Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Reptiles > Bearded dragon with pink blotches?

Bearded dragon with pink blotches?

22 14:59:20

Question
Hi,
I adopted a female bearded dragon from some people who didnt want her any more, she has been a very picky eater, one I give her crickets, pinkies, or mealies, or any other kind of live feeder she refuses to eat her veggies unless force fed! I believed the male dragon I had in my home has developed a parasite infestation, so I have had to give him parazap oraly, and veggies(baby food) by syringe, I noticed that both of them had diahrea, and started acting really lethargic, so I started dosing her with the parazap also, I noticed she has a pink blotch on her white under belly, and its spreading, I am now very concerned, and was wondering what you may think it is, I have been giving them both a syringe 2cc dose of the parazap, and yogurt daily(incase of yeast build up), and have been force feeding them every other day my male is comming around, and now opens his mouth freely for his medicine, and attacks the spoon that holds his greens, and gobbles his greens down, but still expects to be hand fed ugh!Please help

Answer
 I sounds as if you've had dragons for a while, and that you've been sold on Parazap.  I asked about this product a few years ago and some of the far more experienced people had researched this product thoroughly and frankly, it just doesn't make the grade.  Also a daily dose of dairy is so hard for them to digest. And except for crickets, the two other live feeders have the same problem, pinkies are too fatty and mealies have too much chitin and too little nutrition. Looking at the whole picture I can see why they may be lethargic.  The pink could be from the Parazap, or a reaction to the dairy, or parasites from the mice.
 At this time of year, adult dragons start slowing down for winter, so I would stop live prey and supply a really nutritious salad of some of staple greens, you know, collards, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, mache and arugula, and grated winter squashes and green beans.  A healthy dragon won't starve themselves and eventually will eat the salad. Stay away from lettuces and romaine which are just crunchy water.  This will clean out their tummies of animal protein for winter.
 Now if they are slowing down, you need to be sure of the pink blotches and the parasite issue.  Time to see the reptile vet, really.  Get a fecal, have a scrape of the blotching and get a definitive diagnosis and treatment.  If you get medication, instead of yogurt, get some Acidophilz+ which is the active ingredient in the yogurt without the dairy.  If a dog and cat vet can't refer you to a herp vet, try this link:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com
http://www.arav.org
 Also, I don't know where you are, but if it's getting colder, recheck your temperatures, might be time for changing the basking lights to a higher wattage.  I'm in the process of doing that myself!