I think I gave him too much calcium, poop issues

[Helicoptermom]

His monstrous-ness had a really hard time today. He was super grumpy, lots of teeth baring and sudden movements, and more judgemental stares than usual. Then he really started to glass surf and finally started to strain to poop. He seems calmer now, but the resulting poop is a mass of his "flukers bearded dragon diet" pellets, carrots and sweet potatoes and collard greens. (He really responds to bright colored foods).

I feel like I probably gave him too much calcium. Possibly shocked his system. He eats about 60 crickets over the course of three days so I REALLY lightly dusted them all this time, not a constant protocol, more like a test to see if he would respond well. Previously he was geting his repta cal with d3 and his multi vitamin maybe twice a week, but usually once a week. I thought he could handle less more often. This is the second day of my "test". Yesterdays poop was totally normal in every way.

I am asking for advice on what to do now. Obviously less calcium, but like more baths, maybe prunes to get the calcium out? More hydrating veggies? Just keep an eye on him?

General info:
The past 3 weeks diet: staple is collard greens, occasionals are sweet potato, carrots, green grapes, yellow tomato, green beans. Crickets 15-20 per meal. Two meals a day, salad offered all day. One day a week only salad. Also flukers juvenile diet pellets.
Lights: heat lamp and CHE one one side can get with 12 inches of lamps. Uvb lamp on the other side of tank, can get within 3 inches of it. Shade rock and shade hammock on each side. Terf as substrate
Age between 5 and 6 months.

Really just wondering what his first aid should be. Before he reports me to beardie protective services, because he knows this is my fault, I am being eyed right now.

 

[Picklepies]

Hi, I'm sorry your dragon is having a hard time, it sucks when they worry us! If he's 5-6 months I think the guidelines are calcium and bugs everyday, just a light dusting, and salad still offered (80% bugs 20% veg I think is recommended for that age) what makes you think its too much calcium, it sounds more like not digested enough, do you know what the temps are on the basking spot and cool end?

 

[Helicoptermom]

His temps are about 100ish on the jot side and 90ish on the cool side. The reason I think its the calcium is that its the only change he has had lately. His temps have been this way since I got him in December. I also thought too much calcium was the cause of the digestion issues. This is definitely a case of his food not being properly digested.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

I dont think this is a calcium issue at all, more like a digestive issue. Which could be caused by those pellets, most pellets cause digestive issues and are probably one of worst thing possible to feed a beardie on a regular basis. They don't offer much for them, they're dry so no hydration, and like I said they can cause digestive issues. The only pellet food you could possible feed is mazuri's diets as they have no added colors, actually have a fair amount of good stuff in them however I'd still only do that occasionally.

Make sure to only feed carrots once or twice a week, sweet potatos probably once a week at the most.

Here is a feeding guide for you if you want to look at it.
All life stages eat 10-20 bugs a feeding.
1-4 months 3x a day.
4-12 months 2x a day.
12-20 months once a day.
20+ months twice a week at the least, every other day at the most.

Staple feeders - Crickets, locusts, grasshoppers, silkworms, black soldier fly larvae, dubia roaches, turkish roaches, possibly earthworms.

Treat feeders - Waxworms, hornworms, superworms, mealworms, butterworms.
Wax worms - once a week, 4-5 max.
Hornworms - every other day to every two days, 4-6 max.
Mealworms - every other day to every two days, 5-10 max. Only for beardies above 6 months.
Superworms - once or twice a week, 3-4 max. Only for beardies above 12 months.
Butterworms - once or twice a week, 3-4 max.

Daily greens- Turnip/collard/mustard greens, endive, and kale if added to a mixture of the other staple greens mentioned.
Fruit once or twice a week - Banana, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, red raspberries.
For more food items -
http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded ... ta.php#veg
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

You want two supplements at the very least, a calcium and a multivitamin.

Generally beardies below two years need calcium 5x a week and multivitamins 2x a week.

However beardies above two years or at two years of age need calcium only 1-4x a week with
multivitamins 1-2x a week.
This depends on how your adult beardie is with diet, health, just laid eggs, is laying eggs, etc.



The enclosure setup sounds good, HOWEVER the UVB light should not be on the cool side, it should sit right over the basking spot either infront, behind or below the heat lamp.
Make sure you have a long tube light, preferably a Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 with a reflective fitting fixture.

Also temps on the cool side are WAY too hot, they should never go above 85 and never drop below 70 during the day.

How are you monitoring his temperatures?

 

[Helicoptermom]

I have a reptisun bulb in a compact lamp. I have to mount it inside his tank because there is not room on top with the heat lamp and CHE unless I move the CHE to the other side? I am currently measuring his temps ambiently, and I am waiting for a temp gun which I recently found out is the right way to measure his temps. I will stop feeding the pellets, I was soaking them in water trying to get them to be less dry. Carrots and sweet potatoes are in small amouts maybe twice a week each. He just responds so well to bright stuff and seems to hate boring stuff. Which is why I was using the pellets, they are bright red. Hes been getting those on every salad for a few months.

When i posted this i gave him a bath directly after and a belly rub, he then actually passed the urate part of his movement in the bath. What he passed in his tank did not have the urate. The urate was still white. This is just the very first time his movement has been anything but perfect, well formed, right color, one a day. I just correlated it to the first thing that seemed different

 

[Helicoptermom]

*UPDATE*


Also poop pics

This is his movement from today this morning. The difference between this one and yesterday's can not be overstated, like this is sooooo different. The other one, which, bless my heart I did not take a picture of was almost dark green with the red lumps of pellet inside. He seems happier, and he isnt dirty by his vent like he had a hard time. This is slightly larger than his usual and it still isnt his color or form.

Also i took your advice and moved the uvb over the the hot side. His ambient temp in the cool side is now 76 ish.