Soft Stinky Poo!!

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Hello everyone! This is actually my first bearded dragon... So this may seem like a silly question. However, I have done a lot of research and prep for my girlie, and I really hope this is not as serious as I am fearing it to be.

I am new to keeping Bearded Dragons. I got my current Bearded Dragon, Pumpkin, October 12th at a con from a man who had gotten her for breeding purposes but ended up not breeding her and wanted to rehome her.
I love her immensely. It has only been (soon) two weeks with her but she has been a light in my life. In a matter of days, she bonded with me and sleeps in my hands and is the most precious thing to exist. She is such a good girl and I love her immensely.

She has only a 50-gallon tank currently but has an outside playpen which I let her run around in with supervision and give her things to engage with. She also has her own blanket which we love to snuggle in.
Her basking spot ranges from 105-112 on her rock, 80 on her cool side, and I keep her on a paper towel substrate mostly because she is still new to my home and I wanted to monitor her stools well. She does not have water constantly offered in her tank because where I live the humidity would kill her. She gets a bath every other day with me.

I have noticed this week that her stools have become very soft. More like piles than actually formed logs. She also sheds excess water when expelling them and it also smells quite strongly.
I know that soft poops and the strong smell can often mean parasites. When I first got her she had roughly 3 bowel movements that were the typical 'healthy' poop. After that, they softened. Which makes me wonder if it is potentially a change of environment and diet that has brought it on?

She is a 1.5-year-old female. The man I got her from fed her collard and mustard greens so I have been sticking with that, dusting with bee pollen, as well as mixing in bell pepper, apple, and green beans. I offer on occasion treats of grapes as she seems to like them. Apple is certainly her favorite, she was not a big fan of mustards, but she eats her collards well. I have to hand feed her still for the most part, but she will eat generally anywhere from 6-10 chunks of her greens on a good day. Including a mix of a few bites of the other goodies.
Roughly every other day I feed her gut-loaded Dubia Roaches, somewhere between 5-10 depending on the size I grab for her. As I am nervous to feed her too many bigger ones.
She also got Hornworms as a special treat for the fact she recently has come into my home. Mostly because I knew they were good for hydration and stress dehydration was something I was worried about. But guessing by the excess water she sheds and the urates in her poop I think she is plenty hydrated. She has one bowl movement a day.

She has not shown any personality shifts other than actually getting more active and engaged with me, eating more freely, and enjoying time outside her tank especially sleeping on my shoulder. All shifts that were positive due to the initial uncertainty of moving into a new home with me.

I say all this to say, am I being overly worried and these soft poops are a result of her change in environment and potential diet changes? Or should I be worried about parasites?
I do have an exotics vet but they are over 2 hours away and very difficult to get into. I am currently in a financial bind where I was hoping to have a steady income again before I took her in for her first wellness exam. But I can try to find a way to get her in if I need to. Obviously her health is more important. But I am a very anxious person that can jump the gun sometimes in my worries and get a little over the top.

Any insights from experienced animal keepers? In her next bowel movement, I can take a picture of it for you. In the meantime, this is her tank, and her.
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TLDR:
Tank: 50 gallons. 105-112 basking, 80 cool, Reptisun 10 bulb.
Diet: She eats collard greens with additions of apple, bell pepper, and green beans.(dusted with bee pollen) Every other day or so she will get 5-10 small to medium gut-loaded dubia roaches. (dusted with calcium).
Dragon: A little less than two weeks ago I got my 1.5-year-old female bearded dragon.
Concern: She started having a soft mushy stool roughly every day. It smells pretty strongly as well. This has gone on for roughly 5 days.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Its great she has taken to you--- the first thing I noticed is the UVB-- is that a coil in the dome? If it is this has a lot to do w/ the digestion --- I recommend you ditch the coil and replace w/ this
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- I would get it replaced ASAP---- this is going to help w/ the poops--- you can also call a vet and see if they will let you bring a sample in for testing and go from there - the change in environment and diet also can cause it as well as well as relocation stress --- this all needs to be taken into consideration so I would let the vet visit rest before taking her in as that too will cause more stress --- the 50 gallon tank is good size I would NOT get a fixture the same length of tank but a 24" fixture ---- they need to be able to escape those UVB rays if they want to---
The basking temp does she have different spots she can sit for like a gradient --- basking temps can be from 95-105 for an adult the 112 seems a little hot - if there are other places for her to sit w/ different temps that is good - are you taking those temps w/ just a digital probe or do you have a infrared heat gun as well?
Karrie
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
Thank you so much for the information, @KarrieRee. It is a coil and I had been thinking about getting a better light for her, so I will absolutely jump on that asap. I really appreciate the insight.

For her temperatures that is the gradient. I use a infrared heat gun. Her hammock sits in the mid to low 90s, and her tank spans in heat quiet qell. Normally the rock doesnt exceed 105 but on hot days it does get warmer. But the highest I've ever clocked it at was 112 during the hottest part of the day. With cooler weather coming I will probably see it stay steadily in the 100s.

