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Cactus pad
- Thread starter mish13
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
I've never fed them mainly because I dont see them often for sale but my understanding is that you need to wash them thoroughly then you will want to scrape off the eyes and spines with a knife or peeler. Then cut it into strips and dice and offer them raw.
Hmmmm...think I will check again tomorrow at our grocery for some. Who knows might get lucky and Mungi will get a treat
Enjoy!!
Hmmmm...think I will check again tomorrow at our grocery for some. Who knows might get lucky and Mungi will get a treat
Enjoy!!
I've never fed them mainly because I dont see them often for sale but my understanding is that you need to wash them thoroughly then you will want to scrape off the eyes and spines with a knife or peeler. Then cut it into strips and dice and offer them raw.
Hmmmm...think I will check again tomorrow at our grocery for some. Who knows might get lucky and Mungi will get a treat
Enjoy!!
Ive never seen it at my local grocery store either. I was looking through the produce section to see if i could find something new for her to eat and there it was
Ive read some of your posts about the Reptaid you use and was wondering if i should use it . Im just at the end of treatment for cocidia . I will get her fecal checked next week . Fingers crossed it clear ! In the beginning she had diarrhea and wasnt eating well , now her bm's are normal and she eats her greens like a little piggy
I asked my vet about it and he kinda blew me off and said he didnt think it would do what it claims. She seems healthy so just wondering if its something she needs ?
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Ya know I could go into a real rant about vets and in my experience how the majority of them are usually more like general practitioners and have little or no reptile specific training and how even fewer have any specific species training so their knowledge of what will and will not work in these creatures is in actuality limited to say the least.
I might also mention that again in my experience the majority of the medical community in general are not real big on the idea natural medicine. After-all why should they be when they can make more money by pushing harsh and dangerous chemical based products that while they may "fix" the problem most times have an encyclopedias worth of side effects that accompany them which reek havoc on the creatures body and organs and their bodies natural healing ability.
Here is a question. Has your vet told you what your dragons actual level of Coccidia was or did they as most do just did a fecal float and tell you "Oh you have a Coccidia infestation" and here are the meds you have to use to get rid of them.
Coccidia is a parasite that bearded dragons as well as other reptiles carry in their system naturally. Under normal conditions your dragon's natural immune system keeps the level of these parasites in check and at proper levels coccidia are both harmless as well as beneficial.
An abnormally high level or "outbreak" of them is usually caused by improper husbandry, improper environment, improper diet and most importantly stress on the creature.
Stress on a reptile is perhaps the single biggest cause of illness and most keepers really don't have any clue as to just how easily these creatures will stress out. Once they do their immune system plummets and opens the door for things like coccidia to go haywire.
As to the "need" for you to get the Reptaid that is a decision you will have to make. My personal opinion...and understand firstly that I am by far not alone in that opinion as there are many many reptile keepers and breeders who agree and secondly that I am not a salesman for this product nor do I make a single cent off it...my opinion based on what I have seen it do first hand with my person precious reptiles is that Reptaid should be in every reptile keepers arsenal.
This product was specifically developed originally as a safe alternative to combat coccidia outbreaks in reptiles without having to administer the harsh and harmful chemicals that are mostly prescribed.
It is developed to use natural means to eradicate the excess parasites as well as to beef up the creatures own natural immune system which as previously mention will keep coccidia levels in check on its own.
And simply put it works when used as directed. I have seen the results in my own reptiles after the vet meds failed and as I said I am not the only keeper that has seen the same.
One other thing that I will mention here is that when treating for parasite outbreaks there is more to it than just administering meds or Reptaid to be successful.
In particular your husbandry practice must be meticulous and thorough DAILY cleaning and disinfecting of your dragon's enclosure and all of his furnishings must be done to prevent re-infestation.
You also need to reduce and eliminate as many sources of excess stress on your dragon as you can because that stress will only further drag his immune system down.
Once your dragon's immune system is right again, I also recommend a two day cycle of the Reptaid to keep it boosted and help prevent further outbreaks in the future.
Hope this answers your question and helps
Enjoy!
I might also mention that again in my experience the majority of the medical community in general are not real big on the idea natural medicine. After-all why should they be when they can make more money by pushing harsh and dangerous chemical based products that while they may "fix" the problem most times have an encyclopedias worth of side effects that accompany them which reek havoc on the creatures body and organs and their bodies natural healing ability.
Here is a question. Has your vet told you what your dragons actual level of Coccidia was or did they as most do just did a fecal float and tell you "Oh you have a Coccidia infestation" and here are the meds you have to use to get rid of them.
Coccidia is a parasite that bearded dragons as well as other reptiles carry in their system naturally. Under normal conditions your dragon's natural immune system keeps the level of these parasites in check and at proper levels coccidia are both harmless as well as beneficial.
An abnormally high level or "outbreak" of them is usually caused by improper husbandry, improper environment, improper diet and most importantly stress on the creature.
Stress on a reptile is perhaps the single biggest cause of illness and most keepers really don't have any clue as to just how easily these creatures will stress out. Once they do their immune system plummets and opens the door for things like coccidia to go haywire.
As to the "need" for you to get the Reptaid that is a decision you will have to make. My personal opinion...and understand firstly that I am by far not alone in that opinion as there are many many reptile keepers and breeders who agree and secondly that I am not a salesman for this product nor do I make a single cent off it...my opinion based on what I have seen it do first hand with my person precious reptiles is that Reptaid should be in every reptile keepers arsenal.
This product was specifically developed originally as a safe alternative to combat coccidia outbreaks in reptiles without having to administer the harsh and harmful chemicals that are mostly prescribed.
