Has anyone experienced this?

[TheWerewolf]

First, I don't know where this should really go. I thought 'General Discussion' would be good. Second, this is my question/problem.
So, one, two or three months ago my Nim got some crickets from Petco. He did a runny poop the next day. Then he did a good poop, and a runny poop, good poop, good poop and it went good on from there. The parasite scare was over. Then a few weeks later my Nim eats some small pieces of bark, with some applesauce baby food and olive oil it passed right through. But his pooping problems still haunt me. After two or three weeks of pooping everyday I begin to skip his baths due to laziness and stupidity. Now the pooping struggles have returned. He didn't poop yesterday. But this isn't my exact problem. Two days before his pooping troubles he did two dry looking poops. Then the next day he didn't go. I thought, "Darn, I guess I really should bathe him every other day and only skip a day if I'm tired form a long out day." I have been giving him every day 10 minute long baths to rehydrate him. Yesterday I didn't give him one to test if he was back to hydration. And yesterday he didn't poop. But I do the pinch test and his skin goes down nicely, so he's not that dehydrated.
Now, someone here thinks he still has parasites. Because parasites can give the beardie constipation. Money is VERY tight here. We sometimes don't have enough for our own food. Now, when I got my Nim in May we had enough money to care for a bearded dragon. If I could see the future I wouldn't have got him. But I can't see the future, I am not God. Besides, there is so much hell here that he helps me pull through. Let me walk you through what is happening. First, the divorce happened, then my sister moved out, my brother went into the Navy and we are moving from the house I basically grew up in. My pets give me the incentive to get out of bed in the morning. Nim especially helps with that. I have given pets away because we weren't able to care for them. My turtle especially. He was basically hibernating all day and we didn't have the money or means to care for him. He wasn't thriving with us. I got Squiggle as a tiny baby turtle. We bonded, but he wasn't thriving with us. He wasn't happy. He seemed to like old people so we gave him away to a better home. It hurt to give away my baby. But it was a sacrifice of love, he's happier now.
Nim is thriving. He isn't sleeping all day, he loves me. We have bonded more than I did with my Squiggle. Nim is special and I will NOT give him away. I don't want people criticizing me about my care. I am not coming here for this. I am coming here so my question can be answered. The question will be at the end of this post. I'm sorry if I sound angry. I have just gotten so much criticism instead of help. I am trying to be kind, and approach people with love instead of hatred. But sometimes it is so hard.

So, sorry about the mouthful. But my question is this; can a bearded dragon have parasites for months and not have them get worse? My Nim is perfectly healthy to me. He has a monster of an appetite, he is VERY energetic, his poops look and smell healthy and he is growing and gaining weight. Wouldn't parasites get worse if he's had them for months? Has anybody else experienced this with their beardie? Where the beardie has parasites but hasn't shown any problems but trouble pooping?
Please this question kindly. Most of you are kind, that is why I love these forums. Thank you in advance for kindness. I love Nim and would do ANYTHING for him. But I am not in control, God is. Whatever His will be.

 

[JenFid]

I'm kind of confused, that was a lot of information to read through for a pretty simple question. So you think the crickets you got from Petco gave him the runny poo and possibly parasites? Or did he have parasites before that? Do you just think he has parasites or still has them after being treated for it?

I've read that it's normal for beardies to have some low levels of parasites in their systems without causing any harm. If he is eating fine and has good energy levels and isn't lethargic I wouldn't be worried. How old is he? My adults only poop about once a week and my 7 month old will miss a day every once and awhile now instead of going every day like she used to. If they eat all of their fruits and greens it's runnier than usual.

Obviously if you know he has parasites that need to be treated then yes it's probably not good to let them go on for months without doing something. But it sounds like he's healthy to me.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....Nim sounds perfectly fine ! And I read in your long thread that you are looking in to the future at a possible worst case scenario because you've been hurt and devastated by losses of things that were dear to you. So, no, he is probably fine, and yes, they can live perfectly fine with low levels of parasites. As a matter of fact, over medication can be worse than a low level of parsites. Don't be too worried. He's a big healthy boy. If you ever need to do a deworming just to be on the safe side, do it mid summer when he's nowhere near brumation, and order online from bd.co [ Cheryl from Rio reptiles ] and you'll be good. No, we can't see in the future, but try to remember this advice....Don't add the troubles of the past and potential problems of the future to today's troubles because, it can be a load too heavy to bear . Relax and enjoy your dragon !

