Is my baby sick?

[ayyitslele]

New beardie owner here - I have a (supposedly) nine month old beardie that I rescued about two months ago. She's recently started having very runny, super watery poos. I originally thought it was because I had introduced squash into her diet, but her stools have stayed abnormal even after I stopped giving her squash. She had been in very dirty, neglectful living conditions before I got her, but now I take very good care of her so I'm confused about why she's only now becoming ill. What normally causes digestion issues in bearded dragons?

 

[EllenD]

It sounds like she has had a parasitic infection for a long time, probably due to the dirty conditions in her prior home. They won't typically go away on their own once they get into high counts/loads, and they require a fecal test to determine what the parasite is and what the count is. Most reptile vets won't treat a Coccidia or a Pinworm infection unless the count is high (not low or moderate), but if she's had runny stools for that long then she probably has an infestation, based on how you described her prior living conditions. There are also other parasites that can hurt them in low counts.

You need to find either an experienced reptile specialist vet or a Certified Reptile Vet and make an appointment ASAP. You'll need to take a fresh stool sample with you to the appointment, otherwise they won't be able to run the fecal tests. If it's all runny then wait for her to go in her tank/enclosure and then scoop as much up as you can into a little baggy, they can test it. She most likely needs at least one or more prescription meds and a probiotic, which I would start her on now even before getting her to a vet. Has she been losing any weight? That's what you have to watch, if you let parasites go for too long, specifically any type of worms, they will eat all of the nutrition she eats (basically they steal her food from her) and then they start losing weight.

Also, if she's 9 months old, she should still be eating a large amount of live staple insects every single day, at least two live feeding sessions a day where she gets to eat all she wants. They do most all of their growing during their first year of life, so it's very important that most all of their diet is live insects (no mealworms) up until they are a year old. What is her daily diet?

 

[ayyitslele]

Thank you! Her weight has stayed consistent - if anything, she's gaining weight. That's why I'm so confused. She's not acting ill or lethargic at all either. She's very active and her eyes are bright.

She eats about 20 roaches a day and also has a bowl of salad that she snacks on, but it sounds like I should be giving her significantly less salad. She usually finishes the entire dish. Come to think of it, her diet was entirely insects before I got her and her stools were normal back then.

Her substrate is newspaper, if that helps anything - the woman I got her from kept her in a mixture of soil and sand from her backyard.

 

[EllenD]

Well, if she's not showing any symptoms of being ill, could it possibly be that her stools are consistently loose due to all the greens/veggies? That's not uncommon, they are filled with fluid. Yes, she needs a ton of live insects every single day until she's at least a year to a year and a half old, and you need to not give her any greens/veggies until after she eats her first 10-15 minute live feeding session of unlimited insects. She should be eating between 30-40 live insects a day if they are smaller than the space between her eyes. That's average, there will be variations, she may eat a little more or a little less, but most dragons at 9 months old will still eat 20-30 in the morning and 20-30 in the late afternoon/early evening, as long as they aren't filled up on salad. That's the issue you're having. After she is over a year old then you can gradually reduce the bugs and increase the greens/veggies, but until then she needs far more live protein and far less greens/veggies so that she can grow to her full potential.

So I'd actually switch up her diet and see if her stools normalize after a week or so of doing it. Also, you can post a photo of the next runny stool she has so we can see if it looks like a normal stool that is simply full of water. If she's not acting sick then don't medicate her and no vet trip, no need to create a problem. If her appetite goes away or she becomes lethargic then that's another story, but I think her diet just needs tweaking.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, please post pics of the dragon itself as well as the poo. If she's big and gaining weight you don't need ever to cut out the greens + veggies, many dragons that eat only insects get runny poos just as often. Just be sure she gets plenty of bugs as well. Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload pics

 

[ayyitslele]

Thank you all so much! I cant believe I've been making auch a big mistake. I feel terrible - my poor baby must be miserable, but at least I think we've found a solution to get her healthy and happy! I will post pictures of her when I get home. She just had another stool this morning but I've already cleaned it up so I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow to post a picture of that.