Not digesting correctly?

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So, my beardie's poo has crickets in it. They're chewed up, but some parts are fully visible( whole heads and even whole bodies!) Does this mean she's not digesting right or that the crickets are to big? :(
 

fuchsiaSkies

Hatchling Member
Hi there!

It could be either of those things. The crickets should be no bigger than the space between her eyes. Has her appetite or activity level changed at all? Also, could you run us through your set-up so we can see if you need to make any adjustments?

What lights does she have (please be specific), and how close can she get to them?
What are her temps and how are you measuring them?
What is her normal feeding routine- calcium, vitamins, any veg, any live food other than crickets, etc.?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I agree with the last post but want to add, don't panic. It's not uncommon for bug legs and shells to pass through undigested sometimes. I've seen this especially with crickets and large dubia roaches. It is a good idea to ensure all of your lighting is fine tuned however, because that has a direct effect on digestion and overall health.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Also, are you sure it's poo and not vomit? In other words, did you actually see which end of the dragon it came out of?
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Yep sometimes find cricket's big hopper legs in the poo or kinda part way out of the bum after a poo.
If beardie (or lizard) is showing signs this stuck bit of partly digested leg is irritating their bum , a bath in some luke warm water and gentle rub of the area with a bit of soaked kitchen paper towel usually gets the itchy object out.
In the instances I've seen , it's definitely been a cricket leg. Sometimes with males (skinks and beardies) a seminal plug can also get stuck there and might look like a insect leg.

This is more of problem (when the temps are right and the lizard has lots of opportunity to bask) if it's really guzzled the bugs down without properly chewing them.
Probably more likely with young lizards and maybe with rescues who have not been fed often enough.
 

KittyLovesDragons

Member
Original Poster
So, I actually checked the width between her eyes thing, and the crickets she was eating were too big. :shock: So, when I opened my box of newly shipped crickets, I remembered that I had ordered large, because that was before I discovered the crickets were to big (which was yesterday). But luckily they mixed our order up and gave us mediums which she should have been eating before. yay! :lol: Now hopefully she'll be able to digest these better right?
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
That should help. I like to get crickets one size smaller than the width between my beardie's eyes, just to be on the safe side. Besides, if you get them in fairly large numbers and keep them around for a while (and feed them well, as you should), they're going to grow.

Some beardies do a better job chewing their food carefully than others. Ours tends to wolf his bugs down like a little vacuum cleaner. :roll:
 
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