Dewey - Orange Poop Photo Attached

[DeweysMom]

For the past few weeks Dewey (approx 6-7 months old) has been acting off. He hasn't been eating as much as he did. He IS still eating, just not as much. He hunts down crix in his viv, but not very many. He almost always inhales his phoenix worms. I offered him dubias a few times which he's devoured almost instantly. I'm wondering if maybe he's just bored with crix now that he's had the dubias, but there are other issues.

His poops are not firm like they should be. When I first got him they were firm. They never fell apart in the water (he poops at bath time). Now when he poops it's just disgusting. It's like he explodes in the water. It's all apart and just gross. He did have a fecal which came back negative. He also had this orange / pink colored thing near his urates - the urates itself is always white. I thought maybe I was giving him to much calcium (1x day, 5 days a week) so I stopped for a few days to see if there was any change. The orange / pink went away. I gave him some calcium and it was back. Should I not give him any of the calcium now? I just don't want to hurt him. I know how important calcium is for living beings.

Tonight he did something else that worried me. He ate a fair amount of crix and salad throughout the day (nowhere near what he used to eat for crix though) and then tonight he ate his normal meal of phoenix worms. After eating he went and curled up under his cave and started to doze off. He's NEVER done this before. Normally I wouldn't worry, but he had a full tummy so I ended up taking the cave out and put him up on his basking log. He's been up there since. Is it ok to let him sleep if he does this in the future? I just worry about all that food giving him an upset tummy, but if it's what he wants to do then I also feel I should let him.

Everything else appears to be normal. He always has bright eyes and he's always alert. Outside of his cage he's pretty active. It's just his appetite decrease and loose poops that I worry about - mainly his poops. As I said he is still eating and he is still gaining weight. I just don't understand what's wrong with his poops.

I've really been thinking about trying Reptaid because I just don't know what else to do. I'm sick of being worried sick about Dewey.

 

[healthybeardie]

Well, if Dewey is still gaining weight and his eyes look healthy, that is a good sign. 8) Also, you said the fecal came back negative. I guess their poop can change from day to day -- I know that Luther's does. Maybe now that he is getting older, his appetite is decreasing more? I wish I had words of wisdom so you don't worry so much -- I know I'd be the same way. I'll bump this post and maybe someone else with more experience can help calm your worries. Hang in there!

Bump

 

[X0lnm0X]

my beardie just started doing almost the same thing... eating less, pooping less with watery poops, and hiding instead of basking.. so if i find anything out, i'll let you know...

 

[zebraflavencs]

I keep seeing the pink poop, associated with the calcium.. Which calcium are you using ?
I have no thoughts concerning the reptaid.

 

[Jess]

Im sure he is fine... I know that other beardies are having a funky appetite and such with the change of seasons (including mine), and since he is getting older he will be slowing down alot too. He is probably just feeling a little lazy- there are plenty of days where Wink just wants to sleep in his cave after a meal or a bath, so Id say the Dewey is acting pretty normal. He tested negative for parasites, and as long as he isnt losing weight or acting lethargic I wouldnt worry.
BTW, how old is your UVB? You could try changing it, if its a little on the old side.
You could try cutting back on the calcium a little bit to see if it helps... Like maybe 3X a week instead of 5X?

 

[DeweysMom]

Jodi - Thanks for the input. Dewey's poop hasn't been formed for over about a month now so it's not at all like it's a now and then thing. That's why it's so worrisome to me. Yesterday he barely ate all, but his activity level was normal so I was at least happy about that.

Lauren - Sorry to hear you're going through the same thing. If I find anything out I will let you know too. I have posted a few pleas for help here so far, but haven't gotten much input. I don't know if it's because nobody has any info to give or if it's me personally that nobody likes. Either way, I did go ahead and purchase some Reptaid to try because I have no clue what else to try. Hopefully this will help Dewey. I'll let you know how it goes.

zebraflavencs - I'm using Repti-cal. I've been dusting his crix once a day (breakfast) for 5 days a week. Since I started to see that pink / orange coloration I cut it back some. It went away for a couple of days so I started to up the calcium again, but now it's back. I just don't want to take it all away from him because I know he needs it.

