All those who keep reptiles and baby bearded dragons at home should have a basic understanding about diseases of these animals. Since reptiles can not show the symptoms of their illness until they are at a sufficiently advanced stage as to make it almost impossible to fight them , it is imperative to know see the first symptoms, identify and (if possible ) to implement the corresponding treatment . Some of the most common diseases can be perfectly at home ; for others, we must resort to the vet. However, note that when a disease becomes evident is quite possible the animal either completely unrecoverable .
Nearly all bearded dragons sold today were born in captivity , it is very unlikely to find parasites in them. If parasites appear , it is likely that other animals have acquired the terrarium. Distinguish two groups of parasites: ectoparasites ( external ) and endoparasites ( internal ) .
The most common ectoparasites are ticks and mites. Ticks can measure up to about 6mm , but when attached to the host and suck blood can grow to the size of a grape . Through its powerful mouth clamps can be attached to virtually any part of the body of lizards . There are several ways to detach ticks. If we pour a drop of oil on the tick , it can not breathe and will release by itself, so we can easily remove it. Another method is to use alcohol. This makes your mouth clamps relax and we can easily remove them with tweezers. In addition, the speciality stores you can purchase specially designed commercial products to remove ticks of reptiles. To use them just follow to the letter the instructions or follow the advice of the store staff .
Mites are fought differently. To start, we usually only notice them when they have already multiplied in large quantities , which happens remarkably quickly . They usually appear in the folds of the skin of snakes and lizards , so that usually meet in the armpits, ear openings , and vent. The mites usually infest reptiles are greyish and very small (about the size of a grain of salt ) . When mites feed on blood take on a reddish brown color . Often we detect only the presence of mites to find them dead in the water tank or appearance of their droppings ( white powder ) between the scales of the affected animal . If an animal terrarium has mites , it is best to treat all animals in the same terrarium as if they were also infected .
Mites can be difficult to remove . No method is completely effective , and most likely have to repeat the treatment several times . While animals are treated must be thoroughly disinfected terrarium . This will have to replace the substrate with a new one , bathe all elements of terrarium in bleach for at least an hour, wash the terrarium itself with bleach and let it hard act an hour and finally clear everything with clean water and dry completely before replacing animals. During treatment against mites worth using some very cheap and easy to replace substrate ( newspaper or sawdust) , it will be changed frequently. When it is absolutely certain that the mites may have disappeared completely re-employ their preferred substrate . It is advisable to isolate infected animals in a room where there are no other terrariums with reptiles. It is also important to wash hands thoroughly after handling any infested animal. This prevents mites can pass to your other animals.
To treat the infested lizards various methods can be employed. In specialized shops sell specific products against these parasites . Simply follow the instructions that accompany them, but considering that an overdose could be fatal to animals. You can also use a strip of paper impregnated with antiparasitic dichlorovinyl dimethyl diphosphate . Put a strip of an inch in length in a small container with holes that allow vapour out without the animals may come into contact with the strip ; a salt shaker or a cardboard box is more than enough . Place this bowl in the terrarium and do not forget to remove the water dish throughout treatment . Let the insecticide two days in the terrarium and then replace the container with water for three days. Repeat this process for 15 days (three treatments). After this time the mites should be gone, but should examine the animals for a couple of weeks to make sure they are completely free of parasites.
If you do not like using chemicals , you can try to eliminate mites based on wash their baby bearded dragons. Hold bearded dragon under running tap water (warm , of course ) and rub gently with your fingers . The terrarium should be disinfected with a bleach solution . This method is not the safest , and often need to be repeated several times to remove all mites .
Endoparasites are not as common but are more severe. Among them are the cestodes , nematodes , amoebae , and many others. The only way to make an accurate diagnosis is to bring a stool sample to the vet for analysis . Some of the most common symptoms are lack of appetite, vomiting , sunken eyes , poor muscle tone, and watery stools .
These symptoms are the same as those of some bacterial infections, so it is necessary to resort to a professional immediately .
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