Questions - poop, prolapse, & basking temps

[Majora]

I've had Majora for almost a month now and he is doing really well. He is about 8 inches now, growing like a weed and eats a ton - a big handful of salad every day (sometimes more if I refill his bowl midday) and about 50 medium crickets. He poops daily, wakes up and goes to sleep the same times every day like clockwork, enjoys being handled and going for walks on his leash, and generally seems very active and happy. However I have a few relatively minor questions. Before I ask them, here is my setup:

Tank: 20 Long (we have a 40 breeder which he will be moving into next month)
UVB: Reptisun 10.0 tube 24"
Basking bulb: incandescent household bulb, 40w
Substrate: shelf liner
Temps: basking - stays between 95-100, cool side - hovers around 83
Thermometer: digital w/ probe

So first question - his poops. How large are their poops supposed to be? Majora's are consistently very big. They look completely normal aside from that, and he doesn't seem to be straining, so I'm not sure if it's normal or not. And that brings me to my next question -

Majora always poops in the bath, so I am able to see him poop every day. Like I said, he isn't straining at all, just very large poops. However, I've started checking his vent right after he's through going, and I have noticed that every time he goes there is a little bit of red sticking out of his vent. It's only a tiny little bump and it goes back in second or two after he's finished pooping and his vent looks totally normal. I was wondering if this is normal and if not, is it an early sign of prolapse? If it is, what should I do?

Third question is not really related to the first two. Majora is only around three months old, so he's still young, and everything I've read says that younger beardies prefer hotter basking temps. Well, he doesn't. If his basking temp is anything much over 95 he moves to the very edge of his basking spot or starts gaping. If it gets over 100 at all he will get off the log and not bask. Will his preference for lower temps affect his digestion or development, or is it okay that he likes things a little cooler? I know 95 is still a normal basking temp for older beardies, so I'm not too worried, just curious.

Thanks for reading! I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right for my little guy.

 

[bayoupig5]

Hey, I seem to be trying to help everyone with poop questions lately, cause I have been through a lot with my dragon, and have learned some interesting things along the way.

Please read my post here for the full details viewtopic.php?f=45&t=170547

Majora sounds very similar to Emmy, scarily so, Emmy had such huge poops at times they were as large as her chunky back legs. She too preferred to poop in the bath, and has only pooped in her viv about 3 times ever (she's 3.5 years). However, unlike Majora, Emmy did not have these poop behaviors until after her first brumation. My advice is to start with baths at least every second day, when he reaches adulthood, and hopefully you are still bathing daily right now. The baths should be not shorter than 20 minutes, but I have extended bath time to as long as 40 minutes if the poop was particularly stubborn. If there is any info about pooping that I have not covered in the above link or in here, please let me know and I will do my best to help you out.

As for basking, generally babies do like it hotter, gaping behavior is normal, so if Majora basks and gapes, even if it is for hours, it's fine. However, not basking is not good, so if he prefers it to be cooler, it should be ok, provided he is basking enough to get the digestion flowing, are there any undigested pieces of cricket in his poop? Is 95 F his preferred set, just thinking that even 97 F may be a little better, but you do what he likes. Emmy is an adult and won't bask if it is under 100F preferring up to 103F,so it is also a little unusual for an adult, anything cooler and she refuses to bask. They are so quirky.

 

[Majora]

Majora sounds very similar to Emmy, scarily so, Emmy had such huge poops at times they were as large as her chunky back legs. She too preferred to poop in the bath, and has only pooped in her viv about 3 times ever (she's 3.5 years). However, unlike Majora, Emmy did not have these poop behaviors until after her first brumation. My advice is to start with baths at least every second day, when he reaches adulthood, and hopefully you are still bathing daily right now. The baths should be not shorter than 20 minutes, but I have extended bath time to as long as 40 minutes if the poop was particularly stubborn. If there is any info about pooping that I have not covered in the above link or in here, please let me know and I will do my best to help you out.

Right now I am bathing him daily, and he is going every day. There have been two or three days where I didn't get home from work early enough to bathe him at the usual time and he just pooped in his tank. He was very unhappy about it and stayed on the opposite side until I cleaned it up, but he still seems to not have any trouble going daily regardless of whether or not he gets bathed. And like I said, he isn't straining at all. Generally he'll poop a minute or two after I put him in the bath. His poops are just seem so huge in relation to his body! I wasn't worried about it until I noticed the red area protruding from his vent when he goes. That's the main thing I'm worried about.

