IBS? Do some beardies have sensitive tummies?

[Superhands]

Hello everybody,

My 8 month old Dragon Commodus has been having on and off loose poops for around 5 months,

He is either very regular pooping evey few days a lovely healthy poop or suddenly constipated/diarrhea,

My boyfriend is very certain that he has a sensitive stomach to some foods as the diarrhea correlates to when he's been eating certain foods. So far we've narrowed down pok choi, spring greens and basil, the only green that seems neutral on him is arugula/rocket

Is it normal for a beardie to just be sensitive or should I have a stool sample done to be sure? Thanks so much !

 

[CooperDragon]

It's probably a good idea to have a sample checked out for parasites, even so you can just rule that out. Trying diet adjustments as you've been doing is also a good idea. I do think it is possible for them to have IBS or something similar. My guy has had wet, loose poops for years and we've done every kind of vet workup we can think of. He is otherwise very healthy and happy. Just messy poops. What I wound up doing is giving him a diet with high water content (after reducing that to see if it was causing the issue - it wasn't). He eats a ton of squash and other fresh veges. This helps keep him hydrated after losing water via poops.

 

[Superhands]

It's probably a good idea to have a sample checked out for parasites, even so you can just rule that out. Trying diet adjustments as you've been doing is also a good idea. I do think it is possible for them to have IBS or something similar. My guy has had wet, loose poops for years and we've done every kind of vet workup we can think of. He is otherwise very healthy and happy. Just messy poops. What I wound up doing is giving him a diet with high water content (after reducing that to see if it was causing the issue - it wasn't). He eats a ton of squash and other fresh veges. This helps keep him hydrated after losing water via poops.

Thanks Cooper, I'll definitely look into getting a sample done on the little guy,

It sounds silly but it feels useless because he's so healthy and happy otherwise, my intuition says it's IBS or something!

I'll give him extra water after he poops to make sure he isn't loosing fluids !

 

[CooperDragon]

Keep in mind that a low amount of parasites (especially pinworm) is common and they may not need treatment for it if their immune system can keep things in check. It's usually good to have a fecal test done with a wellness visit because it can help tell a bit about their overall health.