Beardie poop doesn't seem normal!

[Aleishahawken]

Hi all,

I'm a new beardie owner. I purchased a central leatherback a month and a half ago (his name is Bowie!), and he's roughly 7 months old (I was told he was roughly 6 months old when purchased, unsure of exact age). His poop has been mostly abnormal since I got him. It's almost always loose and seems undigested, there's only been two or three instances of normal looking poop. He eats really really well, up to 30 or 40 medium crickets a day, a good amount of collard green/squash/bell pepper/ salad every other day. He's always very alert and active, sleeps well, basks normally and is very comfortable with me.
Other husbandry information includes:
- temps: cool end is usually around 80F, warm side 92F and basking spot 102F
- substrate is a repti-carpet
- lighting: repti-glo 10.0 coil with a reflective hood, 150W reptisun basking light with a reflective hood
- heating: 150W ceramic heating coil with reflective hood, 7W heating pad placed on warm side under the glass of the viv
- 40 exo-terra gallon viv with mesh top
- two hides on either side of the viv
- food is dusted with calcium powder every second day, and calcium powder with D3 once a week
- supplement is added to salads
- he's been shedding for the past 2 weeks
- he is bathed twice a week, once every day when he is in shed

He poops everyday in his viv, but like I said it's almost always abnormal - today's actually included rusty urates as well. Any advice anyone can give would be great as I love my little guy a tonne and I want him to be happy and healthy! I've attached two pics of his poop for reference. Thanks everyone!

 

[CooperDragon]

It could be an upset stomach but if it has continued for a month then something else might be up. If it is dietary I would suspect crickets or squash perhaps. They have been known to cause messy poops and the squash especially provides a lot of water.

Your UVB coil is not likely enough for a 40g tank. I advise switching that for a 22'' T5 UVB bulb and fixture for best results. Is the coil you have now a 13w or a 26w? The 26w is OK at about 6'' but the 13w is insufficient for a bearded dragon. Improper UVB exposure may have a direct effect on digestion and overall health. Your temperature range sounds good though.

You don't need to supplement his salads as they are already nutrient rich. Just a light even coat on the bugs when they are offered.

Baths are OK to offer if he likes them. If he tries to get out and doesn't seem to like them, they aren't worth the stress though. That varies between dragons.

Looking at the poop it is similar to what my guy does. If the adjustments I suggested above don't make a change and he is otherwise active and eating well I would let it be. It's possibly a genetic problem of some kind and treatments may wind up being more harmful to him than good (antibiotics, anti-parasitic meds, etc) This is just one possibility though. I do advise upgrading your UVB light and try some dietary adjustments first and see if that changes things.

 

[Aleishahawken]

It could be an upset stomach but if it has continued for a month then something else might be up. If it is dietary I would suspect crickets or squash perhaps. They have been known to cause messy poops and the squash especially provides a lot of water.

Your UVB coil is not likely enough for a 40g tank. I advise switching that for a 22'' T5 UVB bulb and fixture for best results. Is the coil you have now a 13w or a 26w? The 26w is OK at about 6'' but the 13w is insufficient for a bearded dragon. Improper UVB exposure may have a direct effect on digestion and overall health. Your temperature range sounds good though.

You don't need to supplement his salads as they are already nutrient rich. Just a light even coat on the bugs when they are offered.

Baths are OK to offer if he likes them. If he tries to get out and doesn't seem to like them, they aren't worth the stress though. That varies between dragons.

Looking at the poop it is similar to what my guy does. If the adjustments I suggested above don't make a change and he is otherwise active and eating well I would let it be. It's possibly a genetic problem of some kind and treatments may wind up being more harmful to him than good (antibiotics, anti-parasitic meds, etc) This is just one possibility though. I do advise upgrading your UVB light and try some dietary adjustments first and see if that changes things.

Thanks so much for the reply! I'll update his UVB lighting today, since he's had this light for the past month and a half, will this have had an impact on his health? Is there anything I can do to help him if it has? Thanks again!

 

[CooperDragon]

The impact of the UVB light improvement may be gradual but should be significant in the long term. I don't think an insufficient UVB light for a month will cause a great deal of damage but would upgrade soon. You may have trouble finding a good UVB light locally. I use this one and it's excellent. http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/