Very Nervous... Please Help

[suikajusu]

I've had Boji for about 2 and a half weeks now, and in the last couple of days things have gone south. He has stopped eating and has only had two or so crickets in the last couple of days. he was having normal bowel movements and eating like a pig for a while but then he started dropping chalky urates with no poop. He was still pooping, just not as much, and it wasn't regularly shaped. Today, I gave him a warm bath to see if that would help and instead he just had diarrhea on his basking spot. He won't even look at his crickets and he won't drink water. This is my first beardie and I'm very nervous that things will keep getting worse. He is shedding his tail right now, but I don't know how that could affect the diarrhea...

- Age- couple of weeks
- Size- 6 inches
- Size of the enclosure- twenty gallons
- Temperatures- 80 degrees on cool side, 110 on basking spot
- Type of substrate- tile
- Diet- around 15-20 small crickets dusted with calcium (before he was having issues)
- Any other info you think may help others understand the situation.
-He's pretty scared of me and doesn't like to be held.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to take him to the vet, if I have to I will, but I really don't want to add more stress to the situation. I also am a little short on funds so I decided to come here first.

 

[Beardie321]

Hello! Good idea to come here. Although I will recommend a vet visit. Bring a fecal sample, that way they can look for any parasites. Shedding can cause lack of appetite. However the diarrhea really shouldn't, but he could just have that if he was getting excess liquid. How badly did it smell? If it was tolerable he most likely is parasite free. The being scared is normal, he is young and you just got him. He will get used to you and love you for taking him to the vet. You seem to know a lot. When you take him to the vet just make sure you look at all the prices and keep an eye on it. Let them you are low on $. Good luck!

 

[suikajusu]

that made me feel so much better, thank you so much! I will be calling the vet tomorrow. also, the smell wasn't worse than it normally is so that's a good sign

 

[Brezzy99]

Some vets will do a fecal without the beardie having to go in. Call around and ask.

 

[jacody]

How is Boji today?? The bath might've set off the diarrhea, but you can't be sure.. Have you had any luck with finding a vet that'll let you bring in a sample? Parasites could be the cause and always good to check to make sure especially if you got him from a chain retail pet shop as they continuously just add more babies to the tanks and cross contamination occurs frequently. Not always, but as you've had him a couple weeks it'd be a good time for a sample as the initial move could cause levels to spike temporarily and it's been long enough now they'd be leveled out to a more accurate analysis... let us know..

 

[suikajusu]

My vet will let me bring in a fecal sample for around $30. Only problem is I'm not sure if Boji will even poop today. He looks a little thinner. I'm now wondering if he could be impacted..? He lays with his legs sprawled out and he slept that way last night. I'm going to call a nearby reptile sanctuary to see if they have any ideas as well.
(he has completely stopped 'glass dancing' so that's a plus)

 

[jacody]

The diarrhea and the chalky urates put together, def. not impaction, especially if his hind legs are working properly.. mine stretches out like that to bask and to sleep at night.. paralysis of the back end is something entirely different.. if Boji does have parasites it's an easy thing to treat with the meds and proper cleaning of the enclosure.. if he doesn't poop today try tomorrow and you can always bag it in a Ziploc and refrigerate the sample to keep it fresh until you get it to the vet office..

 

[suikajusu]

glad to rule that one out. that was my biggest fear. also, about how long does it take for your dragons tail to shed? His tail has been dull for a while now but the skin is not actually shedding yet.

 

[jacody]

Once the skin starts to actually shed it'll be fairly quick, but sometimes it'll stay dark like that for a while until it comes off, pay attention to the tip of the tail especially as that occasionally has trouble coming off completely, that and the toes, around the eyes are sometimes tough too.. baths will help once it starts to actually loosen and shed..just don't be tempted to pull it off, he'll rub it off on his own..

 

[suikajusu]

well, he got the runs again. couldn't exactly get it in a baggie because it was 80% liquid.

 

[jacody]

That's never fun, how long was he in the bath for last time?? Try again tomorrow if you have to.

 

[suikajusu]

probably a little less than 15 minutes

 

[jacody]

Hopefully it's just pinworms or mild coccidia..just a little hump to get over and then once it's worked out it'll be smooth sailing..

 

[suikajusu]

I looked a little closer at his feces and it has some pieces of something in it... I can't tell if its cricket pieces or what, I don't know how it could since he hasn't been eating. I'm going to bring it to the vet

 

[jacody]

Probably undigested cricket pieces, takes a while to fully come out of their system... let me know what the vet says, but keep in mind if it does show parasites most vets will have to see your beardie to prescribe meds and weigh him to figure the right dose. Let me know, I've dealt with both pinworms and coccidia.. high levels, not low so can give you some pointers..