I also felt like a vet visit would be a bit much for her which is why I came to the forums. It brings me a lot of comfort to see that there is no need for immediate concern. I am ordering a bulb of Amazon in the next 30 minutes here to try and get it in ASAP. 24'' Reptisun 10.0 tube, got it!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Sounds good --- so depending on the bulb you get will depend on where it needs to be --- I sent the info about the UVB's so it is up to you as to what bulb you get -- if you need help please ask
Karrie
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3rdi64tf said:
Sounds good --- so depending on the bulb you get will depend on where it needs to be --- I sent the info about the UVB's so it is up to you as to what bulb you get -- if you need help please ask
Karrie

If you dont mind my asking, this is the one I just purchased, as well as some UVB 10.0 replacement tubes.
How would you recommend me to install it?
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=reptisun+10.0+uvb+hood&qid=1571948377&sr=8-1

It will be coming in this Monday. Until that time would it be safe if, should it be warm enough, to give her some supervised outside time to get her a boost in UV? I live in a very warm climate so fall hasnt hit me yet and I still stay steady mid 80s currently.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes on the outside ---- 15 minutes is = to 4 hrs of UVB direct sunlight - if you put her in something use plastic tote no lid---- no glass it gets too hot---- the tube I am assuming is the 10.0--- it can go inside the tank 12-15 inches from basking or on top --- if you use it on top it needs to be 6-8 inches from basking --- the screen filters about 30% of those rays---- you can use these to hang from screen inside
command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire – plastic zip ties
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nylon-Cable-Tie-Ties-Black-2-5-3-5-4-8-7-6-9-X-100-150-200-300-370-530mm-UV-Good/332871964184?hash=item4d80b71618:m:m40KOkegiGiJeePUguhY5cQ&var=541991102297
Karrie
 
Hey just to let you know, I have that ZooMed hood too and unfortunately it comes with a ReptiSun t5 5.0, you'll have to buy a separate 22inch t5 10.0 bulb to replace the one it comes with :)
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":49j4bp94 said:
Yes on the outside ---- 15 minutes is = to 4 hrs of UVB direct sunlight - if you put her in something use plastic tote no lid---- no glass it gets too hot---- the tube I am assuming is the 10.0--- it can go inside the tank 12-15 inches from basking or on top --- if you use it on top it needs to be 6-8 inches from basking --- the screen filters about 30% of those rays---- you can use these to hang from screen inside
command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire – plastic zip ties
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nylon-Cable-Tie-Ties-Black-2-5-3-5-4-8-7-6-9-X-100-150-200-300-370-530mm-UV-Good/332871964184?hash=item4d80b71618:m:m40KOkegiGiJeePUguhY5cQ&var=541991102297
Karrie

Thank you, you totally rock!! I hope that this will give her some good comfort and straightens out those watery poops. If not I will be sure to get her the care she deserves. But I'm really hopeful it is just a result of poor UVB exposure and the adjustments of a new home. Since she seems so active, alert, and more engaged every day with me even with her stinky poo piles lol
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
daveferns1":mp9364wd said:
Hey just to let you know, I have that ZooMed hood too and unfortunately it comes with a ReptiSun t5 5.0, you'll have to buy a separate 22inch t5 10.0 bulb to replace the one it comes with :)

I had a feeling so I bought the 10.0 tube already hehe. Thank you bunches for the heads up though. :)
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The 5.0 can be used -- its more of a T 8 so it would also need to go into the tank 6-8 inches from basking area-- its not as strong as bulb as the 10.0 -- its more for aquarium use -- but we recommend the 10.0 bulb
Karrie
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":2wl1cqxi said:
The 5.0 can be used -- its more of a T 8 so it would also need to go into the tank 6-8 inches from basking area-- its not as strong as bulb as the 10.0 -- its more for aquarium use -- but we recommend the 10.0 bulb
Karrie

I will be sure to hold on to the 5.0 strength one for if I ever have a crunch need for it then. However, I already ordered the 10.0 bulb to come in with the tank thankfully! I really do want to try and do my best for her... I love her extremely dearly and I want her to be happy and healthy. I prepared myself for expenses in regards to her health long before I actually purchased her and this is why. I knew despite my research I would make mistakes and most of all even if I did try to take good care of her she can still get sick so i already have an exotic vet on speed dial.

I feel like i am rambling now lol
I just felt the need to say that because i feel so silly for messing up and not realizing her dome light was insufficient.
 

QueenPineapple

Member
Original Poster
So she had another poop this morning. I caught it the second it happened and decided to take a quick picture. This is the same state it has been since Sunday. However, I noticed a subtle pink tinge to the urate which is new. This worries me.
My mother told me she fed a slice of grape and some red bell pepper to her yesterday while I was out before I told her not to feed her anything other than greens. Today I wont be feeding her any greens to give her a fasting day and try to reset.

I did look through the pool extensively for any signs of blood. The fluids that came with the poop were also clear. And since the poop was freshly dumped I did try to look and see if I could see any hitchhikers in the stool.

The stool did not smell half as bad as it did the past few days though. It actually had barely any odor. Not sure if that is good or bad...

I have pictures below. I know the pink tinge is very little, it is only in two different spots, the rest is the usual more chalky white. So I don't know if maybe its just a result of the red bell pepper perhaps?

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In positive news she is very alert and active. Sadly it is overcast today so she won't be getting outside time in the sun.
 
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