A minor (or maybe major) problem

[saden99]

Alright...nothing wrong health-wise or anything...no emergency. I just realized today that my dragon only goes to the bathroom when he is able to bask outside. I've got no clue why...he did it when I brought him out at the beginning of Summer and that's pretty much the only way he goes to the bathroom now.

The problem? Summer is almost over and it gets rather cold and wet here quickly which means he can't really bask outside.

I have tried baths and he doesn't really enjoy them. He just sits there in the warm water as I pet him, but he never uses the bathroom. He will hold it in for a week or more if he's in his cage and I honestly can't remember the last time he actually went to the bathroom in his cage (maybe 3-4 months ago). During the Summer he pretty much got out every other day or so and every time he'd be out for an hour or two and leave me a "surprise" [although I suppose it wasn't much of one 2 months in] to clean up.


Anyone have issues with this? He is a year old now and I figure he might start brumation in a couple of months and I don't want to hold it in the whole time. I thought maybe bringing out a heat lamp and using it on the cage that he uses when he is outside (it's a wire cage that allows air flow), but when it does get cold...it's quite cold and I'm not sure a heat lamp will cut it.

 

[Maxwellsmomma1989]

my max is the same way have you filled the tub deeper to make them want to swim more than just sit, if i bump the temp up in the bath for max and fill it a little deeper where he can swim he will go to the bathroom in there but its not an issue that your beardie only goes outside and not in his cage i consider myself privaledged that max dont want me smelling his poop just try fillng the tub deeper for him to increase swimming and he should go to the bathroom

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

If pooping is an issue for him, maybe you could slip him some veggie oil with unsweetened applesauce every week or so. Paired with a bath like above, that should get his system moving right along!

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

What are your enclosure (indoor) temps on the hot side, cool side, and basking surface? Also what are you measuring the temps with?

 

[saden99]

On the cool side it's ~80-85. On hot side it's ~90 and the basking ranges from 98-105. I measure with a temperature probe. Should I get a new probe? I've had it for a year, but it seems to work fine...matches the thermometer for the room with the AC set at 75...at night his tank gets to ~73-75 according to the probe.

He's gone to the bathroom in the cage before with the exact same setup...it's just at some point I had taken him outside and he did his business there and has never looked back. It almost seems like he hates the mess that he makes...when he's outside he does his business and moves as far away from it as he can. When he was in the cage and (if) he did it while I was gone then I'd come home to it all over the cage because he runs around like mad after he goes to the bathroom...and seeing how he doesn't do that in the cage anymore it hasn't been an issue.

The temperatures outside have been ranging from 85-100 degrees (I don't take him out if it's hotter than that because it's a pain to cover the ground so he doesn't burn himself).

 

[Maxwellsmomma1989]

be thankful your beardie is potty trained and is the few that hates his poo..max is the same way and only windo dances when he has to poo lol so i put him in a tub to swim around and he goes and then he comes out..your temps sounds fine i have had my thermometer longer and it works well too so no worries on a new one just yet try to get him to go in the tub so then when the weather gets colder he can go in the tub

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

be thankful your beardie is potty trained and is the few that hates his poo..max is the same way and only windo dances when he has to poo lol so i put him in a tub to swim around and he goes and then he comes out..your temps sounds fine i have had my thermometer longer and it works well too so no worries on a new one just yet try to get him to go in the tub so then when the weather gets colder he can go in the tub

Agreed, I think he'll be fine with the baths eventually