Beardie Pooping Infrequently

[BabyAchilles]

Hi there,

I have a seven year old bearded dragon who poops very infrequently (anywhere between 1-2 weeks). He has had this issue for a long time now and I stopped worrying about it for a while because I took him to the vet and she X-rayed him to check for impaction and said he's perfectly healthy, but now I'm starting to get concerned about it again because everything I see online says he should be pooping much more frequently. I've started giving him weekly baths to make sure he poops at least once a week since he seems opposed to pooping in his tank, but it concerns me that he goes so long without pooping if I don't intervene.

For context, the basking side of his enclosure is ~105 degrees F, and the cool side of his enclosure has no supplemental heating so it's around 70 degrees F right now. It gets a little bit warmer in my house in the summer but he still has this issue even when it's warmer. His UVB strip is on the cool side of the enclosure and he moves between the two sides regularly. He has a large water bowl in his enclosure but he never drinks from it. He does drink when he's in the bath. I feed him salad everyday and 3 dubia roaches 3 days a week (he's on the heavier side so I'm trying to feed him fewer insects). His salads usually contain kale, carrots, yellow squash and sometimes lettuce and fruits just for the extra moisture. He's good about eating the feeders but he doesn't eat the salad everyday and if he does he tends to only pick at it. I've had trouble finding leafy greens and vegetables that he actually likes to eat. I don't take him out often since it's cold here right now. When he does poop his poops look normal and healthy other than being a little large. This constipation issue is the only health issue I've ever had with him. Any advice would be appreciated and let me know if there's any other information you want from me.

Thanks!

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi there,

I have a seven year old bearded dragon who poops very infrequently (anywhere between 1-2 weeks). He has had this issue for a long time now and I stopped worrying about it for a while because I took him to the vet and she X-rayed him to check for impaction and said he's perfectly healthy, but now I'm starting to get concerned about it again because everything I see online says he should be pooping much more frequently. I've started giving him weekly baths to make sure he poops at least once a week since he seems opposed to pooping in his tank, but it concerns me that he goes so long without pooping if I don't intervene.

For context, the basking side of his enclosure is ~105 degrees F, and the cool side of his enclosure has no supplemental heating so it's around 70 degrees F right now. It gets a little bit warmer in my house in the summer but he still has this issue even when it's warmer. His UVB strip is on the cool side of the enclosure and he moves between the two sides regularly. He has a large water bowl in his enclosure but he never drinks from it. He does drink when he's in the bath. I feed him salad everyday and 3 dubia roaches 3 days a week (he's on the heavier side so I'm trying to feed him fewer insects). His salads usually contain kale, carrots, yellow squash and sometimes lettuce and fruits just for the extra moisture. He's good about eating the feeders but he doesn't eat the salad everyday and if he does he tends to only pick at it. I've had trouble finding leafy greens and vegetables that he actually likes to eat. I don't take him out often since it's cold here right now. When he does poop his poops look normal and healthy other than being a little large. This constipation issue is the only health issue I've ever had with him. Any advice would be appreciated and let me know if there's any other information you want from me.

Thanks!

What is the brand and bulb of the uvb? Is it in the tank or top of screen? Please drop your surface basking temps down to 95-100 and please get that temp w/ a digital probe thermometer- it is perfectly normal for older dragons to poop every 2 weeks - mine go every 3 or so--

 

[BabyAchilles]

What is the brand and bulb of the uvb? Is it in the tank or top of screen? Please drop your surface basking temps down to 95-100 and please get that temp w/ a digital probe thermometer- it is perfectly normal for older dragons to poop every 2 weeks - mine go every 3 or so--

The UVB is a Repti Zoo T5 tube lamp with a 24W Desert 10.0 T5 UVB bulb in it. It's in the tank so no mesh blocking the light. I can lower the basking temp and I do use a digital probe thermometer. The 105 degree F temp I recorded is on his hammock beneath the basking light where he spends most of his time.

I'm glad to hear that yours are the same way. He is getting older and he doesn't eat as much as some other dragons I've seen so maybe there's just not much in him to begin with.

 

[KarrieRee]

The UVB is a Repti Zoo T5 tube lamp with a 24W Desert 10.0 T5 UVB bulb in it. It's in the tank so no mesh blocking the light. I can lower the basking temp and I do use a digital probe thermometer. The 105 degree F temp I recorded is on his hammock beneath the basking light where he spends most of his time.

I'm glad to hear that yours are the same way. He is getting older and he doesn't eat as much as some other dragons I've seen so maybe there's just not much in him to begin with.

What goes in comes out so if its a little then its gonna be a little coming out -- the bulb your using is a Repti Zoo bulb or a different bulb? The Repti Zoo bulbs arent real good -- I would switch to a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 better bulb -- or the Arcadia 12% bulb -- your distance for the bulb is 12-15 inches?

 

[BabyAchilles]

What goes in comes out so if its a little then its gonna be a little coming out -- the bulb your using is a Repti Zoo bulb or a different bulb? The Repti Zoo bulbs arent real good -- I would switch to a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 better bulb -- or the Arcadia 12% bulb -- your distance for the bulb is 12-15 inches?

I'm guessing the bulb is from Repti Zoo too since it was a hood + bulb combo kit. I can switch to a different bulb if those brands are better. The distance from the bulb to the ground is probably around 18 inches but he also has a hammock and rock that he likes to sit on that are more like 8-10 inches from the bulb.

 

[KarrieRee]

I'm guessing the bulb is from Repti Zoo too since it was a hood + bulb combo kit. I can switch to a different bulb if those brands are better. The distance from the bulb to the ground is probably around 18 inches but he also has a hammock and rock that he likes to sit on that are more like 8-10 inches from the bulb.

Reptisun and Arcadia bulbs are way better you want the 12% from Arcadia and the 10.0 T 5 from reptisun

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The Repti zoo 10 T5 tube is probably not a real good bulb, but I don't have experience with that one.
He might be developing a calcium issue. Did the vet say his bones looked good on the x-rays?.
Maybe I missed it but how often does he drink water on his own or by way of you giving it to
him through a dropper? What type of calcium do you give him & how often?

Tracie