As for basking, generally babies do like it hotter, gaping behavior is normal, so if Majora basks and gapes, even if it is for hours, it's fine. However, not basking is not good, so if he prefers it to be cooler, it should be ok, provided he is basking enough to get the digestion flowing, are there any undigested pieces of cricket in his poop? Is 95 F his preferred set, just thinking that even 97 F may be a little better, but you do what he likes. Emmy is an adult and won't bask if it is under 100F preferring up to 103F,so it is also a little unusual for an adult, anything cooler and she refuses to bask. They are so quirky.

I try to keep it around 97-98, that's about where he starts to gape. Any hotter than that and he'll just get off his log and look unhappy. If it's kept at the right temps he basks most of the day so I'm pretty sure he's digesting well. His poops are pretty uniform with no big undigested chunks of anything. Thanks for the reassurance, it's nice to know that someone else's beardie has odd temperature preferences too. Lol

 

[Meredith]

Hi.

I'm really curious as to how you get such great basking temps from a 40w household bulb. I only get to about 85ish using a regular flood light and am considering switching to a white flood light.

 

[bayoupig5]

Hi.

I'm really curious as to how you get such great basking temps from a 40w household bulb. I only get to about 85ish using a regular flood light and am considering switching to a white flood light.

It really depends on how far away the bulb is from the basking spot. I have a 50 watt Halogen spot and can get temps up to 108F when 16 inches away.

 

[Meredith]

Thanks. I'm also not using a digital thermometer with a probe. The one I'm using is a small round one I got at Petco - the same one they use in their own enclosures. I realize that could make a difference.

 

[Majora]

Hi.

I'm really curious as to how you get such great basking temps from a 40w household bulb. I only get to about 85ish using a regular flood light and am considering switching to a white flood light.

We don't have air conditioning so the temps in my apartment are pretty high to start with (around 80 most days this month). I keep the dome with the 40w right on top of the screen, since I don't have anything to hang it from/clamp it to at the moment, and it keeps his basking temps pretty much perfect. It all depends on your house temps, tank size, distance, etc. I also have higher wattage bulbs that I plan on using for winter, and since he'll be in a 40 gallon starting next month.

You should really get a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun. Those round dials are usually way off, and anyway they're only measuring the air temps. You need to be able to measure the temp of the surface of the basking spot, so you need a probe or temp gun to touch the spot directly. I work at Petco, and even we only use the dials as a rough guideline. We check the enclosures with another thermometer. When I first set up Majora's enclosure, it was a few days before I was able to get a digital thermometer, and I had two strip thermometers on the tank. I was using the bulb that came with the tank (50 or 75 watt, can't remember) and the ambient temps read fine by the strips. Well when I got my digital w/ probe, I took the temps and the basking log was over 130 degrees! I would've cooked the little guy. If you get a better thermometer, you might find that your basking temps are fine, or even a little too high.

 

[Meredith]

Wow - thanks for that info. "Delores Dragon" (original name was Draco til I learned to check gender) was actually going to be abandoned by a community center going out of business and the preschool director where I work agreed to take her. Being the resident "animal person" around here I got the job of caring for her at least temporarily. I've been trying to avoid spending too much of the school's money since I don't know how much they're willing to shell out. I will, however, look into getting a better themometer.

As with your setup - the dome with the basking light sits right on the screen, but being in a classroom with the a/c on most of the time, that could be where the difference lies. I'm really hoping I end up being able to take her home with me. The teacher in that particular class doesn't want her there. This has been my absolute first experience with a Bearded Dragon and it was with some trepidation that I first picked her up - and I instantly fell in love!

 

[Majora]

Digital thermometers are not very expensive. I know you can get them at Walmart for around $10, and they sell some at Petco (Zilla brand) that are 8 or 9. You just have to make sure the probe sits directly touching the area for about 45 minutes before you take the final reading. Good for you for taking care of her and wanting to do it the right way! I know what you mean though, I always thought beardies were cool but never really had a yearning for one of my own until I started taking care of the babies at Petco. Once you hold one you gotta have one! Haha.

On another note, if anyone could give me some answers as far as the prolapse question I would appreciate it. Took Majora out for his daily bath and poop today and caught the little red lump sticking out from his vent again. It's only there for a few seconds right after he poops, and goes right back in. You have to be quick to see it, and it's still really tiny. He's still not straining at all, and he has no problems pooping - he poops right after you set him in the bath water with no real provocation (tummy rubbing etc). It does worry me though. I'd like to know if there's anything I need to do for him.

 

[Meredith]

What about contacting a herp vet or even a rescue group? I don't know where you live but I do know of a highly regarded herp vet in Woodland Hills, CA. I'm sure you could always call for info. Or, what about asking at a good reptile store?