All reptiles are prone to many diseases that can cause undesirable diarrhea. The bearded dragon is one such reptile 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 that you should not allow the condition to manifest itself for more than two or 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 adjustment. Stress can cause diarrhea in all reptiles. Your pet may just be stressed from being in a new home. Provide the correct habitat, heat, plants, and food, and give it a few days to adjust. Also make sure there is enough heat and light for your pet. Spraying 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. Do not soak pet, but a light mist will help.

Get your pet checked out

Find a vet that specializes in reptiles. If you have recently acquired your pet, it is possible that it has parasites or an infection. The two most common types of infection in a bearded dragon are hookworms and parasites. Hookworms are treated the same way you would treat 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 vet-prescribed medication to clear the infection.

clean up the habitat

There could be something in the habitat that is causing the animal’s diarrhea or stress. The habitat should be cleaned (with the animal removed) and sterilized with a bleach solution. Be sure to rinse this solution off well so it can’t harm your pet. If you really want to be thorough about it, you can bake any wooden part in the habitat at 250 in an oven for an hour and boil any other part of the habitat for 30 minutes. This will kill any underlying bacteria that may be causing the 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 possibility that your dragon has contracted this virus, isolate it from the rest if you have more than one. Adenovirus can wipe out an entire group of reptiles if they are all infected. Unfortunately, there is no sure way to tell if the animal has this or not because it can only be identified through autopsy of the deceased animal.