 

[TheWerewolf]

I'm kind of confused, that was a lot of information to read through for a pretty simple question. So you think the crickets you got from Petco gave him the runny poo and possibly parasites? Or did he have parasites before that? Do you just think he has parasites or still has them after being treated for it?

Yes, it was a lot of info. He was pooping fine until those Petco crickets. But that was months ago. I thought he had parasites after the runny poop. But from reading stuff on this site I thought that the few poops were just flukes. Nothing to be worried about at all. So I didn't treat him because he wasn't showing any signs.

I've read that it's normal for beardies to have some low levels of parasites in their systems without causing any harm. If he is eating fine and has good energy levels and isn't lethargic I wouldn't be worried. How old is he? My adults only poop about once a week and my 7 month old will miss a day every once and awhile now instead of going every day like she used to. If they eat all of their fruits and greens it's runnier than usual.

Yeah, he's just that. Perfectly healthy to me. He's about 6 or 7 months old now I think. He also eats all of his greens and I don't offer him much fruit. And he doesn't seem to be having overly runny poop, looks normal to me.

Obviously if you know he has parasites that need to be treated then yes it's probably not good to let them go on for months without doing something. But it sounds like he's healthy to me.

Well, I don't want to treat him for something he may not have. And I will probably do that fecal thing at BD.co in December when we may have more money. I know a vet is too expensive right now. He really is healthy in all ways I see. He just doesn't seem to poop everyday. Thank you for being kind. I won't have such a long rant the next time I have a simple question.

Hi there....Nim sounds perfectly fine ! And I read in your long thread that you are looking in to the future at a possible worst case scenario because you've been hurt and devastated by losses of things that were dear to you. So, no, he is probably fine, and yes, they can live perfectly fine with low levels of parasites. As a matter of fact, over medication can be worse than a low level of parsites. Don't be too worried. He's a big healthy boy. If you ever need to do a deworming just to be on the safe side, do it mid summer when he's nowhere near brumation, and order online from bd.co [ Cheryl from Rio reptiles ] and you'll be good. No, we can't see in the future, but try to remember this advice....Don't put the troubles of the past and potential problems of the future to today's troubles because, it can be a load too heavy to bear . Relax and enjoy your dragon !

Thank you, I do try to give my Nim the best of care. I also try not to dwell in the past, but sometimes there are small reminders that bring me back. So sometimes I just need some encouragement to relax and live in the present once more. Thank you so much for your kindness and support. I'm so glad I have this site to come to when I have questions about my sweet Nimrod. We both thank you. Here is a pic of my sweetie just to finish this up.

 

[Jess]

Are you wondering if he has parasites because he isn't going to the bathroom every day...? I'm a little confused too!

You sound like a very careful beardie parent, and honestly I wouldn't get so worried! When beardies get older, their metabolism slows down and they don't always eat or poop everyday. Dudley is probably between 4 - 6 years old, and when he is actually awake and eating regularly he poops maybe twice a week. If Nim had parasites, he wouldn't be growing, losing weight, and have constant runny/nasty poop that makes you want to bomb your house with air freshener.

Another thing to keep in mind: ALL bearded dragons will have some kind of parasites! It's one of the lovely things that comes from eating live food. They only become a problem when there are too many of them. For example, if a beardie is really stressed out from some ongoing situation that is lowering its immune system, this would give the parasites a change to get out-of-control levels.

With my reptiles, as long as no one is losing weight or acting lethargic, I don't worry too much about them. Sometimes they just go on weird little kicks where they don't want to eat for a week, have an odd bathroom schedule, ect and just want to freak out their parents LOL. Don't be so hard on yourself, it takes the fun out of having them! :wink:

Edit to add... Don't treat him for parasites just because you think he might have them either. Deworming meds can be REALLY hard on their systems, and sometimes they can do more harm than good (Speaking from experience here... When my first beardie started going down hill with his health problems, the Panacur just made him worse and I've always regretted giving it to him).

 

[TheWerewolf]

Are you wondering if he has parasites because he isn't going to the bathroom every day...?

Yes, that is my exact worry. Because someone said that parasites can give a beardie constipation. And that can also cause a prolapse. And prolapses scare the heck out of me.

Thank you, yes, I am a very careful pet owner. Mom thinks I baby Nim too much and thinks Nim is becoming a momma's boy, LOL. I try not to worry but Nim gives me so many things to worry about. Sometimes I think he wants me to worry myself to death, LOL. I guess pets sometimes like throw their loving owners for a loop. I hope Nim doesn't go on a hunger strike, LOL. That would worry me for sure! I'll try to not be so hard on myself. You guys are giving me the support I need to calm back down. Thank you all so much.

