2 months w/out pooping - very worries

[WingoDragon]

Thanks for the tip. I can do paper towels. Wingo was a sweetheart when he first came home and for about 6 months after - but then he went through about one year where he was fairly aggressive and did not like being handled, so I did the worst thing probably and stopped handling him. About 4 months ago, he mellowed and I've been able to handle him ever since. Lately, though, he's been cranky, but again....if I hadn't pooped for almost 2 months, I'd probably be cranky too!

I will do my best to massage his belly and keep soaking him.

Thanks again.

 

[dreshany]

How's your beardie doing? any poop yet? Are you giving him the apple sauce and olive oil? You can also try and feed him a bit of chicken baby food, maybe put the olive oil in that. If you try and use a dropper make sure it's plastic. If your beardie is likely to bite down a glass one might break. One time when my beardie was impacted I put her in a bath and kept her there until she pooped. It took almost an hour, but it worked. I just added bits of warm water to keep the temps right. Also, the water should be fairly shallow only up to his armpits. Best of luck!

 

[TazzysMamma]

Good luck and keep us updated!

HUGS

Sandi

 

[WingoDragon]

Ok, a quick update on progress. My son, mother, and I just got back from a few days of vacation and I left Wingo with a local pet store owner I trust. He did not poop while I was gone......and I just went and picked him up. The pet store owner said his tummy doesn't feel hard and if he was impacted, it would feel very hard and bloated. Is that true?

He is happy to be with his mommy again - he is at work with me and actually crawled out of the basket I have him in to be on me.

I have purchased a thermometer with a probe and will check the temps in his tank tonight, I got paper bedding to replace the walnut shell for the time being until I can get something better. I purchased another heat bulb, so he can be warmer and have extra light. I am taking small steps because I love him very much. I will start the olive oil/applesauce tonight. I guess the million dollar question is this; how long can he go before it's life threatening? Are we past that stage already?

 

[MissT]

Well, generally, if there is an impaction, you will feel something. But the fact that he hasnt pooped in so long is very worrying and does indicate that something is wrong!!! The problem is, he needs to get rid of the 'food' in his tummy!!!

Get into a serious routine of apple sauce, olive oil, liquid diet and massaging baths and hopefully he will go within the next few days. If he doesnt, I do think a quick trip to the vet may be in order, just to get him all 'cleared out'!

Good luck!

T

 

[WingoDragon]

Do the vets have to cut them open to remove whatever is causing the impaction? Do you know?

 

[MissT]

No they shouldnt. Dont quote me on it but I believe that the vet could perform an enema (sp) which would help him to pass anything which might be blocking him up. Do you have a reptile vet? If not, you could spend the next couple of days figuring out where to find one whilst performing the apple sauce/bath routine!

Hopefully he will poop on his own soon tho!!

T

 

[WingoDragon]

I believe we have a local vet that does occasionally see reptiles and such. I may be contacting him shortly if nothing happens with Wingo.

A quick update, though it makes me feel like a bad mother; the digital probe thermometer only registered 90 degrees on the warm side of the tank, so it looks like I need to up my wattage on the ceramic heat lamp. I've been using a 100w bulb, but I can get a 150w and hopefully, that will make a big difference. I have added a regular incandescant 60w bulb for heat/light to help in the meantime.

As far as a substrate, do you have any opinion on the pulp paper product that is dye and chemical free? I put a layer of it in his tank - the brand is Care Fresh and I've seen it recommended on other reptile sites. I removed every trace of walnut shell!

I was able to get Wingo to lick a couple small blobs of applesauce and olive oil from his nose and my finger. He wasn't real interested in food.

Thanks so much for all your help guys - it's really appreciated.

 

[MissT]

Well, firstly, I would get rid of the CHE and replace it with a household spot or halogen to begin with - the bright white light is needed to protect their eyes from the uv of the flourescent tube.

Secondly, is that the temperature on the basking spot? You need to put the probe directly on the basking spot. A piece of masking tape will hold it in place. You need the surface temp rather than the air temp to be around the 100 - 110 mark

I would be wary of the paper pulp. Does it have any potential to be ingested? Is it shredded paper? Right not you dont want to use anything which he may eat and which may make this worse!

