Beardie has hind legs straightened and hasn't pooped

I just got my first Bearded Dragon 4 days ago. He went to the bathroom the first 2 days I had him but hasn't in the last 2 days and I just saw him sitting with his hind legs totally straight. He's about 3 or 4 months old, I have a 30 gallon tank, 100W reptisun for heat, but I took out this UVB coil bulb because I heard it was bad for them. I ordered the good fluorescent one everyone recommends, it should be here in about 5 days. Anyways, I read that hind legs being straight can be a bad sign, am I just being a little paranoid and this is somewhat normal or is there cause for concern? Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Hi
Well it can be a sign of impaction as well as some other things.What type of substrate is he on? What are his temps exactly and how and where are you measuring them? What are you feeding and also do you know how he was cared for before you got him?

Well I'm not an expert but I think it could be one of two things.
1) MBD- Metabolic Bone Deficiency, which is due to proper UVB exposure could cause the weakening of bones which in later life could cause problems if not quickly corrected.
2) Impaction- Usually impaction which is caused by the ingestion of things either too big for your Beardie to digest or that can't be digested and clog their intestines. Which can be corrected with certain methods which I am not ocmpletely aware of.

Try these two things to see if your Beardie improves.
1) Due to improper UVB exposure. You could take your Beardie outside for about 30 minutes to 1 hour a day which is equivalent to 14-16 hours of artificial light.
2) Give your Beardie a bath in luke warm water and put your hand on her stomach if it feels hardened it could be impaction, if you feel a jello"y" stomach it could be loosening the food.

P.S. - Remember I'm not an expert this is just from experience and reading online from vets and other medical care situations. These methods are helpful in these fields (unless the information I gained is wrong.)

Atleast give them a try. And another question what bedding is your Beardie on, and what are you feeding him/her?

Thanks for the quick replies. He's on non-stick shelf liner as a substrate. I only fed him crickets (about 10-15 per day) the first few days until today I gave him some collard/mustard greens which he ate a bit of, not much. I gave him a warm bath yesterday and today. I might try getting some babyfood squash as I read that might help. I don't actually know the temperatures yet because I don't have a thermometer, I'm getting one tomorrow though.

Well, I guess I just had to post something to get him going..hehe. I just checked and he finally had his first poop in 3 days and looks alot better, his legs weren't straight anymore. He was probably just starting an impaction but got through it ok.

Yes it could mean he is having difficulty digesting.You really need to get those temps measured so I would work on that first and foremost.I am glad he pooped.How are his legs now? Which UVB did you order?

His legs seem fine now, he was actually standing against the glass on his hind legs when I checked on him. I ordered the ReptiSun 10.0 Linear Fluorescent UVB lamp online as it seems highly recommended from what I've read. As far as temperatures, when I check them, if they end up not being hot enough, do you usually just get a stronger heat light or adjust the basking spot to be closer to the light?

Hello,

Great, the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube is the best bulb yes.
You can either adjust the basking platform to get the temps more optimal. However, do not get him any closer than 6 inches to a basking light though so he doesn't get burned. The Reptisun UVB should be 6-8 inches from him anyway for maximum exposure.
Or, you can just get a stronger or higher wattage basking bulb, it is entirely up to you whichever is easier for you.

Tracie