Head Shaking and grinding sound

[doomerang]

Hi there!
My bearded dragons (Peach) who is about 4-5 years old (I am the second owner) has recently showed some issues when it comes to pooping and eating her greens. Earlier on, maybe in May she went through 2-3 weeks of laying some eggs, during which time she would bask on and off, and I ensured that she stayed hydrated, and well-fed. After that period of time her shed started, and by far it has been the worst one she has had since I have had her. She proceeded to shed most of her body parts, one by one until now. It seems to be coming to an end, she has a little bit remaining in the corners of her mouth, a little on the side of the trunk and at the base of the tail.

For the past 3-4 weeks she has not defecated, but remained eating. She was slightly on the lethargic side as well, and I realized her lack of defecation could be because she was spending a fair amount of time in her hide. During this time I bathed her multiple times and made sure she is hydrated and eating (refusing greens, so mostly eating supers).

Today when I was watching her after a bath, she was shaking her head quite violently which I assumed was because of the shed on the side of her head (any other possible causes?). I also noticed a sound that seems to be of a "grinding" variety (lol can't quite describe it) around the same time that she was shaking her head (after). What could be causing this?

When it comes to the poop situation, i will mince some apples, microwave them to mush them up and add a drop of olive oil as per some recommendations I have seen here.

Here is a post I made about her laying eggs for reference and some pics: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233418

Here are some pics of her today:
With the shed I mentioned. Could that be causing the head moving / grinding?

Full body:

 

[AHBD]

Hi again, II do remember the other thread about Peach. She is looking pretty tired + possibly dehydrated there. Does she drink while she's being soaked ? If not, try to drip water on her snout. Just bathe her every 3-4 days.

To help her poo, get any or all of these natural " laxatives ". Canned pumpkin, baby food squash, prunes, green beans. Add a few drops of veg. oil and a bit of water + give it to her with a syringe or eyedropper, as much as she'll eat. Try that for a few days and cut out the supers. Do you use any other insects ?

 

[doomerang]

Hey there! Nice to see you around, and thank you for all the help you have provided me with in my previous thread and this one as well! I have been trying to make sure she drinks and usually put the tip of her snout under water (small, tiny drip) and she sometimes will drink. She sometimes also drinks during a soak. I just got an organic butternut squash for children with nothing but squash in it on the ingredients list. I will try giving her some ASAP!

She only eats supers and collards on the regular. Sometimes I will give her some silkworms as well as a treat!

Do you have any thoughts on the grinding / shaking? Could it be just from a shed? I'm worried she might not have been getting enough calcium?

 

[AHBD]

Oooops, I meant to respond about the head shaking. It is possible that she was trying to get rid of shed, get water out of her ear or even trying to vomit. Beardies shake their heads very hard , side to side when trying to vomit.

It sounds like she's being hydrated, but she could probably use a little more food after her egg laying. They can look wrinkly from dehydration or from weigh loss, such as after egg laying.

 

[doomerang]

I actually managed to feed her a single dose (a syringe) of the butternut squash + oil + water mixture. When I was doing it she started shaking the head so I decided to record it so you can see it for yourself. I'm quite concerned tbh
https://youtu.be/LBaJainlWlA

 

[AHBD]

That doesn't look too worrisome. She might have a bit of water or shed skin in her ear , but that's just a guess. If she continues for more than a week and seems to be very lethargic as well you might have her seen by an experienced reptile vet.


But it's good that you got some squash in her, that should help her to po....offer it for the next few days. Be sure she stays in where the heat is, too especially after a bath.

 

[doomerang]

I think it has been for about that long actually

I want to try and get some more in her soon