What's Up With My Bearded Dragon's Eating/Digestive Habits??

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Selkie1993

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Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
106408-202152250.jpg
Hi Everyone!
New beardie owner. Please see Drogon's previous conditions and current ones here.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=251767

In the last week, Drogon's feeding habits have been on and off. Usually, he eats 20 crickets but lately it's been reduced.

Here is what happened this morning:
1) Drogon's poop was a bit watery. Sorry, I wish I took a picture, but it essentially looked like very watery poop and urate. I wouldn't label it as diarrhea.

2) His poop has been STINKY lately. Yes, I know it's poop but it can be pretty rank.

3) Today, since I didn't have greens, I gave him some roasted sweet potato chunks with a bit of green pepper (his fave) along with 1-2 mealworms (only gets these 1-2x a week, have reduced it since I heard they're hard to digest) 1-2 waxworms and 5 calciworms. This is usually an appetizer for him lol. When I offered him crickets, he only had 1-2 and just watched them run around his feeding tank. He was active and curious, but just didn't seem in the mood to eat. Okay, that's fine. I heard they go through some habits now and again.

4) When I looked on the underside of his vent, he had some poo that seems to be stuck in the vent. It's not liquidy, but more crusted? (sorry, this is gross :cry: ) i sprayed a napkin and tried to gently rub it away with little success.

Also, he just had a 10-15 minute bath last night.


What's going on with him? Is he sick, semi-brumation, just not in the mood, parasites?? He's acting completely normal: basking, checking stuff out, active and curious.
Any help or advice would be appreciated. Here are some pics so you can check him out as well.

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Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi Selkie! :)

Is Drogon shedding, or beginning to shed? In the pictures it looks like he is graying out.
If this is the case, it perfectly explains every single one of your concerns.

Shedding can be quite annoying for them. They typically have a decrease in appetite, a change in stool consistency, and a tendency for it to be stinkier.

The poo on the underside of the vent is most likely just from the looser stools he's been having lately. It's likely just some staining that will come off with his next shed.

Selkie1993":2nw6ptyk said:
What's going on with him? Is he sick, semi-brumation, just not in the mood, parasites?? He's acting completely normal: basking, checking stuff out, active and curious.
You said it yourself :)
Sometimes as worried beardie parents, we look too deep into things and create a problem in our heads that isn't really there. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. The hardest thing to do, is just take a deep breath and relax, and realize that things are ok :)
It's always good to check and ask though, we are all still learning about these guys anyways :D

-Brandon
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

He looks good & seems to be doing better than previously. I agree, he is probably going
to shed which can be stressful for them. Is he spending enough time basking in order to
digest properly?
You could think about adding a probiotic to his nutritional menu a few times a week to see
if that may help. How often do you feed him fruit or do you give fruit at all? Too much sugar
can cause digestive issues for them. Mango & papaya in small amounts can be given a few
times per week since they both contain digestive enzymes that are often used in most if not
all probiotics.

Tracie
 

Selkie1993

Juvie Member
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Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
claudiusx":3oiht856 said:
Hi Selkie! :)

Is Drogon shedding, or beginning to shed? In the pictures it looks like he is graying out.
If this is the case, it perfectly explains every single one of your concerns.

Shedding can be quite annoying for them. They typically have a decrease in appetite, a change in stool consistency, and a tendency for it to be stinkier.

The poo on the underside of the vent is most likely just from the looser stools he's been having lately. It's likely just some staining that will come off with his next shed.

