Hey there guys I have a roughly 18 month old male beardie. I recently had him into the vet, and discovered parasites. Theyre currently being treated with ponazuril. On top of that ive noticed that his throat "pouch" is very large and has been for some time now. I originally thought maybe he was a bit overweight. The vet didnt seem to be too concerned but did say it was a little puffy. It seems to be larger some days and then it shrinks down. He said when they're under stress i.e parasite infection, their beards can do things like that. Im still not convinced and just wanted another opinion. The first picture is from a few days ago the other
Two today. Can see the difference.
Hi there....sometimes it can be be attributed to being overweight but not always. Does he have a good energy level or is he sluggish ? Sometimes it can be related to respiratory infection, but there would usually be labored breathing and/or gaping + wheezing. At times a saggy beard can be caused by fluid accumulation from either an excess or too little of a vitamin, but I can't remember for sure.
And then sometimes it's just a beardie's beard being naturally flabby. As long as his temps. are good + he's eating well [ not too many insects for an adult dragon ] and seems healthy I wouldn't worry too much.
Lately he's been a little lethargic but I assumed it was due to the parasites and possible the medicine. He seems to be getting a bit better already though. Normally though hes usually pretty active. Temps and diet are both good. Breathing seems normal. His throat doesnt feel hard or anything. saggy parts are Really soft. What would be considered too many insects? Usually give him about 6-10 superworms depending on the day and some type of vegetable.
That's a reasonable amount of insects but it would be best to offer other items like crickets, dubia, hornworms or silkworms. The superworms are a bit fatty, [ as are most worms ] so if you can get some of the others it would be good. Offer greens like turnip, mustard, collard, cilantro, kale,dandelion are all good as well as a variety of squash.