 

[Esther19]

If he goes on a hunger strike, we can help with that, too. Have you tried offering him water with a dropper, syringe, or just dropped it onto his lips with your fingers? You could add a little unsweetened juice to the water, if necessary. That way you'd be sure he was hydrated. Hang in there!

 

[TheWerewolf]

If he goes on a hunger strike, we can help with that, too. Have you tried offering him water with a dropper, syringe, or just dropped it onto his lips with your fingers? You could add a little unsweetened juice to the water, if necessary. That way you'd be sure he was hydrated. Hang in there!

Thank you, but let's hope that doesn't ever happen. I have tried the dropper. He runs from it when there's water in it, but runs to it when he sees applesauce in it. Silly boy, maybe I can try some fruit juice to sweeten it up. He does need his oral hydration. Thank you. I'll try to hold on.

 

[beardie parents]

I understand your fear about your beardie getting sick, especially since your finances have taken a nosedive. I understand that completely as ours have also but getting rid of our girls is not an option as to us they are our kids. A few years back Goldie was tested for parasites and we were told she had a count of 2 of coccidia. We were advised by the vet to treat but this place didn't suggest treating when it was only a count of 2. About a year or so later we took her in again because her appetite had decreased. They did a fecal again and didn't find any parasites in her stool at all which told me you don't have to treat unless it's a high number like 3 or 4.

Also, don't worry about him not pooping every day, Rosie doesn't poop every day but she is 4 years and about 5 months. Our new little one, Lil Squirt, is 5 months old today. You may ask about Goldie, she died at the end of this last July, it was, we believe, from kidney failure. The year before when we took her in, I believe, it was starting but not enough for the vet to be able to see it in her but the year later we couldn't take her in.

 

[TheWerewolf]

I understand your fear about your beardie getting sick, especially since your finances have taken a nosedive. I understand that completely as ours have also but getting rid of our girls is not an option as to us they are our kids. A few years back Goldie was tested for parasites and we were told she had a count of 2 of coccidia. We were advised by the vet to treat but this place didn't suggest treating when it was only a count of 2. About a year or so later we took her in again because her appetite had decreased. They did a fecal again and didn't find any parasites in her stool at all which told me you don't have to treat unless it's a high number like 3 or 4.

Also, don't worry about him not pooping every day, Rosie doesn't poop every day but she is 4 years and about 5 months. Our new little one, Lil Squirt, is 5 months old today. You may ask about Goldie, she died at the end of this last July, it was, we believe, from kidney failure. The year before when we took her in, I believe, it was starting but not enough for the vet to be able to see it in her but the year later we couldn't take her in.

Thank you for understanding. I hate how wonky our finances are currently. I just pray they will get back to normal soon. So you're saying that if it is a low count there is nothing to worry about? I still don't think he has parasites anyway. He pooped today and it was fine, a bit yellow but he had a bit of mango yesterday. It smelled but he's eating collards, and I heard that can make it smell something fierce. So, I'll just keep an eye out for any weird behavior. Like I've been doing. I thought not pooping every day was weird, but you say that I shouldn't worry about that. I do have prune baby food if he skips more than just a day. Thank you all for your help.

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Health]

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In the past, I had bad experience with crickets from Petco where my former two males quickly began having very stinky/runny poop and ended up with pinworms. They never had issues with crickets from PetSmart or online suppliers.

Sometimes being well hydrated could result in watery poop. It doesn't always mean presence of parasites. Also, a small amount of parasites doesn't always warrant being on medications; it depends on the count of the eggs. But if you can smell his poop from across the room, then a fecal may need to be sent in.

 

[TheWerewolf]

Thank you for moving this, I wasn't really sure where it belonged. Yeah, I have been getting crickets from PetSmart and PetLife. Then we wanted to try canned crickets. Well, PetLife was out and PetSmart sells the wrong brand. So mom got a can from Petco, she also got 30 live. Which was surprise. Nim may not have parasites now, or maybe a small count of whatever, but I will never get any from Petco ever again. Too high of a risk for me.

Well, I can't smell his poop from across the room. I can smell it if I am a few feet from his cage, but that is probably because he eats so many collards. I heard those can make it stink to high heaven. So I think Nim and I are good for. We'll sit back and relax. Until something else happens ....