I need to find a vet near me that will take a beardie

[Synastral]

I need a fecal done to check for parasites because my beardie hasn't eaten in about a month, and I want to check for parasites. The closest reptile vet according to google is 3 hours away, but I really hope that isn't the case. Anyone live in/near Clifton Park, NY that knows of any good vets?

Thanks in advance

 

[AHBD]

Hi there.... Keep in mind that it's brumation time, so a good many beardies will be eating much less or even not at all for a period of time. People have to get used to the fact that it's perfectly normal behavior. As long as he's not losing a lot of weight he is fine and you may want to wait on stressing him with a vet visit.

 

[Synastral]

Hi there.... Keep in mind that it's brumation time, so a good many beardies will be eating much less or even not at all for a period of time. People have to get used to the fact that it's perfectly normal behavior. As long as he's not losing a lot of weight he is fine and you may want to wait on stressing him with a vet visit.

He has lost a bit of weight, if you remember I made a thread about 10 days ago talking about him being in brumation, but he doesn't seem to be brumating at all. He's basking all day, running around, acting like he normally acts except he wont eat, and he weighed 526 grams about 10 days ago now hes at about 503. So he is losing weight.

 

[AHBD]

Are you sure on the weight and does he sit still on the scale ? Or did he have a bowel movement during that time ? A b.m. can easily weigh 20 grams.

 

[Synastral]

Are you sure on the weight and does he sit still on the scale ? Or did he have a bowel movement during that time ? A b.m. can easily weigh 20 grams.

he had a very small bowel movement about a week ago (about 1/2 an inch in length)

and he always stays perfectly still when I have him out, except for when he's trying to jump onto my desk for whatever reason he wants.

 

[Synastral]

So I found a vet that sees bearded dragons, and for a fecal it costs 56 dollars, but they have to see him and that's 75.
so its over 130 bucks just to see if he has anything or not..
Lot more expensive than I thought it would be just for a fecal exam..

 

[AHBD]

That is a bit steep, but at least you'll find out if he needs some meds. and you'll get some peace of mind. I did look back at your other threads + remembered your concern with his weight. Hopefully everything's O.K and he's just a picky eater and even if he has parasites that should be taken care of easily.

 

[Synastral]

That is a bit steep, but at least you'll find out if he needs some meds. and you'll get some peace of mind. I did look back at your other threads + remembered your concern with his weight. Hopefully everything's O.K and he's just a picky eater and even if he has parasites that should be taken care of easily.

It is steep which kind of sucks because I was planning on taking him next week after I got paid (Still in high school and work minimum wage, and the hours weren't great, only getting about 50 bucks this paycheck) so it's going to be about 2 weeks worth of saving before I can take him. Hopefully things don't turn south by then.

 

[AHBD]

He should be just fine. Have you tried any chicken/squash/green bean baby food ? Some dragons that aren't eating will go for baby food fed through a syringe or eyedropper. Use a plastic one rather than glass if you can , just in case he bites at it. And have you tried hornworms for him ?

 

[Synastral]

He should be just fine. Have you tried any chicken/squash/green bean baby food ? Some dragons that aren't eating will go for baby food fed through a syringe or eyedropper. Use a plastic one rather than glass if you can , just in case he bites at it. And have you tried hornworms for him ?

I haven't tried hornworms, no. Where's the best place to order them from?

I bought some superworms today because they're his favorite, so i'm hoping he'll at least eat SOMETHING soon.
I'll definitely try to get some baby food though when we go grocery shopping, though.

 

[AHBD]

They're pretty expensive, usually about $20 -$25 for 15 -20 shipped. Was hoping you might find them at a local pet store. Otherwise you can get them from Great Lakes hornworm. Lindas gone buggy, Mulberry Farm. Try the superworms first, maybe that will do the trick.

 

[Synastral]

Sure hope so. I saw hornworms for sale but like you said they were really expensive, so figured i'd ask to see if theres somewhere thats cheaper that I wasn't aware of. And i'm not sure which site, might be none of those but if i recall correctly some bug-ordering website requires you to spend a certain amount in order to order. its like 20 bucks or something. Might be either mulberry's or flukers, feel like its one of those two.

 

[Synastral]

They're pretty expensive, usually about $20 -$25 for 15 -20 shipped. Was hoping you might find them at a local pet store. Otherwise you can get them from Great Lakes hornworm. Lindas gone buggy, Mulberry Farm. Try the superworms first, maybe that will do the trick.

So its been about a week or two since I made this post and I figured I'd give an update.

He pooped yesterday, although it was mostly urates and about 1/3 an inch of actual poop, and then ate two superworms.

I got him baby food to try, the chicken like you recommended, and when I put it on his mouth, he just smears his face on the glass to get rid of it, then goes back up on the rock.

I also got him prunes and applesauce, but obviously if he's not eating the baby food I just tried hes probably not gonna eat the other stuff.

I'm still trying to get him to the vet, and found a place thats a lot cheaper (about 76 dollars for the appointment and fecal) its just a matter of getting him to poop for them to test for parasites, and finding a way to get there on the same day.

Scheduling an appointment will pretty much be impossible unless I can get him to poop on that day, or at least the day before (can you even keep the poop from the day before or will it start to grow moldy?)

 

[AHBD]

I think you can keep it refrigerated for a day, but you can call the vet to be sure.
It's good that he ate 2 superworms, at least a little bit of an appetite. Have you tried feeding him by hand ? Sometimes they'll eat a lot more that way.

 

[Synastral]

I think you can keep it refrigerated for a day, but you can call the vet to be sure.
It's good that he ate 2 superworms, at least a little bit of an appetite. Have you tried feeding him by hand ? Sometimes they'll eat a lot more that way.

Yeah, I hand fed him the two, I hand feed all of his live food. If he doesn't eat the superworms I hand feed then I usually put it in a bowl for him if he ever decided he wanted to eat them.