Signs of coccidia?

[Alinannyms]

Hey guys! Marcy's been happy and healthy since the last update. He just keeps growing and growing!

However, I do have a small concern. I know juveniles are very prone to coccidia, and I'm worried he may have it. It's something I'm debating taking him to the vet over, because he's really not acting sick at all, it's just the biological signs. Some symptoms I've noticed:

-More water than normal coming out with poop
-Change in eating habits (he has acted much more hungry this past week, to the point he's nibbling my finger...)
-Stickier saliva (I notice that when he nibbles and I get his saliva on my fingers, it's extremely thick and sticky. I figured that was normal, but found it's possibly a symptom)

Honestly, though, he's just as energetic as always. He's been moving around very slightly slower, but I figure that's just because he's getting bigger and older, and doesn't need to work as hard to move as far. In the bath, he still paddles up a storm every so often, so I don't think he's really lethargic. He also seems very alert, watches me when I pass by, pays attention to what I'm doing, etc. He hasn't vomited, and I don't think his poop is really diarrhea, just watery, like I said before.

If this *is* coccidia, I can get him to the vet to have it taken care of. But, how can I prevent it in the future? Should I clean his viv more often? I really only spot clean when he poops and disinfect once a month. Do I need to get rid of all the dubias in the case they're infected too?

It's possible it's nothing, but I figure it's important to check, first. You guys are very helpful all the time!

Bonus Marcy for reading the whole thing.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hey guys! Marcy's been happy and healthy since the last update. He just keeps growing and growing!

However, I do have a small concern. I know juveniles are very prone to coccidia, and I'm worried he may have it. It's something I'm debating taking him to the vet over, because he's really not acting sick at all, it's just the biological signs. Some symptoms I've noticed:

-More water than normal coming out with poop
-Change in eating habits (he has acted much more hungry this past week, to the point he's nibbling my finger...)
-Stickier saliva (I notice that when he nibbles and I get his saliva on my fingers, it's extremely thick and sticky. I figured that was normal, but found it's possibly a symptom)

Honestly, though, he's just as energetic as always. He's been moving around very slightly slower, but I figure that's just because he's getting bigger and older, and doesn't need to work as hard to move as far. In the bath, he still paddles up a storm every so often, so I don't think he's really lethargic. He also seems very alert, watches me when I pass by, pays attention to what I'm doing, etc. He hasn't vomited, and I don't think his poop is really diarrhea, just watery, like I said before.

If this *is* coccidia, I can get him to the vet to have it taken care of. But, how can I prevent it in the future? Should I clean his viv more often? I really only spot clean when he poops and disinfect once a month. Do I need to get rid of all the dubias in the case they're infected too?

It's possible it's nothing, but I figure it's important to check, first. You guys are very helpful all the time!

Bonus Marcy for reading the whole thing. View attachment 78841

Sticky saliva is not a symptom of coccidia --- that sounds more like a RI -- what kind of UVB are you using and where in the tank? Also what is the humidity in the tank? Do you hear any popping noise wheezing from him? How are you getting the humidity levels? No analogs they are inaccurate- the runny stool could be to much hydration -- what is the diet please ? Surface basking temps should be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer

 

[xp29]

Sticky saliva is also a sign of dehydration.
How bad does the poop smell? Coccidia causes it to reek.
The best way to control Coccidia is by keeping your habitat sanitized. You control it by breaking its life cycle, part of the life cycle requires it to be pooped out and reingested. So if you sanitize after poops you stop it from breaking out.
Use a good cleaner, Coccidia is resilient. Bleach WILL NOT kill it. Heat and ammonia will.
Use f10, wipeout (Ammonia based) chlorhexidine (you can get it at tractor suppy in the horse section) to spot clean f10 or chlorhexidine are what vets and zoo's use to clean. The trick is to get the poop out before they can track it around. They won't lick the poop but they lick everything else so you want to get it before it can be spread onto everything else.
One more though before i hush, ammonia is toxic, rinse it out and air it out to zero fumes before returning your beardie to it's habitat.

