My beardie was diagnosed as clinically obese

[chancellor91]

so i took her to my vet on the 21st of this month, and i got a fecal done, she has 1 pinworm, which the vet doc was not very concerned about and she also had roundworm ova, which she is very concerned about, and also has girardia cyst. The doctor is treating the roundworm ova with derontal and she is treating the girardia cyst with metronidazole suspension. I am just courios as to how my beardie can be obease and have this many infections/parasites? any help here would be greatly appriciated comments alike. The husbandry is perfect i have already gone over all that before, and my vet is an exotic only so i fell very confident with them, just wondering about obesity. The doctor also said that they are primarily vegitarians, and can have an occasional bug, her proof for this is that if they eat a lot of bugs, they will live for about 5 to 10 years compared to the 20 to 25 years for the bearded dragons that she recives in her vet that only eat greens? has anyone else had the same recomendation? or any study facts? :study:

Thanks very much

Chancellor

 

[Drache613]

Hello Chancellor,

How long has she kept bearded dragons? Has she personally kept one that has lived 25 years for her? If so, I would love to see the documentation.
I know of someone on this forum, that had a dragon that lived 17 years who ate bugs on a regular basis. It is mostly genetics. Plus, their lifespans have been getting shorter due to Adeno virus also, which has really affected quite a few colonies in the last 6-8 years.
Their average lifespan is 8-12 years, but there have been some that have lived longer.
They are by nature, omnivorous so that means they eat bugs & plants. In the wild, they are opportunistic feeders so they will eat what bugs they can find during the season.
I highly doubt that Alona is obese, she looked fine last time I saw her.
Also, I do not agree with treating her for every little thing, either. Constant medicating screws them up. Unless she was ill or losing weight, etc, medication should not be automatically given all of the time. Their body naturally has low counts of parasites, worms & other bacteria in the gut which helps with digestion. Medication can really mess that up. Sometimes the counts are so low that they really are almost impossible to see.
If you do give her the Flagyl, be sure to use a probiotic during that time of medication.

Tracie

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

As dragons age they tend to go off protien and eat more veggies. A large amount of protein in an older dragon can lead to fatty liver disease. If your vet knows of dragons living 20 years I want to meet those people because thar husbandy has to be near godlike...lol. Longest I ever heard of a dragon living is 13 to 14 years. Not saying it cant be longer. Like any living creature if they eat to much and exercise very little its possible to be overwieght, even with the best of conditions. Good husbandry can lead an animal to obesity if we as a keeper dont change the husbandry as the animal ages ect ect.
Hope this is what you where looking for.
Tom