Yellow
Fungus in Bearded Dragons.
Yellow
Fungus is a disease which afflicts some reptiles, especially bearded
dragons. According to the link below
published by the Australian Wildlife Health Network, “Yellow fungus disease” is caused by the Chrysosporium anamorph
of Nannizziopsis vriessi (CANV) Click here for Wildlife Health Australia Yellow Fungus Factsheet It is a
very contagious disease, and, unfortunately current medical treatments are
often ineffective. In most cases the treatment fails and the animal
dies.
Reptaid
XL has been used to help bearded
dragons successfully and completely
recover from Yellow Fungus Disease.
The following are the instructions for treatment:
1.
Administer Oral treatment of Reptaid XL twice a day at .05ml/500g animal weight
with no breaks until all traces of the fungus are long gone.
2. Bathe the dragon in a container of warm water with 4 or 5 drops of Reptaid
added to the water for 20-30 minutes each day. The container needs to be large
enough for the dragon but not any bigger than necessary for him to bathe.
3. Dry the dragon off after bathing, and apply Reptaid XL with a q-tip directly
to all effected spots on the skin and let it dry.
4. You
can also put the Reptaid XL into a small atomizer type of spray bottle and
spray the treatment all over the skin
surfaces of the dragon. Add about 25% hot water to dilute the Reptaid XL so it
will spray. Just let it dry on the
dragon as much as possible.
5. The
dragon's habitat needs to be in "hospital" mode. This means only
paper towels or newspaper for substrate which gets changed every day or
two. No habitat furniture made of wood
or anything organic where the fungus could grow. Rocks are okay or anything made of
plastic. Clean the entire habitat and
all contents once a week with a strong
vinegar solution. Rinse well, dry off everything and then wash with
Nolvasan or F10 disinfectant.
Continue this treatment and be patient because it could take a few months to
clear up completely. But you will see continual improvement over time. Each
time the dragon sheds, there will be less and less of the discoloration from
the fungus until it is all gone. You may see improvement in appetite and energy
levels after just a week of treatment.
Keep weights on a weekly basis so you can track progress. Keep the temperatures for the dragon on the
hotter side of their comfort range. And
of course give the dragon lots of love and attention during this long time of
treatment and recovery.
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