Jess4921 - Thanks for the input. Dewey's UVB light is a Reptisun 10.0 tube that was brand new out of the box in Jan 2010. So, it's only 4 months old. I've read that it should be replaced every 6 months, but to be safe I'm planning on going on a 5 month cycle. In a few weeks I'll be swapping it out. I will try cutting his calcium back to 3x a week to see if that helps at all. It's not really his energy level or even his food intake that really has me worried, it's his poop. I can understand a loose stool every once in a while, but with Dewey it's an EVERY time he goes situation. I just don't see how this can be normal.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Mandy there appetites do come and go. The loose stools could be from getting excess water or from just changing seasons. Also if you are still having the different color urates his system may be full with calcium and you can back it down to 2-3 days a week. Or try switching to the liquid calcium. Also when they did the fecal did they do the float? 9 times out of ten that is what they did. Tell them you want a fecal smear next time. Do the poops smell at all? What are you feeding in the diet? What are the temps and how are you measuring them? You could also try bumping the night time temps a bit so his system helps ward off any infection if any. Hope this helped.

 

[zebraflavencs]

I agree with the backing off on the calcium, as well as replacing the uvb.
You can go down to the 2-3 days a week, until the uvb has been replaced... then gradually up the amount of days given, back to 5. If you see the discoloration, then perhaps a vet visit is in order...

 

[DeweysMom]

Lance, I'm not sure what kind of fecal test they did on Dewey. All I know is that it came back negative. As for registering his temps, I use an Accurite digital thermometer with a probe. I have the probe taped to the top of the basking log where he spends most of his time. I also use a Ryobi temp gun as back up. The temps have always checked out just fine.

I understand that they can go through some ups and downs as the season change, but how long are these ups and downs typically?

This has been going on since before 4/10 (that was the day of his first appt). He still seems to have little appetite, but he is still eating some crix and his phoenix worms. He seems to have lost interest in his salad now too. For about the past few days his salad has been untouched (as far as I can tell). On a much brighter note though, he had a poop Tuesday night and this afternoon in the tub and both were well formed with little odor. It did still have that pink thing (I got a pic, will post later).

Now I'm wondering if his salad has been causing the loose stools. He only gets approved veggies on beautiful dragons nutrition site. This week it's been chicory and collards which he used to eat with no complaints.

I did end up getting some Reptaid XL (Dewey is now 305g!) which I started last night. I can't believe how lucky I am with Dewey. He's such an awesome little patient. All I have to do is gently rub the tip of the syringe (needleless of course) on the edge of his mouth and he'll open up enough for me to squirt the "meds" in. Then he smacks his lips as if it tasted pretty good. I hope it's not horrible tasting for his sake.

I will continue to try posting updates for those who are interested in reading.

 

[DeweysMom]

As I promised a few days ago... here's a not so attractive picture of Dewey's poop from that day. It was well formed for a changed, but I really DON'T like that orange'ish part. Is this the "to much calcium" color part?

By the way, this is in the tub, not on my carpet.

 

[purplesheep]

I've been reading about you and Dewey for awhile now... I don't have any advice, but I do hope you find out what is wrong... my little Prudence is about 5 months old and has been so good going poop in her bath but lately they've been an explosion like how you've described Dewey's. I've been wondering if it's something in her salad (she especially loves raspberries so I tend to spoil her by giving her about 2 or 3 finely cut pieces). Tonight Pru is acting very strange by pooping in her tank, which is so rare, and now just laying very quietly on me... I hope it's just a bad day because I get those all the time so I understand...

That orange in his poop is very strange... please keep us updated!

 

[DeweysMom]

Does anyone out there have any thoughts at all on what the "colored" part is in the photo I posted? Maybe I should just post a new thread about it? :? :?

 

[healthybeardie]

bump

 

[DeweysMom]

Thanks for the bump, but I don't think it's gonna do any good. :roll:

 

[healthybeardie]

I've seen some orange-tinge to Luthers poo also. Almost mucus like. His stools are very loose and surrounded by a lot of water (yes he's well hydrated), but I am curious as to why it is not formed more. I've cut back on the calcium supplements a little but doesnt seem to make a difference. I guess as long as they're still eating something, not losing weight and there poop doesnt smell too they are okay. It sure is a mind game isnt it?