Topics Forums Bearded Dragons Bearded dragon worms?

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    • #13631

      Munchie93
      Blocked

      I was just wondering if there are any signs that a bearded dragon has worms?, or can post a picture of what they look like. Are they the same as dog worms? I’m just askin cause my lizard pooped a few minutes ago and it was well formed and soft but it also looked like it was slimy. Is this slimy part normal?
      Thanks

    • #13661

      ABMoore22
      Participant

      I think thats normal. And as far as I know the signs are losing weight, lethargic, bloated belly. Like with most animals. Not sure on the types of worms reptiles could get though.

    • #13666

      Zoodulcis
      Moderator

      It may be pinworms. They are a very common parasite in beardies. They can cause diarrhea and the soft slimey stool may be the first indication. A stool sample provided your vet will be sufficient for diagnosis. No need to take the animal in right away. If pinworms are the problem, an inexpensive wormer that is probably going to be fenbendazole based will be sold to you for application at home. If the stools get even softer and no internal parasites are identified, a change in diet may be called for. If that doesn’t work, a trip to the vet for your pet it is!

      • #13708

        Munchie93
        Blocked

        His poop is like slimy with a coating on it. It is like that maybe 1-2 days a week and the rest of the time it is normal. I think it may be his veggies cause it seems like that is the only time it happens. As long as it is green he will eat it. No red/yellow/orange peppers no carrots or berries. No bananas. Only green fruits and veggies. He will not even eat watermelon. I really don’t know what else to try.

        • #13716

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          It does sound like diet. If it was worms his poop would be consistently loose or slimey. What types of greens are you feeding? Some greens are better for him than others. Also, how old is he?

        • #13733

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          I’ve had him for 4 months so maybe 5 months? I feed him green beans, peas, mustard greens, collard greens, green peppers and dandelions. He just loves dandelions. He will not eat anything else.

        • #13744

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          Dandelions are a superfood, IMHO. There really doesn’t seem to be anything insufficient or irritating in his diet when it comes to greens. My suggestion is to rotate foods. Feed him only one veggie choice and then monitor his stools for the next three days. Make notes and then offer a different green, observe and record. People are asked to do this all the time for suspected food allergies and it works. One further thought, where do his dandelions come from? An organic source where no contamination by pesticides or herbicides is possible?

        • #13774

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          So just try to eliminate what is making it slimy? I gave him everything mentioned above last night minus the green peppers because I ran out and forgot to buy more,and his poop was normal except for some undigested cricket parts. His dandelions come from my yard since I am the only house around for maybe a mile or two. When I can’t find any I buy them at the store. No matter where I get them I leave them soak in water for 30-45 minutes. Like I said normal poop most days but it usually has undigested cricket parts in it. It’s like this even if I use the smaller crickets.

        • #13793

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          Ah ha! Eliminating green peppers for a week to 10 days is a great way to start. I had to do this for myself years ago. After years of coping with horrific gas and bloating for no apparent reason, an elimination diet revealed that I had become allergic to soy. Hydrolyzed soy protein in prepared foods and especially salad dressings were messing me up. I’d had no problems as a young adult but my body had changed. It was very mysterious until I did an elimination diet and kept records. I changed my diet permanently and now eat more home-cooked foods and sauces, and make my own salsas and salad dressings.

          If it is the green peppers, eliminate them for a year and them try them again at some time. You may find that he’s OK in the future, or find that he has an intolerance to any member of the nightshade family (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant etc) just the way some people do.

        • #13814

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          He will not touch tomatoes or carrots. If I mix in with the green veggies he will not eat any of the veggies. Well I did give him green peppers earlier and when he pooed it had that slimy casing around it again. I’ll cut the green peppers out for awhile to see what happens, but he loves those things. They are the first thing he goes for. It seems he is starting to eat the veggies more than crickets. Before I had to put him near the veggies to get him to eat them, now he just jumps off his little log and runs to them. Are there any other greens I can give him? I know there are I’m just afraid of giving him something bad.

        • #13832

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          There is a list of recommended foods in the beardie care guide on the main Critter Depot site. Avoid greens high in oxalates like kale. What you are giving him now should do the job, though. Minus the peppers.

        • #13846

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          Yeah no peppers for a while. I don’t want him to get tired of the veggies he is eating now, which is why I wanted something different for him. Thanks I’ll look at the guide and try a few things in it. I haven’t really tried any green fruit, maybe I’ll try that later today. I may even try cabbage with him. Lol it’s green so he will eat it. Picky little bugger.

        • #13847

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          So he won’t eat any fruit or berries?

        • #13859

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          I’ve tried the red/purple grapes and he wouldn’t eat them, so I tried the green grapes and he eat those. So no berries. I guess he is going to have to stick to the veggies he does eat until he quits being stubborn. Maybe he just doesn’t like other colored foods?

        • #13865

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          Proof positive he is not color-blind! Unlike some bloggers on the internet who recommend grapes BECAUSE they are high in oxalates, the reverse is actually true. Grapes are indeed high in oxalates, which binds calcium. As an occasional treat, they are fine, but should be fed once weekly at most.

        • #13893

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          Haha that was a good one. Only if he was colorblind though, then I could feed him any fruits and veggies I wanted, but noooo he has to make it hard on me. Yeah the grapes I only give him like 4 a month. So it’s like 1 maybe 2 every other week. I know sugar isn’t good for them,so I don’t give grapes often.

        • #13898

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          So now you have the equivalent of a finicky cat in the form of a reptile. How is his poop now that green peppers are being withheld?

        • #13917

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          Everything seems to be normal now since he’s no longer getting green peppers. I did notice him wake up at like 4:30am and him going straight for his veggies. He has never done that before. Also, as soon as his lights come on for the day he waits for crickets. I mean jeez I feed him adult crickets and he eats like 1-2 dozen at a time. Then he gets more at night and eats them all. He is a pig, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I’ve gotten to attached to him.

        • #13919

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          I’m so pleased that the problem has been identified and no vet was necessary. He does sound like a little piggy. Do you ever make him fast for a day?

        • #13934

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          No vet thank goodness. I make him fast for a day every now and then. He looks at me with those little beady eyes when he doesn’t get fed and I feel bad for him and have to feed him something. I forgot about buying him black soldier fly larvae about a month ago, so I just remembered yesterday and they turned into flies, he just loved those things. He was catching them out of mid air. I wish I could find the black soldier flies online.

        • #13939

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          That must have been incredibly entertaining. I guess you’ll just have to order larvae from Critter Depot and let them age awhile 😉

        • #13953

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          Those things take a long time to turn into flies. I’m thinking about ordering some. Yesterday he hardly ate any crickets, but he sure did eat a lot of veggies. I thought I’d be able to sneak a few pieces of apple into it this time, but nope it didn’t work. He ate everything and left the apple. So earlier he got a big bowl of only green foods and he ate it all. By the way, he eat the hard lumpy parts of collard greens? The stem and whatever else it is? Or can he only eat the green leafy part?

        • #13954

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          The green leafy part has the most nutrition. I would cut off the stemmy bits in order to prevent choking.

        • #13976

          Munchie93
          Blocked

          Ok thanks. I wasn’t sure. So like the little veins running through them is fine?

        • #13982

          Zoodulcis
          Moderator

          Should be alright.

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