RockHound":2i26cdbp said:Unfortunately, crickets most certainly CAN carry parasites. My Sierra got a few pinworms from a bad batch I got about a month ago (no big deal really - I keep things clean, and they will cycle out without reinfecting. Pinworms don't actually do anything to harm their host). I still feed crickets, but I switched suppliers. Now I gutload for 48 hours minimum. A bad batch of crickets will generally have large die-offs in that time, or be lethargic.
I've avoided supers because I've heard that beardies can get addicted to them and will start foregoing the rest of their diet. Crazy that it has happened to so many people just on here!
bayoupig5":9fnbxqnj said:Hi, How is Zeus doing, is he still twitching?
He doesn't seem to be twitching anymore, it was just a finger or two of light twitches. I'm going to keep a close eye on him.
I think calcium 5 times per week with the multi 2 times per week would be sufficient. That is what I have been doing with Emmalee for a while. Due to other issues she was at the vet yesterday, and he said she was the healtiest dragon he has seen in his practice. So I don't think you can go wrong there.
These are my calcium fine tuning tips. Too much or to little vitamins can cause all sorts of issues, so far what I have been doing for Emmy has been good. Keep in mind you will have to adjust for your own dragons needs, and you need to keep a close eye on what is going on to make the adjustments. So here we go: if I have noticed that Emmy's urates were yellow, and I was sure it was not related to diet, I have cut out the calcium for a couple days, and then resumed a normal schedule (I did not add multi vit instead, I just left the food un-dusted). I have only had to do this once, but it worked. Too much calcium can also cause constipation, so if you notice your dragon is straining to go, and it's not normal for your dragon to do so, you may be giving him too much calcium.
Sounds like you're taking awesome care of Emmalee! Thank you for the tips, calcium problems are something that I've become very familiar with. I've cut back on the calcium and it seems like Zeus's poop is better. It's half white and half yellow compared to the almost full yellow that his previous poop was. I don't currently give Zeus a multivitamin because I thought the calcium-d3 was all that the beardies need?
Emmy gets calcium five times per week, once a day. However, as an adult she is only fed once a day, and that is only if she is basking. If she is not basking that day, I do not feed her, as she is usually not interested in eating, On those days I have not given her vits at all. Your dragon is only 7 moths old though, so daily feeding should still be done. If Emmalee has gone long term without food, I have added a very small pinch, a few grains of vit powder to a 3 ml syringe of water, and have offered this to her. With food, I will either pinch in a small amount of vit to the slurry or dust the feeders. I do not do both. It's one or the other. I have also not dusted all the worms if she is eating more than 5, I'll dust the first 5, but not the next 4. I do not want to over do it as well, as she has had constant constipation issues since adult hood However, again your dragon is still a little young, so you should adjust according to your dragons needs, at least until he is a year old. As far as how much, bugs should be lightly coated, not drenched in calcium powder. Don't laugh, but I shake the bugs in vits and then blow each one off before I give them to her. When feeding salad or slurry a small pinch between your fingers should be enough. Keep feeding the squash, it a great food for them, and is a great staple to help with fecal motility.
Yes, I do feed him daily and keep him provided with fresh veggies (even though he doesn't eat them) I see... For now I've been dusting Zeus's worms (7 when he gets his morning meal I don't dust them, but I do dust the other 7 for his nightly meal) I've been blowing on the worms and it gets off a lot of the excess calcium, so thanks for that! It's a great idea. =) Tried to give Zeus his veggies by putting it on his snout, be he either lets it sit there or shakes his head furiously trying to get it off. He does the same thing with water as well. He's so stubborn!
Emmalee had one fecal when I first got her that had pinworms and 2 unidentifiable protozoa in it. Since then (three fecals later), her poop is to quote the vet "the cleanest bearded dragon poop he has ever seen". So although some feeders do contain worms, I think that if your dragon is healthy, they can keep the counts ingested in check. Emmalee has has several crickets, since her first fecal three years ago, and it is still clear. Mind you crickets are my least favorite bug, but sometimes they are the only other form of variety left to feed, especially in the winter (in Canada). I know all about limited availability, and buy most other bugs online, the phoenix and butters all came from online, waxies have only been available once and a while in stores, but can also be found online. So you may want to look into that.
"The cleanest poop" is funny to hear, haha. Zeus seems to be healthy, and I recently got him a fecal done and no parasites were found in his poop. I'm definitely buying all of his bugs online, as the local stores seem to overprice the feeders.
Did you have a fecal done recently?
Yes I did! Everything was fine, although there was a lot of bacteria in his poop but that could be from me putting it in the fridge overnight. I heard that keeps to poop "fresh." :lol:
I would also invest in a scale for your dragon. I use a digital food scale, and it is great for knowing where your dragon stands at all times. I know how much Emmy should weight during brumation and during her waking time, and can adjust what I feed her and how much all because of that scale. They are failry inexpensive and you can buy them almost anywhere. I have even seen them at Wal Mart. Weight loss can also give you an indication that something is wrong, earlier than most outward symtoms can. So having a scale is a great tool.
I do have a scale, but it's solely for food and it's not digital. Would that work? I would like to know his weight as it does seem like something important to know. I'll check at Walmart and get him another scale if mine doesn't work!
Emmalee hates her bath too, but due to recent events has had to have increased baths every second day, and I leave her for 20 minutes, unless she's pooped in it. Then I will cut it off ealry, cause if I don't I get a very black beard, and of all things she opens mouth showing me all of her mean teeth, and when really pissed has even hissed at me for several minutes :shock: . But you know what, that's just too bad cause I know what is best for her :lol:
Wow! Zeus hasn't hissed or shown me his teeth yet, he just sits there staring me down. :lol: Oh I do know, but they seem to rather think they know best. :wink:
11ofclubs":1auhzw44 said:One of my dragons did the same thing. Super worms only. I just take her out in the sun every day and give her a bath every other day. Your dragon has similar symptoms to mine and I would recommend direct sunlight. She is skinny and after a couple of days in the sun she is eating wax worms. Also I would try wax worms because they are high in fat and will help get your dragons weight back. If your dragon is really underweight feed 5-6 wax worms a day maximum. When your dragon starts to gain more weight start to reduce the amount of wax worms. I have yet to try it but, I also hear that horn worms are irresistible to dragons and that may be a good place to start to get your dragon eating a varied diet. Also if you do not or did not have a uvb light for some time and the cage was to cool, (it seems as though you do have tems under control now though), it may be Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). I'm going out on a limb and saying that and may get yelled at because that is not my specialty but, we did not have a uvb for her up until a couple of weeks ago and the cage was to cool. We think that she may have a mild case of mbd but, she is getting better and starting to eathope this helps Elliot.
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