Need advice on bene bac

[apascarell1]

So of course something is wrong with Flareon. He is 3 months and has been pooping regularly until now. His basking is 100-105. His cool side is 80. Reptisun UVB. Has been eating veggies and crickets like CRAZY. his stool is watery and not solid. A check up for him is $70 and a fecal is $35. I wanted to try bene bac first before I do anything. Help.

 

[SandyBear]

Bene-Bac for Birds and Reptiles is a FANTASTIC product. I highly recommend it, and it is a staple item in my pet first aid kit. All the Bene-Bac products are really good. I've used Bene-Bac on all my frogs, reptiles, and also some of their other varieties for my cats and rats too.

There is a powder and a gel form. I find that the gel is much more user friendly. You also don't have to worry about overdosing your pet on Bene-Bac. I normally buy the gel that comes in little tubes and I sqeeze some onto a cricket (like toothpaste onto a tooth brush) and hand/tong feed the bug immediatly. The crickets like to try and wipe it off if you let them run around.

Are you able to just drop off a fecal sample and have them check that. Some places will let you do that, and you don't need an appoinment unless the sample comes back positive.

My experience with my dragons, is that the poop is usually nasty looking anyways, it's usually solid and water bits together. How long has the poop been different? Does it smell different? What types of veggies are you feeding? Where do you get your crickets from?

 

[apascarell1]

I have been feeding him romaine mostly. I know iceberg is high in water content. I have mixed collard greens in today hoping the fiber will bind him up. Today is the second day I have seen the watery stool. The crickets come from the store I bought him so it has been weird that something is up. Should I clean the tank more thoroughly. I have a dried grape vine but don't know how to wash it correctly. He has been eating more greens and been given a bath almost every day.

 

[SandyBear]

For the wood piece in your tank, I would put it in the sink, wash it with some Dawn dish soap and some bleach, and rinse well. You can also put it in the oven at 300F for an hour or more, depending on how thick it is.

Romain is only an ok veggie, and Iceberg shouldn't be fed as is has no nutritional value. Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens and Mustard greens are much better staple veggies. I know that our Walmart sells Collard and Dandelion greens regularly and they are cheap, $2 a bunch in my city.

If you dragon is still young, you should be feeding him mostly insects. Juvenile dragons should be eating 50-100 crickets a day and a small amount of veggies can be offered as well. Once dragons are adults, then you will increase their veggie portions and decrease the amount of buggies that they eat.

Why are you bathing your dragon every day? How long has this been going on for?

 

[apascarell1]

I wanted to keep him hydrated. Am I bathing too much? I bought collards from Walmart for 98 cents. He eats at least 50 crickets a day.

 

[SandyBear]

I don't ever bath my dragons unless they have gotten into something and they are covered in "yuck"

I give my dragons a large water dish that is big enough for them to sit in, if they want to soak, they can do that on their own

 

[apascarell1]

Could over hydration cause watery poop.

 

[SandyBear]

If the animal is drinking too much water, then yes, that can cause watery poop in any creature.
Too many baths can cause the animal stress (if they do not enjoy the baths), or could cause issues like respiratory infections from too much humidity - but it's unlikely.
Runny stools in reptiles is usually a sign of parasites, but again, it depends on the species, and there are other problems that can cause the poop to be runny.

Dragon poop is naturally unpleasant looking compared to most other types of reptile poop. It usually is a bit watery/loose looking.
Can you post pictures of what your dragons poop looks like?

Have you contacted your vet to see if you can just drop off a poop sample to be tested? (instead of making the appoinment)

 

[apascarell1]

I think there is a vet that will take the sample and test for a little over 20. Should I still give him the bene bac or wait a day or two and see if the stress may be the issue?

 

[SandyBear]

$20 is a good price, but it is up to you if you want to wait or not. If you don't think your dragon is in immanent danger, then it's fine to wait a few days.

If it turns out that your dragon does have parasites, Bene-Bac is a great post medication treatment. Many of the drugs are tough on the digestive tract, and Bene-Bac will help restore the good flora in their gut.

 

[SandyBear]

Have you read this article yet?

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/parasitecare/

 

[apascarell1]

Very helpful. I got him a week and a half ago. He gets stressed a bit until I take him out and color comes back. I'll def get him looked at for first check up. I found a really awesome exotic vet that will do a first time visit for $30. And fecal for $15. I'll give him some time. Fewer baths. And see how he does. Thank you so so much. People think I am insane for going through all this.

 

[SandyBear]

Ha, my first tree frog I ever bought ended up having two different types of parasites. I ended up learning a lot in the process, and eventually found a vet that I love going to. I paid $40 for the frog and over $300 in vet bills because the first vet I saw wasn't very good. People thought I was nuts to spend that much on a frog, she was worth it though.

 

[apascarell1]

Exactly. It doesn't matter how small the critter is. If you love it then it's worth it. So woulda hold I try the bene bac or just chill for a bit.

 

[apascarell1]

Gave him bene bac, stopped the baths, and give more collards and the watery poo stopped. It's a lot more solid and so big for such a small guy. Funny how much I'm worried about poop.