what you have just posted here. :shock:
:?