Hi. I got a 6 year old bearded dragon from someone else and he is unable to move, how do I get him to poop? I have already put him in warm water and it doesnt work. Also he keeps opening and closing his mouth even in lower temperatures.
Do you have a picture of him & of your tank setup?
Please review your set up with us, such as your UVB lighting, temperatures, supplementation, etc, too.
He could have metabolic bone disease from previously poor care. Is he paralyzed or just doesn't want to move?
He might not be able to self regulate his body temperatures very well if he isn't used to a higher basking temperature. Or, he could have a respiratory infection also. Does he cough or wheeze, or appear to have any mucous in his mouth or nose?
You can also try giving some canned sugar free applesauce with canned unspiced pumpkin mixed with a drop or two of olive or coconut oil, daily to help.
I have no idea how to upload a picture for you. He has a uvb light and a basking spot. Hes setup is the way it should be. Did my research when I built the setup. Every now and then he would move is legs, but its very little and when he does that his whole body shivers. But he can still move all of his limbs. But mostly he just lies there. I think it hurts when he moves. He sometimes have mucous in his mouth. Especially after I gave him food. He is eating better now than he did when we got him and he atleast poops now more that once in 8 days.
Poor guy. I hope he can recover under your care. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.
Poor guy does look like he's in distress. Which type of UVB light do you have? How far is it above his basking area?
You might want to try dripping some water on his nose and see if he licks it up. If he does, then the extra hydration may help him feel better. If you have an experienced reptile vet in the area, it's probably a good idea to bring him in for a checkup. He may have an underlying health issue that is hard to detect without some testing.