My poor buddy hasn't pooped in 3 days... Could he just be stressed? I've done a lot of moving lately but I've made sure he always gets some sun each day... I'm worried he could be impacted? Can super worms cause this? He eats mostly super worms but usually some kale each day too
How old is Buddy? It's possible that if you've moved recently that it could stress him for a few days. Have you soaked him to see if that will help him poop? Also, you should try better greens. Kale is okay on occasion, but he would do better with staples like collards, turnip, mustard, or dandelion greens, as well as some squash. How does he get water? If he is a little dehydrated it will make it harder for him to go as well.
I got my beardie in March and he was tiny so I think he may have been 2-3 weeks old. So that would make him about 5 months old now. He's in a 1ft by 2 ft tank He has a 75 W basking lamp, and a 5.0 UVB strip light directily above his hammock but I set him on the window sill in the bright sun for at least 15-20 mins every day for some extra UVB. He was on a kale and superworm diet, now it's switched to mustard greens and dubia roaches when he eats them. He hasn't been very into the live food lately. He refuses to chase it, which I think is because he got lazy when I was hand feeding him superworms. Usually he eats at least half of his mustard greens every day. I can't get him to try anything new. I've tried red bell peppers, banana, baby food squash, cucumber. He wouldn't even try any of them. He hasn't been pooping normally either. They are usually either very small with lots of chitin or very watery. I've been bathing him almost every day for about a week now.
I replied to your other post in the behavior section so I won't re-post it here if you would like to read it. My main suggestion is to upgrade his tank though, that is a really small enclosure for a bearded dragon.
I will stay here because you will get more views and so that we don't keep hopping back and forth.
The 5.0 is usually meant for tropical species, as it gives out lower UVB. Bearded dragons need the 10.0 with the higher amounts to keep them healthy. It's good that you upgraded the tank to a 20 gallon, you may need to upgrade to a 40 gallon again soon.
Edit: At 16.5" he really should be in at least 40 gallons, since I saw your post on the other section.
I will add, that my Nero is right around 5 months and is kind of going through a "but I don't want that" with live food, but is eating his greens really well. So I think it is kinda normal for them to 'strike' certain live foods at times, but it is good that he is eating his greens, even if just a little. Have you tried offering other live foods? Phoenix worms aren't too fast (although I've seen a few who can really move) and you could put them in with his greens to try and get him eating more. How is his weight?
It's great that he's getting some natural sunlight everyday, that will help him a whole lot. Is the window open with him sitting near the screen?
It's not immediate that you need to upgrade the tank, but it should really be asap.
I tried pheonix worms when he was little and he wouldn't touch them. The window is shut and it's just through the glass but I do take him outside for a few hours each week too. Now that he has a leash he's outside A LOT. I don't know his weight. I don't have a scale but he is definetely not skinny. He's a chunky guy. I'll see if I can put a picture up.
Well he looks good, what a handsome guy! Just keep trying to feed him the greens and the dubia, he could just be going through a phase. When they are fully grown, they do not go to the bathroom daily like they did when younger. Some only go every few days, some can make it a week or more. As long as he is eating enough to stay hydrated and not lose too much weight I think he will be fine. The sun will be great for him until you can get the 10.0, and once you can get him in a larger tank hopefully he will really start to improve.
Thanks you. He is a handsome man. We just got another baby that we're hoping is a girl so Butiki can have a girlfriend. Her name is going to be Fiamma if it's a girl.
I also posted on here about Butiki (the big boy) being a grump lately... could this just be because if indegestion maybe? He clack beards at me a lot.