parasite in water dragon

Question
QUESTION: My daughter has a Chinese water dragon. She has had it for about 3 months and purchased it from Complete Petmart. I recently bought a larger 30 gal aquarium and filled bottom w 2in water put large rocks and vines in and a repto filter. I am noticing little white squiggly worms in the bottom of the tank. I have cleaned them out but what could they be? The dragon eats crickets but mostly prefers meal worms. I am afraid it has a parasite that my daughter could get.       Thank you.

ANSWER: Hello Tonya,

Can you post a picture of your tank setup?
I think you need to revamp the setup though, as too much standing water will harbor bacteria.  
Try to establish a warm dry end for her, & have a nice large water bowl that she can completely submerge herself in.  They deficate in their water, so it is an absolute necessity to clean the water bowl out daily, probably a couple of times.  So, if she has worms or parasites & is going to the bathroom in the water in the bottom of the tank, that is what is going on.

So, try to get things changed around for her a little bit.  It would be a good idea to take in a fecal to the vet then.  If she has worms, they can prescribe panacur for a few treatments, to get her levels down to acceptable numbers.  Make sure your daughter is washing her hands after handling her & not putting her hands to her mouth after handling her.  

What are the temperatures in the tank?  What type of thermometer do you use?  Are you using a UVB light source?  

Tracie

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water dragon tank   QUESTION: My daughter is 9yrs old and I tell her to wash after handling her pet but she said she has forgot a few times. Here's pic of tank.

Answer
Hello Tonya,

Well, I think your daughter will be safe as long as she is not putting her hands into her mouth after handling her.
Yes, the tank does need to be redone to where the entire bottom is not water.  She needs a dry area in there.  So, try to get a large water bowl on the basking end, so the water evaporates & keeps the humidity up enough but provide a dry end on the cooler side of the tank.
What are her temperatures in the tank, & are you using a UVB light right now?

Tracie