Hi. DP and I got a bearded dragon about a year and a half ago. She has been handled regularly, so doesn't mind being picked up and hand fed, has a 5 foot viv, her temps are currently at 38 degrees in her basking spot (and is on a timer to keep it more or less consistent) and is fed a mix of locusts and greens (mainly kale).
So here's the problem: I have (mild) OCD and health anxiety. Soon after we got her, I heard that all reptiles can carry salmonella. This made me extremely paranoid and I have started washing my hands (with anti bacterial soap and sanitizer) way more than I did before (and that was a lot). They have become extremeley sore - raw and bleeding- but can't heal because whenever I touch anything the dragon has been near I need to wash them about 5 times.
She has also started producing the most horrific fecal matter! I say started, but actually this has been going on for at least 6 months. When we first got her, her poos were dry, small(ish) and solid. Now they are huge, runny and stink. Really, really bad. It actually fills the whole flat with stench and makes me want to vomit. I am too embarrassed to have friends round to our home in case she poos. If she poos when my DP is not around, and I know I will have to clean it up, I actually have a panic attack as I know I will be spending the next hour continually washing my sore hands and getting hysterical that I have contracted some sort of disease or parasite from her.
I know that these poos can be a symptom of parasites, but we have taken her to the vets at least 7 times. They have analysed stool samples but they all came back ordinary. Each time we go, the vet gives her some medication, which sorts it out (kind of) for about 2 weeks and they become a bit more solid and less foul smelling, but then the problem comes back. We have deep cleaned her viv countless times and have got rid of the substrate in case she is getting re-infected but nothing works. It is so frustrating. Is this normal poo for them? The vet has done lots of tests, examinations and x rays etc and he says that she is very healthy. He is a reptile specialist and owns beardies himself...
We were feeding her greens every day and locusts every other day. We read about different beardy diets online and thought maybe she was being fed too much and her water intake was too high so we reduced it to a diet where she has one day greens, one day live food, one day nothing. But this hasn't helped.
Sorry if this is really long. It's just really starting to stress me out and I was wondering if anyone is about who is experienced with these sorts of pets who could offer some advice about how to solve these problems. Or do some of them just have really foul smelling poos?