Smelly Poop

[Mitsumike]

Here is the deal. My bearded dragon is about 5-6 months old housed in a roughneck XL rubbermaid tub sold at Home Depot. He has 3 individual lights; UVB (7 inches from basking spot), 100 watt incandescent light bulb for basking and inferred light for cool side/ambient temps.

Temps are 105 basking, 90 hot side, 87ish middle and 84 cool side. He is kept on paper towels (about to move to slate tiles). He is on a diet of crickets (gut loaded) and puts down about 12 large crickets a feeding. Along with crickets he eats a solo cup bottom worth of collard greens, mustard greens and turnup greens ground up in a food processor.

He is a little rambunchous but other than that seems to be in GREAT health.
Only problem that I am seeing is that his poops smell awfully bad, and sometimes it is VERY light brown in color and when I wash it down the sink you can see the ground up greens. I thought my Blue Beauty poops and musk stunk until I smelt this little guys poops. I was reading up on it and it seems people say he might have parasites. Only issue with this is I don't see how......my whole collection of snakes has a vet record of being clean, his tank is never dirty and his husbandry is next to perfect. So how can he be sick and not show it?
Is it the greens he is eating? Too much fiber? haha He poops regularly daily.

 

[BeardedDragon6]

well, my dragons poop stinks terribly too, Im making a checkup soon with himfor a fecal, so.. your dragon can get parasites from dirty greens when you don't wash them with water a lil bit, and also from the crickets who knows what bacterias those crickets have, when you see some rests of the food undigested food in his poop, it means he didn't had enough heat for digesting the food properly, after every feeding time you should make sure that your dragon is under the basking spot for around 1-2 Hours or on the computer (lap) where its warm :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Mitsumike]

Pics:


IMGP0132 by Mitsumike, on Flickr

Here he is sunning (he is a Citrus Tiger):

IMGP0133 by Mitsumike, on Flickr

 

[Mitsumike]

well, my dragons poop stinks terribly too, Im making a checkup soon with himfor a fecal, so.. your dragon can get parasites from dirty greens when you don't wash them with water a lil bit, and also from the crickets who knows what bacterias those crickets have, when you see some rests of the food undigested food in his poop, it means he didn't had enough heat for digesting the food properly, after every feeding time you should make sure that your dragon is under the basking spot for around 1-2 Hours or on the computer (lap) where its warm :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yea I always give the little guy time to digest. I normally only take him out an hour or so a day.
I mean since crickets and what not will carry these issues is it a problem to let them live with it. I know in snakes if the rat has a parasite or something the digestive juices in the stomach kill it and the snake doesn't have any problems. I just don't like the fact of an animal having parasites for no reason. All my animals need to be in the best health but what it seems like to me, you can't stop beardies from getting these parasites......?

 

[BeardedDragon6]

well, my dragons poop stinks terribly too, Im making a checkup soon with himfor a fecal, so.. your dragon can get parasites from dirty greens when you don't wash them with water a lil bit, and also from the crickets who knows what bacterias those crickets have, when you see some rests of the food undigested food in his poop, it means he didn't had enough heat for digesting the food properly, after every feeding time you should make sure that your dragon is under the basking spot for around 1-2 Hours or on the computer (lap) where its warm :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yea I always give the little guy time to digest. I normally only take him out an hour or so a day.
I mean since crickets and what not will carry these issues is it a problem to let them live with it. I know in snakes if the rat has a parasite or something the digestive juices in the stomach kill it and the snake doesn't have any problems. I just don't like the fact of an animal having parasites for no reason. All my animals need to be in the best health but what it seems like to me, you can't stop beardies from getting these parasites......?

nope, Beardies are insect eaters, They get those parasites from the crickets or worms they eat, thats why everyone is going for a fecal check up to the vet,you just put a box or something under him and he poops in it and you can go to the vet

 

[Mitsumike]

So a fecal check has to be done on these guy all the time? Seems quite odd. I owned Leopard geckos for years (insect eaters) and never had this kind of problem. There is something missing here, I just don't see all bearded dragon owners doing a semi yearly check on their dragons along with shots to get rid of the parasites. If this is the case a new pet might be in order. I love my bearded dragon but I firmly believe that if one doesn't have the funds to keep the animal at tip top shape one shouldn't own that animal. This might end up being the case for me. I don't have $150-$200 dollars to put up at often.
I would like some more feedback on this topic, as it seems a bit far fetched to me.

 

[BeardedDragon6]

So a fecal check has to be done on these guy all the time? Seems quite odd. I owned Leopard geckos for years (insect eaters) and never had this kind of problem. There is something missing here, I just don't see all bearded dragon owners doing a semi yearly check on their dragons along with shots to get rid of the parasites. If this is the case a new pet might be in order. I love my bearded dragon but I firmly believe that if one doesn't have the funds to keep the animal at tip top shape one shouldn't own that animal. This might end up being the case for me. I don't have $150-$200 dollars to put up at often.
I would like some more feedback on this topic, as it seems a bit far fetched to me.

i do believe that a fecal checkup once a year is enough if you want to keep your dragon in tip top form :]]

 

[Mitsumike]

So pretty much once a year your dragon is going to contract parasites? To be honest that seems WAY to far fetched to me still. I know breeders with more than 20 dragons, and I HIGHLY doubt these people spend upwards of $2K a year on vet bills.

 

[mostlyharmlessnj]

I know when I use Kale my guys poop smell is a lot more pungent then if I use dandelion greens or collard greens. When I occasionally slip him a little piece of romain lettuce, it's almost potent enough to bring tears to your eyes.

