new beardie poo issue

[rae6mon]

got a 7 mnth old beardie 2 weeks ago. has been eating well during first week but stopped defecating.booked him into a reptile vet but defecated in bath just before his visit.could not salvage a sample but he checked out quite healthy and i still can take a fecal sample in. since then he has only defecated once and that was in the bath again. is this normal behavior or is there something else i can do. he did poo on his own.first two days only.and he isnt poo-ing every day.worried!

 

[Sofoula88]

Hey..how often is he poking and what are you feedin him?..mine sometimes don't poo everyday,sometimes they eat and poo 2-3 days later..and sometimes you have to give them a bath to help them digest and pooh..so it may be normal depending how often an what he's eating ..

 

[Sofoula88]

Also what temps do u have at his basking area..hot spot?..it should be at atleast 36* for him to be able to digest properly..maybe temps are too low or his not gettig enough heat?..that could explain why he's only going on the bath?

 

[James..94]

Just remember the more you feed him the more he goes to the toilet.
So you might not be feeding him enough.

 

[1issie]

It is normal for them to defecate in the water and i totally agree with James.

 

[James..94]

Thanks 1issie and yes it is normal for them to defecate in water.

 

[rae6mon]

thank you for the replies.he only poos when we bath him and that is after four days. we feed him crickets, woodies peas and corn, dandelions and bannanas. i think he eats alot usually about 12 to fifteen bugs and some vegies. temp directly under the lamp is about 36-38 and air temp 28-32 at hot end.

 

[rae6mon]

although im sure he'd probably eat alot more if i let him.

 

[James..94]

Let him eat as many insects as he wants each sitting he will stop eating when he is full.

 

[rae6mon]

how many days should i wait for him to poo.

 

[James..94]

Depends on the lizard. Some of mine go everyday others go every couple of days.
Just give him a bath after 2-3 days if he hasn't been to the toilet yet.

 

[Sofoula88]

That is kinda weird it takes 4 days..all I can say is make sure he sits under the heat for atleast an hr after he eats.. And if he still dosent pooh within 2 days(coz it probz shouldnt take longer if he's eating alot each day) just try giving him warm baths and that should work..but yer it def shouldn't take 4 days for him to pooh

 

[rae6mon]

i fed him till he stopped eating this morning before work.i was surprised at how much he ate,17 large woodies and about 10 med crickets. he did go to his basking site,but i had to go to work.the problem is my wife and kids arent confident to handle the bugs (or they would rather blame me if one escapes) so i have to feed at 5:00 in the morning, even though he is asleep he awakes to eat.i hope this isn't contributing to the problem the only other option is to feed after work,

 

[lcabban]

You could try substituting crickets and roaches with Giant mealworms or superworms and lean mince maybe your missus would be able to feed it a bit later with these because they should warm up before commencement of a meal.I think you should only give them about 3 or for giant mealworms at a time

 

[James..94]

Icabban it's not a good idea to feed young dragons meal worms as there chitin shell can cause impaction.
rae6mon if you by tweezers they might help your missus and kids become more comfortable with feeding your beardy.

 

[Chris1]

i fed him till he stopped eating this morning before work.i was surprised at how much he ate,17 large woodies and about 10 med crickets. he did go to his basking site,but i had to go to work.the problem is my wife and kids arent confident to handle the bugs (or they would rather blame me if one escapes) so i have to feed at 5:00 in the morning, even though he is asleep he awakes to eat.i hope this isn't contributing to the problem the only other option is to feed after work,

best thing u can do its start him off with a big bowl of salad every morning to get him into a good healthy eating routine, once they stop growing their diet should be 80-90 percent veg anyway, too much protien is bad for adults.
a healthy salad has things like bok choy, pak choy, chinese broc, mustard greens, endive, rocket, water cress as the bulk, with green beand, snow peas, butternut pumpkin added regularly, and things like cauli and carrot added weekly or so,..corn and banana should be kept to a minimum.
heres a link to help you make good salad choices,..
Nutrition Content

at his age he'll be fine to just get his insects after work, (its actually better cos he'll have to eat his salad if hes hungry,..) just make sure he still has 2 hours of heat fro digestion which can be either still his basking light, or a heat mat fro a couple of hours where he crashes if u get home late.

 

[Lollypop]

Hi, if u have to feed him at 5am, use a timer to get his lights to come on at 4am if it doesn't 'cause too much interruption in the home, that way he's more active n ready to eat, or feed him veg of a morning, insects afternoon (Chris has it right). Just then make sure he's getting a good 8-10hrs no lights of a night time. They're flexible to your lifestyle if need be.
You could also bump up your heat temps so it's at 40-44C thruout the day, not just middle of day - what wattage heat bulb u got for the size enclosure?? Also what uvb u using & how far from the basking spot? As long as there's a cool area of 28C approx then all good.
Heat is the most important factor in them being able to digest their food first & foremost, uvb then aids in them absorbing the calcium/vitamins from the digested food.
Re the meal/superworm suggestion, until u get him pooing on a more regular basis, I'd (as James suggested) give them a miss - if your heat isn't up to scratch, they're one of the biggest impaction threats to beardies.
If your heat, uv, diet etc is correct, the absolute norm is everyday pooing, with the occassional one going a day or 2.
Last question - have u got a water bowl in his enclosure for him to soak in naturally if needed??

 

[Sofoula88]

I think u should get some tweezers and freeze the crickets a little til there barely moving and then ur mrs shouldn't have a problem with it..feeding him at 5 am is def too early and will provide a bad eating schedule for him..if anything ur better off not feeding him til u get home..but srsly if u cnt be there when he needs u and no1 else can take care of him..u probz shouldn't own a beardie..they can be alot of work

 

[rae6mon]

thanks for the great ideas i will give them a try. the vet did say a couple of mealies are ok but not too often. I dont drop the temps overnight though. maybe i should start too!

 

[rae6mon]

o.k. my heat scource is a 100w infra red, and u.v is 5uvb reptisun about 20cm from basking spot. i do have a water bowl in there but it is to small for him to soak in. i will also change his day night cycle, a had it following ours.i have measured temps of 44 at basking site. i will give the mealies a miss i dont want to risk more problems. and ill offer more leafy greens in the morn and ill only feed bugs in the afternoon. idid give him a bath last night and there was no success. if nothing happens today or 2morrow ill take him back to the vet. but i will try all the suggestions in the meantime. thankyou and i really appreciate the help. at the beggining of the year i got a baby beardie which did not make it. it died after two weeks and we don't know why. this devestated my wife and kids,with many tears.after much begging i was allowed another chance so this is it, and i dont want to get it wrong.