Great news that he licked some of the apple sauce and olive oil!!! How are the baths going??? Hopefully things will begin moving soon!
Also, have a look on http://www.herpvetconnection.com as this could help you find a reptile specialist if the need arises!

T

 

[WingoDragon]

I purchased a 150w CHE this afternoon and am confident it will help raise the basking spot to the correct temp. Since they don't like light at night (I have heard), I like the CHE for a constant heat source. Wouldn't an additional reflector bulb or something of that nature (as long as it's bright) suffice?

Here is some info on the Care Fresh stuff:

CareFRESH Ultra is a patented pet bedding made from white cellulose fiber. It’s free of inks, dyes, clay and chemicals used in the paper making process. It is processed to remove potentially harmful aromatic hydrocarbons that exist in pine and cedar oils. It’s tested for containments and sanitized to 380°F to reduce bacteria, mold and fungus.

Ultra-Long Odor Control. Made from extra-long cellulose fibers, CareFRESH Ultra suppresses the formation of ammonia, the primary odor caused by pet urine. It controls odor even longer than regular CareFRESH

Ultra-Absorbent. CareFRESH Ultra absorbs 3x its weight in liquids from pet urine or water bottle leaks to keep your habitat clean and dry.

Ultra-Soft. Extra-long cellulose fibers are soft and gentle; especially good for animals or owners with sensitive skin.

Ultra-Clean. CareFRESH Ultra provides a bright, clean environment to better observe your pet’s health, environment and activity.

It does say it is safe for reptiles, but I know that doesn't always mean it is true. Thanks again for your help.

 

[WingoDragon]

Oh and by the way - a co-worker may be able to get me some slate tile to use for his ground cover. Another post said that was a good thing to use.

 

[MissT]

Slate tile is great - I use it for both of mine now but did have paper towels for a long time with the little guy. I really dunno about the care fresh. I have never seen it so I cant really say how good it would be. Anyway, a bright white light is needed to allow them to constrict their pupils and also to attract them to the heat - light = heat.

Also, if your temp stays above 65 f the CHE doesnt need to be on at night and even then they do need to cool down at night. I had to change to a 40w night bulb last week coz I couldnt get the temp to go below 78 with the 60w so be careful of that.

Have you tried the basking spot surface temp again?

Still really hopin for a poop!

T

 

[WingoDragon]

Ok, here is an update. Unfortunately, there still hasn't been any poop. I soaked him in warm water for almost 2 hours last night, massaged his belly gently, and got him to lick a few drops of olive oil/applesauce off my finger. I had quite an emotional evening and cried quite a lot too because I love the little guy and this is breaking my heart.

So, this afternoon, I took him to our local reptile vet. He is not impacted, which is great news - the vet doesn't feel anything in his tummy and in fact says he is very soft. He hasn't eaten for a few days, though, so the vet said we needed to get him to eat something. The two things Wingo LOVES are blueberries and meal worms - both of which I've been told to feed in moderation. The vet said getting him to eat was the important thing right now. I bought him some meal worms and blueberries and he promptly gobbled them all down!

The vet examined him, gave him a shot of vitamin A & D, gave him a dose of Panacur suspension, and a dose of Baytril. I have to give him those for a few more days too. I don't know what the prognosis is at this point, but if he doesn't eat or get better by Monday, they want to take x-rays. I hope something good happens because my pocket book can't handle this stuff!!

Thanks for all your care and concern. I'll keep you updated.

 

[MissT]

O I am so glad to hear he isnt impacted!!!! It is odd, tho, that he hasnt pooped - perhaps it has been brumation in a sense - how long has it been since he has eaten?

With the panacur and baytril, I would say you should supplement him with a pro-biotic such as acidophilis or benebac. Or, you can use plain unsweetened soy yoghurt as medication destroys good gut flora and can mess up their tummys and discourage them from eating anything so it would def be a good idea to get something to balance his system out.

Have you tried any other worms to tempt him - butterworms, hornworms, phoenix worms?

Keep us updated on the poop and eating situation!

T

 

[WingoDragon]

I am using a reptile pro biotic powder - I didn't mention that. I hope whatever is ailing him gets cured.....but I am very glad to hear he is not impacted. They don't perform the surgery here, so the vet said I'd have to go to Santa Rosa, CA - that's like 7 hours away! :shock: