firm urate

[mojo505]

Hi Everyone,
My Beardie passed a firm, i would not say 'hard', urate today with her usual amount of poop following. My question is how do you eliminate too much calcium if that is the problem? She has not had a supplement in 7 days because she won't eat the food with it on it. I read a lot of threads... and was unable to really answer that question.
This is not something new... but I am hyper award of all goings on since she is recovering from being sick. The poop is bright white, 1/2" long, followed by green solid but squishy poop & clear watery liquid.

She is on Baytril for an RI so I know for certain my tank temps/lighting and all that is dialed in correctly as I have been having multiple private message discussions with some of the great minds on here... but because people like to have the facts here we go:
single occupant, female, 5
cool 80, hot 90, basking 100 for 12 hour cycle. nighttime 12 hour 80 degree
UVB reptisun 10.0 tube 11" from floor across daytime living space on for 12 hour cycles
55 gallon tank
tile substrate
meals consist of organic squash, mashed with organic pure wheatgrass powder, acidophilus 6 hours after antibiotic
meals being force fed with tiny spoon and patience
vent bath/soaks daily ... every other day with diluted pedi-lite

 

[Esther19]

The firm urates are an indicator of dehydration. I believe they are tinged with color if due to over- supplementation. The daily baths are good. Try offering her water via syringe when feeding. You can also mix in a little unsweetened juice (or Pedialyte) with the water to make it more yummy. But I'm really not sure how yummy Pedialyte is, so you'll have to see how she responds. :wink: Please let us know how it goes.

 

[mojo505]

thank you for your response, Esther19. As always, we are appreciative. They are not colored so thats a good thing i dont have to worry about.

trying to keep on top of hydration as it stands so we will keep truckin' along on that front. i was told somewhere dehydration is a concern with antibiotics anyway.

thanks again!

 

[Esther19]

Always happy to help out. Have you tried offering water with a dropper? Just dribble it over the lips and see if he will lick. You can add a bit of unsweetened juice to the water to encourage drinking. Sometimes it takes them a while to learn what's going on. With my girl, I separate her side lips a little and put a couple drops in so she knows what I've got. Then she laps it up. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[mojo505]

I've tried it all. This girl is smart, she can tell the difference between stuff I am making for humans... or at least picks up on the energy of "human vs. beardie" as she readies herself for total insubordination. We keep trying

 

[Esther19]

Have you tried making her a greens slurry? Collards, mustard, or dandelion greens.You could put the squash in as well. Add some water or unsweetened juice. Put it in the blender and liquefy it. Then use a strainer so you can get it in the syringe without chunks. To that you could add the powder and her supplements when ready to serve. You could keep it in the fridg for a couple days. My dragons love it, and get it as a treat and for hydration.

Edit: Oh, shoot. Just re-read your last post. You could always put some in a glass and smack your lips and act like she can't have any. Bless you for your patience and commitment to such a little minx!

 

[mojo505]

kinda same concept, made her what we called a dragon power smoothie with organic wheat grass powder, no sugar added apple juice, probiotics and pedialite. used a spare medicine syringe and spent goodness only knows how long going .02 cc at a time (or whatever that measurement is on the worlds tiniest medicine dropper). tonight we had applejuice water cocktails poolside at bath time. i went with your suggestion of getting her lips open a tiny bit for dropleys. no cooperation but we repeated that for a good little while before taking a dip in the beardie pool.

 

[Esther19]

I'm just wondering if she doesn't like the wheat grass powder. I would refuse to part my lips for certain foods.That's why I thought the greens would work. My clan gets excited when the liquid greens are dribbling out of the syringe. Have you tried plain baby food squash? (I know you've tried everything, but I'm wracking my brain trying to think of something.) I am disappointed that she didn't enjoy her cocktails. Perhaps she was miffed over the lack of a pink umbrella? She's going to be a very high maintenance teenager.

 

[mojo505]

she has refused to eat babyfood butternut squash, squash with turkey, carrots, peas... and here's what kills me... her FAVORITE snack oranges! this morning i made my own baby beardie food with lima beans, squash, carrots and mustard greens. Not interested. i enjoyed your emoticon banging the head on the wall. i am in touch with that emotion!

 

[Esther19]

I am sending positive thoughts and prayers your way.

 

[daner923]

I hope you get her to eat something. However, you should never feed a beardie citrus like oranges. They can't handle the acid, and it can cause major digestive issues.

 

[mojo505]

According to http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html she can have on occasion a special treat of oranges.