 

[Alinannyms]

Sticky saliva is not a symptom of coccidia --- that sounds more like a RI -- what kind of UVB are you using and where in the tank? Also what is the humidity in the tank? Do you hear any popping noise wheezing from him? How are you getting the humidity levels? No analogs they are inaccurate- the runny stool could be to much hydration -- what is the diet please ? Surface basking temps should be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer

Sorry for not answering sooner, Karrie! I was busy yesterday. I'm still using the Arcadia 12% T5 HO I bought in December, and I have it scheduled to be replaced in June. It's on the inside and about 8 or so inches away from the floor. I have been worried about it it's too close in the past, because if Marcy really wanted to, he could climb up far enough to reach it. I'll be getting a bigger tank for him hopefully in the next couple months. As for humidity, it depends on the day. However, it's usually lower than I'd like. I have a lot of electronics in my room, so those keep it pretty dry. It usually hovers around the region of 10% on the warm side, and 25% on the cool side. It's taken with these, as they were cheap and we already had some lying around for meat curing. I haven't heard him make any sounds at all besides when he's eating. In terms of hydration, he eats mostly 15 dubia roaches a day. These are fed on his vegetables (carrots, stems of his mustard greens), and I keep them hydrated by using these. He has occasional vegetables on the weekends, so I can attempt to prepare him for when he gets older. Otherwise, he gets no alternate forms of hydration besides a biweekly bath. I take him out of his enclosure usually every day to bond, and the humidity is slightly higher, so that might have something to do with it. Marcy's basking temps are slightly higher than 100; I usually aim for about 105. This is supposed to be the optimal temperature for a baby, but he might be getting too old for that. From my guess, he's about 5, maybe 6 months old. I'll be contacting the pet store I bought him from to find his exact breeder and hatch date.

Sticky saliva is also a sign of dehydration.
How bad does the poop smell? Coccidia causes it to reek.
The best way to control Coccidia is by keeping your habitat sanitized. You control it by breaking its life cycle, part of the life cycle requires it to be pooped out and reingested. So if you sanitize after poops you stop it from breaking out.
Use a good cleaner, Coccidia is resilient. Bleach WILL NOT kill it. Heat and ammonia will.
Use f10, wipeout (Ammonia based) chlorhexidine (you can get it at tractor suppy in the horse section) to spot clean f10 or chlorhexidine are what vets and zoo's use to clean. The trick is to get the poop out before they can track it around. They won't lick the poop but they lick everything else so you want to get it before it can be spread onto everything else.
One more though before i hush, ammonia is toxic, rinse it out and air it out to zero fumes before returning your beardie to it's habitat.

From what I can tell, his poop smells just like usual, but slightly stronger. That might just be because they're bigger, though. I'd like to buy some f10 soon, as I've been disinfecting with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. I'm a bit worried about it's effectiveness. If things seem to head for the worse, I'll definitely be daily sanitizing his tank.

 

[KarrieRee]

Sorry for not answering sooner, Karrie! I was busy yesterday. I'm still using the Arcadia 12% T5 HO I bought in December, and I have it scheduled to be replaced in June. It's on the inside and about 8 or so inches away from the floor. I have been worried about it it's too close in the past, because if Marcy really wanted to, he could climb up far enough to reach it. I'll be getting a bigger tank for him hopefully in the next couple months. As for humidity, it depends on the day. However, it's usually lower than I'd like. I have a lot of electronics in my room, so those keep it pretty dry. It usually hovers around the region of 10% on the warm side, and 25% on the cool side. It's taken with these, as they were cheap and we already had some lying around for meat curing. I haven't heard him make any sounds at all besides when he's eating. In terms of hydration, he eats mostly 15 dubia roaches a day. These are fed on his vegetables (carrots, stems of his mustard greens), and I keep them hydrated by using these. He has occasional vegetables on the weekends, so I can attempt to prepare him for when he gets older. Otherwise, he gets no alternate forms of hydration besides a biweekly bath. I take him out of his enclosure usually every day to bond, and the humidity is slightly higher, so that might have something to do with it. Marcy's basking temps are slightly higher than 100; I usually aim for about 105. This is supposed to be the optimal temperature for a baby, but he might be getting too old for that. From my guess, he's about 5, maybe 6 months old. I'll be contacting the pet store I bought him from to find his exact breeder and hatch date.


