Illness


Disclaimer: I am only writing about my own experiences at this site. Please do not ask me for advises if your beardie seems sick. I can't take that responsibility - if you are worried about your dragon - consult a veterinarian, immediately! I am not an expert!

Parasites
Unfortunately Teo, Disa and Cicero have had parasites - it is very common. They had coccidia, pinworms and one more that I don't know the English name for.

I didn't suspect parasites in the beginning, I just noticed that Teo was very tired and lethargic, she didn't eat and didn't want to leave her cave at all. She also seemed to be in pain when I touched her spine and she didn't hold on at all when I pulled her up. I could almost turn her upside down without any reaction.

Of course all this worried me a lot. I called a veterinarian that took a lot of tests and they found out that she had 3 kinds of parasites. She probably had all this since before I got her.

Treatment and sterilization
I got two kinds of medication for the parasites. It was no problem to get rid of the Pinworms and the other one. The coccidia were harder. I treated both Teo and Cicero with sulfa (called Bactrim) for coccidia for about 4 months. It didn't help... I have no idea why it didn't. I gave them the medication every day and I sterilize the terrarium and everything in it - every day - I couldn't do more. It worried me a lot.

In February 2002 I got to know a wonderful woman in USA that got some Albon for me and sent it to me. And that worked!!!! :-) I am so happy. My dragons are now well and healthy.

Dehydrating
Remember that Albon is very dehydrating and you have to give your dragon extra water to drink and bathe it more often. I gave Teo and Cicero about 5 ml of water every day via a syringe (without the needle!).

Nutribac
Because Albon is a sulfa it kind of "destroys" the gut flora for the dragon. One way to restore the gut flora is to give the dragon Nutribac. You can read more about it and order it here: www.nutribac.com

Parazap
Another good thing to try is Parazap. It prevents parasites. It also removes parasites. But first - send a fecal sample to your vet. If your dragon has a lot of parasites I do not recommend Parazap. Parazap is not a "real" medicine and it works slower than ordinary medications. If your dragon is heavily infested by parasites - it might be to late for Parazap to work.

To prevent parasites Parazap is good. I have heard that from many people and I have used it myself. Teo had just a little infestation of pinworms - and Parazap removed it. But like I said - take a fecal sample to the vet first - so you know what you are dealing with. Parazap does not do wonders...
Read more about it here: www.parazap.com or www.parazap.net