Selkie1993":3oiht856 said:
What's going on with him? Is he sick, semi-brumation, just not in the mood, parasites?? He's acting completely normal: basking, checking stuff out, active and curious.
You said it yourself :)
Sometimes as worried beardie parents, we look too deep into things and create a problem in our heads that isn't really there. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. The hardest thing to do, is just take a deep breath and relax, and realize that things are ok :)
It's always good to check and ask though, we are all still learning about these guys anyways :D

-Brandon

Hi Brandon :)
Thanks for writing back. Yes, he's been a little gray, so I gave him a bath but no shed yet! I just get a little paranoid because I lost my cat this year, so it kind of puts me into a mini crisis mode when I notice anything "off" with my pets.
Thanks for the reassurance :)
 

Selkie1993

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
Drache613":1sxf380d said:
Hello,

He looks good & seems to be doing better than previously. I agree, he is probably going
to shed which can be stressful for them. Is he spending enough time basking in order to
digest properly?
You could think about adding a probiotic to his nutritional menu a few times a week to see
if that may help. How often do you feed him fruit or do you give fruit at all? Too much sugar
can cause digestive issues for them. Mango & papaya in small amounts can be given a few
times per week since they both contain digestive enzymes that are often used in most if not
all probiotics.

Tracie

Hi Tracie!
Thanks for responding. Drogon hasn't shed yet, but he loves to bask regardless. When he's done eating and acting like a lazy boy, I place him in the hammock so he can bask for a few hours. Actually, he just started eating fruit two days ago, and I only use it as an incentive when he's not into greens. Raspberry seems to be his favorite :) I only give him one berry.

I was trying to find more on shedding in my books. Why is it considered stressful? Is it just uncomfortable? hormonal changes?

Selkie
 

Selkie1993

Juvie Member
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Beardie name(s)
Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
Drogon still hasn't shed yet but remains grey. Always loves basking because he's quite lazy :lol:
Ate his normal 20 crickets and BSFL so I guess he's feeling a bit better. He's super sweet and I love him, but he's a fuss when it comes to food. :blob8:

I'll post any pics of shedding starts to occur!

Selkie
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
FWIW, Zardoz has been having watery poops lately--after shedding. I speculated it may have been some after-effect of getting a bath, but it's been a couple/3 days since the bath & shedding, and it's still watery.

I'm not terribly concerned (but DW is starting to get more attached than myself, and wanted me to ask/look into it); the stool & urates are firm & normal--they're just accompanied by more water than usual. No changes/irregularities in diet.
 

Selkie1993

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
MrSpectrum":1xhpw0l6 said:
FWIW, Zardoz has been having watery poops lately--after shedding. I speculated it may have been some after-effect of getting a bath, but it's been a couple/3 days since the bath & shedding, and it's still watery.

I'm not terribly concerned (but DW is starting to get more attached than myself, and wanted me to ask/look into it); the stool & urates are firm & normal--they're just accompanied by more water than usual. No changes/irregularities in diet.

Hey there :)
Im fairly new to beardie keeping but you may want to create a new health post that has your terrarium specs/heating/setup so the mods can rule out any potential problems. They are fantastic here!
Selkie
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
Selkie1993":3el38tzt said:
Hey there :)
Im fairly new to beardie keeping but you may want to create a new health post that has your terrarium specs/heating/setup so the mods can rule out any potential problems. They are fantastic here!
Selkie
Well, excuse the poop outta me! :?
You asked a question, and I responded by way of a related anecdote/situation. Sorry if it wasn't the kind of answer you were looking for.

If there's anybody here that doesn't know my enclosure specs & setup by now, then... I think maybe you're the anybody! :lol:
 

Selkie1993

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Drogon <3 RIP 2019- March 11, 2024 Lily: new girl in the house/ 5 months old
MrSpectrum":36ccacwr said:
Selkie1993":36ccacwr said:
Hey there :)
Im fairly new to beardie keeping but you may want to create a new health post that has your terrarium specs/heating/setup so the mods can rule out any potential problems. They are fantastic here!
Selkie
Well, excuse the poop outta me! :?
You asked a question, and I responded by way of a related anecdote/situation. Sorry if it wasn't the kind of answer you were looking for.

If there's anybody here that doesn't know my enclosure specs & setup by now, then... I think maybe you're the anybody! :lol:


Lol relax. I meant no disrespect and was only trying to help :lol: And I'm not only new but don't memorize everyone's setup :lol: :lol:

Cheers!
 
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