And yes, this is after a fecal where he tested clean. Personally (I have no evidence to prove one way or the other), I think just like any other animal, what you eat can have a dramatic impact on the poop smell, if his poop is real stinky, try a different green or insect for a few days.

 

[Delshara]

It costs about $15 to get a fecal done at my vet's if I just drop the samples off. If I go in for a visit, it's $55 including the fecal, per lizard, and I have three... so that's $165 per year. For three lizards I don't think that's a terrible expense. You could try calling around and see what your local vets will charge you.

We also have Parazap, although it's not good for a full-blown parasite case... it's better to use as a preventative or perhaps a very light load of parasites. When one of Nero's fecals turned up "a few pinworm eggs" we got the Parazap and it worked. Apparently, Reptaid is good too, although we've never tried it.

If paying for fecals is a real pain then you could always learn to do your own... it's an investment up front (to buy the microscope, etc.) but long term, especially for a lot of beardies, it would save a lot of money... then buy the Panacur or whatever is needed from bug-de-lite or Beautiful Dragons. This is probably the cheapest option over time. I bet (though I don't know for sure) that this is what some breeders do.

If you pick a really good cricket supplier (if you -have- to feed crickets) the incidence of parasites is a lot lower... Nero only got the pinworm eggs when we were feeding Petsmart type crickets. We never had a problem with parasites once we switched to crickets from Ghann's bought online... then we just got tired of constant cricket care and switched to superworms (our beardies are both adults) and dubia roaches and never looked back.

 

[Mitsumike]

It costs about $15 to get a fecal done at my vet's if I just drop the samples off. If I go in for a visit, it's $55 including the fecal, per lizard, and I have three... so that's $165 per year. For three lizards I don't think that's a terrible expense. You could try calling around and see what your local vets will charge you.

We also have Parazap, although it's not good for a full-blown parasite case... it's better to use as a preventative or perhaps a very light load of parasites. When one of Nero's fecals turned up "a few pinworm eggs" we got the Parazap and it worked. Apparently, Reptaid is good too, although we've never tried it.

If paying for fecals is a real pain then you could always learn to do your own... it's an investment up front (to buy the microscope, etc.) but long term, especially for a lot of beardies, it would save a lot of money... then buy the Panacur or whatever is needed from bug-de-lite or Beautiful Dragons. This is probably the cheapest option over time. I bet (though I don't know for sure) that this is what some breeders do.

If you pick a really good cricket supplier (if you -have- to feed crickets) the incidence of parasites is a lot lower... Nero only got the pinworm eggs when we were feeding Petsmart type crickets. We never had a problem with parasites once we switched to crickets from Ghann's bought online... then we just got tired of constant cricket care and switched to superworms (our beardies are both adults) and dubia roaches and never looked back.

I could only wish fecals were $15. Up here the exotic vet charges $30 a fecal and then it will be about $40 to see the vet. Your looking at $70 dollars before meds are prescribed.
I am in the process of switching to roaches. If crickets are the issue then I will be more than happy to switch. I have just heard/been told that that super/meal worms have to much chitin which causes impaction.
As for doing it myself, I really don't want to. I was just merely stating that it seems weird to have a pet who constantly gets parasites from doing everyday necessities such as eating. Trying to find a way around my dragon have parasites on a constant bases. A simple check up is not a big deal but ending up with a $150+ dollar bill every year is horrible.

 

[Mitsumike]

So are using crickets as a staple going five my bearded buddy parasites?
I looked into switching to phoenix worms and it doesn't even seem cost effective to even consider that route. I was debating breeding dubias but by the time I get the colony going he will be close to a year old when greens are more important than insects.
Any help with crickets would be great. Thanks

 

[Cheline101]

Bearded Dragons always have stinky poop... It doesn't matter what you feed them. One inch of turd is literally enough to clear the room, sorry man, that's just the way it is. lol It doesn't necessarily mean that they have a parasite. You want to be careful of what you feed them (where you get your crickets) because if the place selling them to you is dirty and not taken care of very well, the crickets could have parasites, which can be passed on to the dragon. This is fairly common, but not that bad. You don't have to get a fecal every year if you don't want to, but it's always a good idea to check. Most vets will make you take the lizzard in if it is a new patient, (so you'll pay something like $30 for the exam, $20 for a fecal float [they force him to poop], and then $15 to test it) or something like that... but usually after the first appointment the vet won't actually make you go in for an exam if you just want to get the poop tested. If you suspect a parasite, then you call up the vet, say "hey i wanna drop off some poop and have it tested for parasites" and then you bring it in and drop it off for like $15-20. They will test it and call you to let you know the results. If you got a parasite they give you meds if you don't they say "have a nice day" lol. Most vets only make you bring the lizzard in if it's a new patient. After that, you should be able to just drop off poop and get it tested for super cheap. Call you vet and ask. If they don't do it that way, try another vet but most do it that way. You don't have to take poop in once a year, it's just recommended just in case. Like when women gotta to see the girl doctor every year... we don't have to go, but it's a good idea just in case... And as for the stinky poop... it's gonna be like that forever! There is no such thing as bearded dragon poop that doesn't smell absolutely disgusting! lol that's just life man!

I feel like I sounded kind of like a butt-head writing this... I didn't mean to... sorry about that

 

[Mitsumike]

That's all I was asking. I mean I was wondering why smelly poop ment parasites, on a few threads. Anyways I keep my crickets clean and the petco I go too keeps there cricket cages spotless (I know shocking). No a big fan of housing crickets in the 1000's so 60 a week does it for me. I'll keep that up. Thanks!