It is developed to use natural means to eradicate the excess parasites as well as to beef up the creatures own natural immune system which as previously mention will keep coccidia levels in check on its own.
And simply put it works when used as directed. I have seen the results in my own reptiles after the vet meds failed and as I said I am not the only keeper that has seen the same.
One other thing that I will mention here is that when treating for parasite outbreaks there is more to it than just administering meds or Reptaid to be successful.
In particular your husbandry practice must be meticulous and thorough DAILY cleaning and disinfecting of your dragon's enclosure and all of his furnishings must be done to prevent re-infestation.
You also need to reduce and eliminate as many sources of excess stress on your dragon as you can because that stress will only further drag his immune system down.
Once your dragon's immune system is right again, I also recommend a two day cycle of the Reptaid to keep it boosted and help prevent further outbreaks in the future.
Hope this answers your question and helps
Enjoy!
Hi Mungi, as always thank you for your info and advice.
I dont know the exact count of coccidia she had but I will find out. I think your right that doctors be it human or animal push meds to fix everything. I thought i was keeping good husbandry. I cleaned out poop daily, if she got it on any decor i would wash it that day otherwise I used vinegar and water solution to soak items weekly. I do a complete breakdown every couple months and change the substrate. I do admit i used ground walnut shell for quite some time. I started using children's play sand at the end of April. I strained it very well and baked it . Do you know how long it takes to bake a 50 lb bag of sand ? All gosh darn day !!
Shes always been a good eater . I give her a mix of collard, turnip & mustard greens. She also eats veggies and fruits. Shortly after i put the play sand in she started not eating well and not pooping as often as she did. She also slowed down and was just laying around and then got diarrhea . Thats when i had the fecal checked and the vet said it was coccidia and he also said she had a large amount of pollen in there.
Btw Ryuu is almost 2 yrs old and has never been sick before. The only live feeder ive ever fed is cxix and i get then from Petsmart . I thought maybe she got it from them. I was thinking about trying worms with her as ive heard they are better for them. I dont really know that much about the different kinds tho. just an fyi I hate bugs ! hate bugs, hate bugs, hate bugs.
Since shes had the coccidia ive been using newspaper and clean everything daily. Its so exhausting
I hope her fecal comes back clean next week .
She is doing great right now . Eating like a pig and poops are normal. I think i will buy a bottle of the Reptaid and try it.
I dont know the exact count of coccidia she had but I will find out. I think your right that doctors be it human or animal push meds to fix everything. I thought i was keeping good husbandry. I cleaned out poop daily, if she got it on any decor i would wash it that day otherwise I used vinegar and water solution to soak items weekly. I do a complete breakdown every couple months and change the substrate. I do admit i used ground walnut shell for quite some time. I started using children's play sand at the end of April. I strained it very well and baked it . Do you know how long it takes to bake a 50 lb bag of sand ? All gosh darn day !!
Shes always been a good eater . I give her a mix of collard, turnip & mustard greens. She also eats veggies and fruits. Shortly after i put the play sand in she started not eating well and not pooping as often as she did. She also slowed down and was just laying around and then got diarrhea . Thats when i had the fecal checked and the vet said it was coccidia and he also said she had a large amount of pollen in there.
Btw Ryuu is almost 2 yrs old and has never been sick before. The only live feeder ive ever fed is cxix and i get then from Petsmart . I thought maybe she got it from them. I was thinking about trying worms with her as ive heard they are better for them. I dont really know that much about the different kinds tho. just an fyi I hate bugs ! hate bugs, hate bugs, hate bugs.
Since shes had the coccidia ive been using newspaper and clean everything daily. Its so exhausting
I hope her fecal comes back clean next week . She is doing great right now . Eating like a pig and poops are normal. I think i will buy a bottle of the Reptaid and try it.
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Just a quick FYI...you mentioned that she had the coccidia outbreak shortly after you changed over to playsand substrate ( Playsand substrate IS a proven, very safe and excellent choice for dragons of appropriate size).
Anyway when you make a major change to their environment such as you did it is a very stressful thing to them and they must be given another acclimation period to settle in just the same as if you had just brought her home for the first time. Otherwise that stress is more than likely the culprit in causing the coccidia outbreak that she had rather than it having come from feeders or any other source.
I will repeat that stress is the number one cause of illnesses in reptiles especially and something a keeper must learn to avoid whenever possible. Bearded Dragons in particular are also masters at masking their stress and illnesses and injury so you probably never realized how stressed out she was by the environment change.
You certainly did the right thing in changing her substrate and I applaud you for that
I hope that your dragon's next fecal float is clear and that she continues to get better!
Enjoy!
Anyway when you make a major change to their environment such as you did it is a very stressful thing to them and they must be given another acclimation period to settle in just the same as if you had just brought her home for the first time. Otherwise that stress is more than likely the culprit in causing the coccidia outbreak that she had rather than it having come from feeders or any other source.
I will repeat that stress is the number one cause of illnesses in reptiles especially and something a keeper must learn to avoid whenever possible. Bearded Dragons in particular are also masters at masking their stress and illnesses and injury so you probably never realized how stressed out she was by the environment change.
You certainly did the right thing in changing her substrate and I applaud you for that
I hope that your dragon's next fecal float is clear and that she continues to get better!
Enjoy!
- Messages
- 1,122
- Location
- Mungi's World- Dayton,Ohio
Lucky find today...found some fresh Cactus Pads at my local grocer....Mungi shall have a new treat in his " breakfast salad" tomorrow We shall see if its a happy or a no thank you for him...lol!
We shall see if its a happy or a no thank you for him...lol!