From what I can tell, his poop smells just like usual, but slightly stronger. That might just be because they're bigger, though. I'd like to buy some f10 soon, as I've been disinfecting with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. I'm a bit worried about it's effectiveness. If things seem to head for the worse, I'll definitely be daily sanitizing his tank.

I was told to low of humidity can cause RI- I would invest in a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of your tank-- optimal humidity is 40-50% and I wouldn't go lower than 20% - the F10 is good for disinfecting - vinegar and water for daily cleanup etc- surface basking temps should be 95-100 for a dragon 6 months- are his urates white formed and moist- also if he's got a piece of basking decor under the uvb it's going to be too close w/ it 8 inches from the floor- you want it 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor

 

[xp29]

Giving your beardie baths does not hydrate them unless they actually drink the water. They hydrating through their skin or their vents is a huge myth abd one if the worse pieces of misinformation floating around. The ONLY way to hydrate them is orally.

 

[Alinannyms]

Giving your beardie baths does not hydrate them unless they actually drink the water. They hydrating through their skin or their vents is a huge myth abd one if the worse pieces of misinformation floating around. The ONLY way to hydrate them is orally.

Ah, yeah, I heard that myth before. I never believed it really, but he does drink the bathwater most of the time.

I was told to low of humidity can cause RI- I would invest in a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of your tank-- optimal humidity is 40-50% and I wouldn't go lower than 20% - the F10 is good for disinfecting - vinegar and water for daily cleanup etc- surface basking temps should be 95-100 for a dragon 6 months- are his urates white formed and moist- also if he's got a piece of basking decor under the uvb it's going to be too close w/ it 8 inches from the floor- you want it 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor

I'll get his basking temps down a little lower. His urates are usually white and formed, moist sometimes, chalky some other times. I'll also do what I can about the UVB, but what should I do about it in the meantime? Even if I order now, it'll be a while before the 4*2*2 tank gets here. Will a 24" fixture still be enough in a tank that big? Or should I try and upgrade to 36"? If I do, does it need to be immediately?

 

[KarrieRee]

Ah, yeah, I heard that myth before. I never believed it really, but he does drink the bathwater most of the time.

I'll get his basking temps down a little lower. His urates are usually white and formed, moist sometimes, chalky some other times. I'll also do what I can about the UVB, but what should I do about it in the meantime? Even if I order now, it'll be a while before the 4*2*2 tank gets here. Will a 24" fixture still be enough in a tank that big? Or should I try and upgrade to 36"? If I do, does it need to be immediately?

A 24" fixture is good for a 4x2x2 tank - its half the tank and you dont want the UVB so he cant get out of it - they need to be able to sit in the tank w/ out having to hide from the UVB-- where are you getting the new tank?

 

[Alinannyms]

A 24" fixture is good for a 4x2x2 tank - its half the tank and you dont want the UVB so he cant get out of it - they need to be able to sit in the tank w/ out having to hide from the UVB-- where are you getting the new tank?

I'd like to get it from Zen habitats because it's pretty and comes at a good price. I'll probably get a coffee table to put it on in the corner of my room, as Marcy is all the way up on top of my dresser now. The bigger tank won't fit there.

 

[KarrieRee]

I'd like to get it from Zen habitats because it's pretty and comes at a good price. I'll probably get a coffee table to put it on in the corner of my room, as Marcy is all the way up on top of my dresser now. The bigger tank won't fit there.

Ok sounds good -- is Zen backed up w/ orders? You can try Pet Smart they are now carrying them - compare prices tho --