Diahhrea

[ChristinaW]

My 8 month old bearded dragon has been having diarrhea for over a couple of months now and it has been pretty bad at that. She has been to the vet a couple of times and has also been on two medications twice now. Albon and Panacur. She had fecal test done twice also and both times it was negative. She is around 17 inches and eats greens (escarole, collard greens, arugula), squash, and crickets and a little carrot. I've read here that squash can cause diarrhea so I will stop that. Her poop has only been normal a few times while on the meds and then goes right back to diarrhea with lots of liquid around it. No form to the poop and we see mucus in it.
Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Christina

 

[Germ]

Hi Christina,

I don't have personal experience with this, or have anything to suggest, that you have not already done or tried, hopefully some one will chime in with some answers ...

 

[Aleena]

I would suggest a banana, but they're considered a BD no no. Mostly the more liquid is in their diet, the more they have the runs. Do you bathe her frequently? Could that be the culprit? Do you mist continuously? Just throwing out ideas. I would definitely suggest stopping giving her anything that could cause the diarrhea, but really it's not to worry about. The more liquid they ingest, the more runny the stool. As long as she's staying hydrated, let her poop.

 

[Germ]

Diarrhea will 'cause' dehydration ... Depleting it's moisture stores.

 

[Aleena]

Diarrhea will 'cause' dehydration ... Depleting it's moisture stores.

Which is why i thought as long as it's staying hydrated...

 

[Germ]

It is very difficult to replenish the amount of moisture lost by Diarrhea, it's not like they will drink a significant amount of water on demand, so just letting her 'Poop' is not the answer. The cause of the Diarrhea has to be found.

 

[Aleena]

It is very difficult to replenish the amount of moisture lost by Diarrhea, it's not like they will drink a significant amount of water on demand, so just letting her 'Poop' is not the answer. The cause of the Diarrhea has to be found.

I've just usually found that they have diarrhea when they eat too many things that can contain too much water, such as peppers as an example, they will have bouts of diarrhea. If it is indeed a more serious issue, then it does need to be looked at. I was going off of experience, and there are so many more things out there that can happen!

 

[ChristinaW]

Well, I appreciate the help from you all. I do feel we have to find the cause of the diarrhea because she did just fine for so long and then it just started up and doesn't stop. The vet thinks she looks healthy everytime she sees her but I know there has to be a reason even if it is diet related. I ordered crickets at first then started breeding them and was successful at that so at least I know the crickets she gets. The vet did say to cut her down to once a week on crickets and I haven't cut down that much to be honest but she does get less than she use to. I feel she is still young (under a year) so I still give her more than once a week. She seems stressed for sure when she goes poop like it hurts or something. Like I said when she is on the med she gets much better but then it comes back. I'm not misting more than once every few days and she doesn't like baths so she doesn't get them too much. She has both types of lights and is in a 40 gal breeder but will be going into a 75 gallon soon. I use paper towels and have since I got her. I use calcium and vitamins every week on the crickets. I read that it could be an intestinal infection and sometimes takes a few rounds of meds to help.

 

[Germ]

I disagree totally with the Vet, too many vets are not species specific knowledgeable in their husbandry & give generalized advice.

There is no way, that an 8 month old BD should only be fed Prey (Protein) once a week. In my opinion, I would do the exact opposite & was just about to suggest this. It may well be worth a try to cut out Greens altogether for a week or 2, let it eat as many crix as it wants daily, up the frequency of Misting & warm soaks to daily misting & soaks to ensure Hydration. I feel that you may be much more successful in treating Diarrhea with solider food than taking it away.

Just my $.02 worth & what 'I' would do in your situation.

 

[ChristinaW]

I think I will start doing just that tomorrow. After two rounds of two different meds for 5-7 days each I think your idea is worth a try. I'll keep you updated as to how she does. I also just read a care sheet on here and it said protein up to 12 month old should be 80% and greens 20%. Thanks alot to you both, Christina

 

[Germ]

If you try the above & it is successful at producing solider stools, then I would introduce quality Greens suggested in the Nutrition Chart in green, one type at a time, over the next week or 2, so you may find which may be the problem for your particular BD if any.

Nutrition Chart

It may also be helpful if you posted pics of your setup, & provided as much info as possible about your Husbandry, temps, lighting etc. It is possible that some issues may stem from there, as many digestion problems do.

 

[ChristinaW]

I have seen this chart before and use some of the ones in green. Her basking area is 106 and the cooler end is about 95 and the bottom is mid 80's. I will try to post pics tomorrow. Thanks again and good night.

 

[Aleena]

Good luck! Your baby definitely needs its warm soaks even if it doesn't like them. It will probably grow to like them in the end. Try to make the water warm as you would a babies bottle, and you may find that it enjoys them a bit more.

 

[Jp]

I would have to agree with Germs last post, sounds to me like there is too much moisture in your dragons diet. Focus on live feeders & little to no greens & veg for a week or 2, also be sure to give frequent baths for hydration.

 

[Josh]

Hope your dragon is feeling better by now. Welcome to the forums!

 

[Zen ReptileZ]

I would also like to add that with the usage of Albon, it is highly recommended to supplement with a probiotic as it strips all of the good bacteria from their system. Acidolphilz+ is what I have used. It is made specifically for reptiles.

Also, would you tell me more about the rounds/dosage amounts of Albon and Panacur?