Administering to Bearded Dragons and Other Larger Lizards

(follow the link above if you are treating Yellow Fungus)

Administering Reptaid to

BEARDED DRAGONS and LARGER LIZARDS

 Larger lizards such as bearded dragons, iguanas, tegus, larger chameleons such as mellers and  parsons,  all experience  health challenges with various parasites and infections.  A healthy lizard can become infected with parasites through the food source or through contamination from another animal.   Common parasites include coccidia, flagellates, pinworms, roundworms, and hookworms.  Sometimes the immune system of the lizard is weakened by stress or an overload of parasites making the animal susceptible to bacteriological infections.   Most commonly this is seen as an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) , lip rot, or eye infections. Often a larger lizard which goes through brumation in the winter has a hard time bouncing back after brumation.   Reptaid has been very effective in helping these larger lizards overcome all of these health challenges. 

 Eye dropper vs Syringe:  Your Reptaid bottle may or may not come with an eye dropper attached to the lid.  It is totally unnecessary.  An eye dropper is NOT used to dose or administer the product.  The syringe included in the box is what is used to dose and administer the product.  The eye dropper, which may or may not be present, is a standard pharmaceutical device but is not used with Reptaid.  Our laboratory here in the United States occasionally uses bottle lids that do not have the eye dropper attached.

DOSING:

ReptaidXL  is dosed at .05ml per 500g animal weight.   It is always administered orally either directly into the mouth or injected into a food item before feeding the reptile.  Following is a dosing chart for various weights of larger reptiles:

1 gram = .035 ounces

 TREATMENT BY AGE AND WEIGHT

1.      BABIES OR JUVENILES   (Less than 250g)

If a juvenile reptile in this size class needs Reptaid XL it is better to treat the animal with regular Reptaid which is for animals 250g or less.   See the instruction website for reptiles in this class.   

2.      MEDIUM TO LARGE LIZARDS  (250G to 10 lbs )

A medium to large lizard may experience health challenges such as parasites and infections, lack of appetite or energy, lack of libido.     Dosing is per the chart above.   Method of administration depends on the diet of the animals.  The larger the animal, the less likely that you can just open the mouth to squirt in a bit of liquid.  So injecting the Reptaid XL into a food item is the best application.  For lizards which eat bugs, a nice plump cricket or a dubia roach  is the best option.  Just inject the correct amount into one insect  or spread it out over a few insects and feed all of those insects  to the lizard.   For an iguana you can inject the dose of Reptaid XL into a chunk of banana or on a slice of mango.   Or you can just spread it on his greens before feeding.   For a lizard which eats mice, just inject the Reptaid XL into the mouse and feed it to the lizard.   If your larger lizard eats once a week, cut its portion down and feed it every 3 days.  Reptaid XL is  designed  to be administered every day, so the idea is to give a triple dose in the food portion every 3 days. But under no circumstances should you give more than .5ml of Reptaid XL  in any one dose.

   VERY LARGE LIZARDS   (over 10 lbs )

Very large lizards like adult iguanas, large monitors, etc can be effectively treated with Reptaid XL with the same methods as with medium to large lizards. But each dose should not exceed .5ml of Reptaid XL in any one day.  Even if the lizard weighs 50 lbs just give it the same .5ml of Reptaid XL that a 10 lb lizard would receive. 

TREATMENT FOR PARASITES

Detection of parasites is best performed under laboratory conditions using a microscope.  Symptoms of parasitic problems include loss of appetite, lack of activity, dark coloration, diarrhea, blood in the feces or urates, very smelly feces, visible worms in the feces.  If any or all of these symptoms are present, you can treat with Reptaid being confident that if parasites are present, treatment will help solve the problem.  Treatment for all parasites should be once a day per the dosing chart.  If the animal  is very sick, not eating at all, very dark and very inactive, Reptaid can be administered twice a day.   At this point you are fighting for the animal’s life.  You can also mix the Reptaid with some mashed up bugs or baby food so the lizard gets some nutrition as well as the healing herbs.  

Continue with Reptaid for 10 days.  You should see improvement after 3-5 days but continue for 10 days.  Then wait 2 days and start another 10 day treatment.  In most cases 20 days of Reptaid is sufficient to rid the chameleon of any and all parasites.   A fecal check is needed to be sure the problem is solved. And of course, as with any treatment for parasites, quarantine, disinfection of the habitat, and proper hygiene are essential to prevent reinfection. 

TREATMENT FOR BACTERIOLOGICAL INFECTION

The most common infections from bacteria which afflict all lizards are eye infections, lip infections,  and  URI, upper respiratory infections.  For all these,   dosing is per the chart above.  Administration is the same as for parasites. For a severe respiratory infection, the lizard  will be showing foam in the mouth, holding his mouth open a lot, making definite breathing noise, and possibly coughing.    Most infections will show signs of improvement in 2-3 days and be completely clear in 5-10 days.  One 10 day treatment is usually sufficient to completely clear up any infection. 

COMBINING WITH DRUGS

Reptaid is not a drug. It is an herbal all natural alternative to drugs.   It is not recommended that Reptaid be administered at the same time as any drug.  If a course of drugs is underway, discontinue the drugs and just use the Reptaid. Or finish the course of drugs and then begin the use of Reptaid.  Do not use at the same time. 

PROBIOTICS

When using any antibiotic drug, it is highly recommended that a probiotic such as benebac or nutribac  be used along with the drugs.  Drugs eliminate the good gut flora in the digestive tract of the reptile.  A probiotic replaces that gut flora.  But Reptaid does not kill the good gut flora with its natural antibiotic properties so a probiotic is not needed with Reptaid. However a probiotic  can certainly be used with Reptaid as an additional boost to the immune system during treatment.  And if a drug antibiotic was used before Reptaid, then a probiotic is very needed to help get the lizards digestive system back in balance.

USING REPTAID PROACTIVELY

You can use Reptaid products to keep your reptiles healthy and vibrant, rather than just as a treatment for sickness or disease. It is suggested to administer Reptaid or Reptaid XL to your reptile, per the dosing chart, for 2 or 3 days at the beginning of each month.  This has shown positive results in keeping  animals healthy and thriving