Flagellated protozoans

[LMS72]

Hi,

I just got back from the vet with my girl, Althea, and she has a flagellated protozoan. He thinks she has hexamita. He wasn't 100% sure because they were swimming around pretty fast under the microscope (he showed me a video of them). I noticed on Wed that she seemed sluggish and she wasn't eating (she normally eats 40-50 adult crickets every day and 50-100 medium reptiworms). Yesterday she seemed a bit more like herself, but still wasn't very hungry (she ate 4 crickets). This morning, she was more like herself, and ate 13 crickets and 13 crickets this afternoon. The vet doesn't want to treat the hexamita because it appears there is a controversy as to whether it is part of the normal intestinal fauna or a parasite. He wants to treat her for a bacterial infection that she could have as a result from the hexamita, rather than treat the hexamita. He gave me an antibiotic and a probiotic for her belly. I'm concerned about this because I want to make her better. Should we be treating the hexamit too? Does anybody have any experience with this protozoan?

Althea is approximately 8 months old (dont know exactly). I've had her for 4 months now and other than a problem with coccidia when I first got her, she's been a great eater and seems relatively healthy. Until 2 days ago that is. She lives in a 40 gallon breeder cage with a reptile carpet as 'substrate.'
Her basking spot is 90-95 degrees, the vet told me to up it to 100.

 

[LMS72]

I should also mention that her poop texture changed a couple weeks ago (when I say changed it went from smooth to not one piece and having bits of undigested crickets and reptiworms in it). It happened right around the time I started giving her the adult crickets so I didn't really think anything of it. Not sure if that has anything to do with how she is feeling.

I've been trying to get her to eat more veggies. I've been giving her kale, romaine lettuce and carrots, but she's not really into it. Wednesday I also gave her some thawed chopped okra and some red pepper. Maybe one of those made her sick?

 

[lilgreeneyes]

Not sure about the about the flagellated protozoa or the Hexamita, but I can help with the situation with the undigested food in poo. You gotta definitely get those temps up 100-105F. They need the temps up like this because it helps in the proper digestion of food. I had the same experience a few weeks ago with one of my beardies and that was what was suggested to me. Hope that helps. I hope that someone else will come along who can help you with the other things you are asking about.

 

[LMS72]

Thank you for your help. I got her basking spot over 100 now.

 

[TASTIGER]

Ask him if it could be Giardia. is her poo runny? make sure any greens you give your beardie are washed really well thats usually where humans pick up giardia

 

[LMS72]

Her poop is solid. The only problem we had with that was bits of crickets/reptiworms in it not fully digested. She isn't really into greens yet either. She prefers the bugs for now. I've been trying, but she really doesn't eat much of it. When do they usually start eating those? I thought around this time (8months-ish), but she really isn't into them yet. I've been giving her kale, carrots, red peppers, romaine lettuce, peas.

She is my first dragon. I'm no stranger to reptiles, but my experience is with the gecko kind.