Blood in Stool But...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Okkin

Member
Hi guys. Ellie has had a little bit of blood in her stool off and on for the last two months. It seems to be in her urate, and her poop itself seems normal. She isn’t lethargic, and she is still eating very well.
Her enclosure is as follows
40 gallon glass tank
Micro sand substrate
UV Floyrescent light
Basking light ~ 95-100 degrees
CHE for the night time ~ 80-85 degrees

Her diet consists of gut fed crickets and king worms from a very trusted distributor.

She’s nearly a year old now (yay) and she has yet to lay eggs or do anything of the sort. Please help!
I’m hoping it’s not worms, if anyone has insight I’d be more than happy to listen!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I would recommend getting a fecal done, just to be sure it isn't worm or parasite related.
Which UVB light do you use, the Reptisun 10 tube bulb & how close is it to her?
I would however, remove the microsand in case she might be ingesting some of it. Most of
us here use solid substrate to avoid impaction & other issue. It harbors too much bacteria
as well.
Are her urates hard or soft?

Tracie
 

Okkin

Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the reply,

I use the Reptisun 10, and it’s perhaps 12” away from her? As for her urate it’s normal. Normal being solid but not rock hard. Like really loose jelly I guess?
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
I agree, please remove the sand, it's just not worth it with a dragon at all, forgetting the impaction risk, if she does have parasites or an infection it's probably due to the microbes living in the sand. I'd remove it immediately, disinfect the tank, and just put down paper towels that you can replace as they get soiled until you decide what permanent substrate you want, like tiles. It could even be little bits of sand that she's passing that are causing the inconsistent blood in her urates.

You need to get her Basking Spot within at least 6" of the Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube (assuming you have the 18" T8 Reptisun 10.0 and not the stronger T5HO). Also, is the Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube on top of a mesh lid? If so, you gotta get it mounted underneath that mesh lid ASAP, the T8 tube is too weak to still get adequate UVb light to her after the mesh blocks 40% of it.

Two things on her temperatures: #1) Are you only using a stick-on thermometer to measure her temps? I ask because you only listed 2 temps instead of 3, and that usually means that you're using a stick-on thermometer. In addition to them being extremely inaccurate, usually off by between 10-20 degrees when tested, the stick-on thermometers make it impossible for you to measure her Basking Spot Surface Temperature. So what you're listing as her "Basking Spot Temperature" is actually her Hot Side Ambient (air) Temperature. You cannot measure her Basking Spot Surface Temperature unless you have a Digital Probe Thermometer, which you can buy at any Petco or PetSmart for $10, or an infrared Temperature Gun. You have to set the Probe that is attached to the Digital Thermometer with a wire right directly on her Basking Spot, where she sits, and let it there for at least 20-30 minutes to allow the Probe to reach the actual temperature. This is very important, as if you're listing her Hot Side Ambient (air) Temperature as being between 95-100 degrees, #1.) That could be up to 10 to 20 degrees higher because the stick-on thermometers are so inaccurate, and #2.) More importantly, my guess is that her actual Basking Spot Surface Temperature, which should be between 100-105 as an adult, is actually over 110 degrees, which can be very dehydrating and even lethal.

Also, her nighttime temperature is WAY TOO HOT! I'm glad you're not putting a light on at night for her, it needs to be pitch-black in her tank all night, but they don't sleep comfortably unless it's considerably cooler at night in the pitch black than it is during the daytime. The desert in Australia, where they're from, gets very cool at night, and that's how they like it. So unless her tank temperature falls below 65 degrees (which is where they like it, between 65-70 degrees at night), then you don't need any nighttime heat source at all. You're house would have to be below 60 degrees at night for her tank to drop below 65 degrees, so I'd just not turn the CHE on anymore at night and make sure all her lights are out and it's pitch black, and just leave the CHE off as to allow her tank to naturally cool down, just like the desert. She'll sleep much better and be much happier.

My biggest question now is are you absolutely sure what you are seeing in her urate is actually blood? I'm asking because you say it's not constant, it comes and goes, and due to her temps being potentially too hot, she may be a bit dehydrated, which can cause their urate to look pink/red/orange and actually a lot of people think it's blood...I'd get a Digital Probe Thermometer ASAP and then put the Probe right on her Basking Spot for 20-30 minutes and then read it, and if her Basking Spot Surface Temp ends up being higher than 100-105 (I'm assuming it is) then you'll know what the issue is. You can also drop off a fecal sample to a reptile vet just to be sure it's not parasites, that's always a good idea, but unless she has a moderate to high or higher count of Pinworms or Coccidia (low counts are normal for them to have at any given time), I'm going to guess it's not actually blood you're seeing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,903
Messages
1,255,708
Members
75,967
Latest member
Newbeardiemom09
Top Bottom