What to do if your bearded dragon has diarrhea

All reptiles are prone to many diseases that can cause unwanted diarrhea. The bearded dragon is one of these reptiles that can be prone to stress diarrhea, as well as diarrhea caused by parasites. There are many ways to treat this condition in your pet. Some of these are simple remedies and others will require the help of a trained reptile vet. Remember not to allow the condition to manifest for more than two to three days without seeking the help of a veterinarian. Here are some suggestions on what to do if your bearded dragon has diarrhea.

give it time

If you just brought your dragon home, it may just be a case of tuning. Stress can cause diarrhea in all reptiles. Your pet may simply be stressed about being in a new home. Provide the correct habitat, warmth, and plants and foods and give it a few days to adjust. Also make sure there is enough light and warmth for your pet. Misting with water is also important for juvenile and adult reptiles that have diarrhea. Although most reptiles don’t need a lot of water to survive, a reptile with diarrhea can become dehydrated. Spraying a little every day when there is diarrhea can help prevent this. Don’t soak the pet, but a light mist will help.

Get your pet checked

Find a veterinarian who specializes in reptiles. If you have recently acquired your pet, it is possible that he has parasites or an infection. The two most common types of infection in a bearded dragon are hookworms and parasites. Hookworms are treated in the same way as a dog, by deworming. However, a parasite infection can be a bit more difficult to treat. The most common dragon parasite is coccidia, which would require a medication prescribed by a veterinarian to clear the infection.

Clean the habitat

There could be something in the habitat that is causing diarrhea or stress to the animal. The habitat should be cleaned (with the animal removed) and sterilized with a bleach solution. Make sure to rinse this solution well so it cannot harm your pet. If you really want to be thorough about it, you can bake any part of the wood in the habitat at 250ÂșC in an oven for one hour and boil any other part of the habitat for 30 minutes. This will kill any underlying bacteria that may be causing diarrhea.

Isolate and quarantine

There is a possibility that your dragon has contracted adenovirus. The symptoms of this virus are frustrating for most reptile owners as they can be very general with lethargy and diarrhea. If there is any chance that your dragon has contracted this virus, isolate him from the rest if he has more than one. Adenovirus can kill an entire group of reptiles if all are infected. Unfortunately, there is no sure way to know if the animal has this or not because it can only be identified through autopsy of the deceased animal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *