Dragon hasn't pooped in over 2 weeks? Baffled!

[DragonMusic87]

My dragon is about a year and half old. He used to poop about once every two weeks as he started to outgrow his 50 gal tank, but once I moved him into a 120 gal back in April, he started pooping more regularly, like once every 3 days or so. So it's unusual that he hasn't gone for over two weeks. He has not been eating as much as usual, still, that seems to be an awfully long period of time. I haven't been worried until recently. He's acting normally except for lack of appetite for about the past two weeks also. I don't feel anything like bulges in his belly. I've been giving him warm baths regularly, making sure he drinks, and massaging his tummy and offering him lots of greens but he's not usually interested. I'm at a loss of what to do now; I will have a difficult time finding a vet if I need one.

 

[CooperDragon]

Has he lost weight during this time? That is usually a good indicator of a problem. What are the temperatures in the new tank? Do you have a good UVB light?

 

[AHBD]

Hi there...is he eating the greens you ofer ? That will def. help. I can suggest a combo that usually gets results...try some applesauce, baby food prunes, a few drops of oil and of honey. The combination of a few of those should help, they are natural laxatives.

 

[DragonMusic87]

Yeah that's part of the problem, he doesn't really want to eat. I think he might take a mouthfull of greens when I'm not looking sometimes.

 

[willige54]

Normally a warm bath will cure such problems. Why do you think you will have trouble finding a vet? I would highly recommend a vet who is a member of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV)
www.arav.org/Directory.htm
I noticed you are from IL. I am from Central IL and there are 2 such vets located in Pekin, IL. I would highly recommend Dr. Niki Johnson at the Pekin Animal Hospital (309-347-6674).

 

[DragonMusic87]

Thanks for the info. As seems to be the trend with my dragon, as soon as I got seriously worried he left me a disgusting present this morning. But I'm relieved. So is he.

Either he had minor impaction or perhaps no impaction at all. The only thing I was doing was giving him baths and massaging his belly every day. Gosh, he feels about 20 lbs lighter when I pick him up!

 

[CooperDragon]

That should make him feel MUCH better. Please keep us updated on his progress.

 

[DragonMusic87]

Hey Cooper, I don't know how I managed to miss your first post. I have a 48" ReptiSun 10 that's about due for a change. It will be interesting to see if that has an affect on his appetite.

But I think there are a couple of problems with heating and hydration. The cage is so large (24" x 48" x 25") that it's difficult to establish the right temperature gradient. The hottest part is 120F all the way down to 70F on the cold side. I wish I could bring the temperature up to about 80F, because my dragon will lay on the cool side so long that I have to pick him up and move him back to a warmer area. My husband and I joke that the dragon's trying to commit suicide by laying over there for so long. I suspect it could be affecting his digestion. Watering seems to be an issue as well. I don't use a water bowl, but will give him a bath or mist him periodically. Sometimes I will drip water onto his nose to see if he will drink, but I still don't feel like I'm watering him enough. I'm not sure how often to bathe him, and I don't feel misting him does anything but raise the cage humidity for a while. When he eats a lot of veggies I don't worry about it too much but he hasn't been interested in eating them for a few weeks now.

 

[CooperDragon]

New UVB light should be helpful. 120 on the hot side is too hot. I would put that basking light on a dimmer so you can bring it down to the 100-110 range. 70 on the cool side can be bumped a little bit by adding another fixture with just a low wattage household bulb in it (not a compact coil or neodymium coated bulb like the reveal style though) That will provide a little extra light and heat which should do the trick. He will get most of his moisture through his food, so make sure feeders are hydrated and veggies are fresh. You can provide daily baths if you wish (I do) and he will drink from that if he needs it. I agree about misting. I don't see much benefit in it. Bath time allows for a little bit of extra interaction as well.

 

[DragonMusic87]

Thanks for the advice. I should clarify 120F is on the highest point of his basking branch, I'm not trying to roast him or anything. Due to the large area I have a good temp range on the warm side, generally 90F - 100F at floor level and a bit cooler away from the center of the viv. I should really post a pic of it... Anyway I think you're right about adding a fixture on the cool side. I'm really surprised at how dramatically the temperature drops away from those basking lights, despite the slate tile floor. And maybe I'll change the UV light a little earlier than planned, at least to try and stimulate an appetite.

Does your dragon like baths? Mine seems to hate it. He just stares up at me with those despondent little eyes!

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah my guys like baths, but not all of them do. Are you using a T5 bulb or a (thicker) T8? If you're planning on changing out the bulb anyway, I suggest going with a T5 (Arcadia and ReptiSun 10.0 are good options for brand). I put in a T5 Arcadia and have been monitoring the differences in output with a solarmeter and the T5 bulb makes a dramatic difference in UVB output. They're a bit more expensive, but worth the price if you can swing it.