Health Issues: Add prevention

 

OK, you have followed all the advice about providing the right temperatures, humidity, lighting + UVB/UVA. You gut load the feeders, supplement with calcium, keep a clean and tidy cage. That's all you can do right? NO! One of the most beneficial yet chronically overlooked "supplements" are ProBiotics.
ProBiotics are those microorganisms that live in the healthy gut of all animals. The presence of large numbers of these beneficial flora not only assists digestion and nutrient production and release, they protect the body from pathogenic invaders, i.e. disease organisms, by simply crowding them out and keeping them overwhelmed. I supplement with probiotic powder at least 1 or more times weekly. Daily in new animals and those showing signs of stress.
The populations of beneficial gut flora are easily disrupted by environmental and man induced stress. For example, the Yellow Fungus Disease that has been infecting Bearded Dragons is believed to be related to the wiping out of beneficial gut organisms by antibiotics and certain parasitize. With the protective army annihilated, pathological organisms gain a foothold and take over. The YFD has proven fatal in affected Bearded Dragons almost 99% of the time. With new information it has been discovered that if treated in the earliest stage with topical antifungal AND internally with ProBiotics, the animals recover. www.reptilerooms.com + links.
The stress of antibiotic or parasite therapy, being shipped, breeding season, being gravid, being harassed by a cage mate, temps too cool, temps too hot, changes in food, marginal husbandry, addition of new reptiles to the household, (especially of the same species), presence of cats, dogs etc. that harry the reptiles, or stare at them with "predator eyes", not being able to get enough rest because of lights or noise, being handled too much, being handled at all, improper and inadequate lighting, dirty cages, dirty water, no water, too humid, too dry, the list goes on. These occurrences singly or in combination, will stress the animal enough to cause changes in the environment of the body itself(hormones, metabolites, fluid pH, suppression of the immune system). This can cause die off of certain species of gut flora, and/or encourage the flourishing of pathogenic flora. Even the use of garden soil, or placing the animal outside on yard soil can introduce organisms which the animals body isn't equipped to deal with.
Further, it is believed that those animals receiving ProBiotic supplements routinely, don't suffer the illnesses of non supplemented animals. Conclusion, ProBiotics is the best, natural health preserving supplement that can be used.
Probiotics can be found in pet shops and feed stores, NatureZone is one manufacturer. You can also find ProBiotics At GNC and its competitors, where the products are packaged for human use. As a matter of fact, GNC offers a formulation that includes a wider variety of beneficial species than can be had with the older formulations that only include the milk product flora cultures as in yogurt.
"The use of these products in reptiles has received little to no study as of yet. Most of the data is anecdotal. I advise the use of ProBiotics based on the affects my reptiles enjoy from receiving the supplementation. And on the research that has been done in other animals/humans. They can't hurt. In fact Probiotics help by improving nutrient availability, extracting more nutrients from ingested food, and producing and maintaining a healthly, harmonized intestial environment. You can't underestimate the value of that.
Being living organisms (in stasis until activated by being placed in the right environment, like when ingested) they can start to die off as the product ages (eg. years on the shelf sometimes indicated by the layer of dust on the lids), especially after being opened. Buy fresh. Expect to pay more for the better quality products, but the highest priced is not necessarily going to offer more than a medium priced product. Be leary of the cheap stuff. Remember, a little goes a long way. Give them a try!