Is the white part of poo supposed to be hard?

[Freebird]

Pippin had a BM today. The dark part looked normal but the white part was very hard. Is it just calcium her body didn't need? I've always been told it is impossible to give a bearded dragon too much calcium. I give Pippin extra calcium because I am paranoid of her getting metabolic bone disease or a calcium difiency. Can she get inpacted from too much calcium?

 

[ziggy23]

it's probably dehydration. give some more baths/sprays, or whatever you do.

 

[catUK]

The hard white urate could be the excess calcium. Like ziggy23 said, keep misting or bathing him in case it is dehydration. Too much calcium can cause problems such as hypercalcemia which can damage the kidneys. However, it takes A LOT of calcium for this to happen. Stick to dusting 1 feeding per day, 5 times a week with calcium and that should be sufficient

 

[Freebird]

She also just recently came out of brumation. How can I tell if she has kidney damage? Could the vet tell by looking at her? Is it treatable?

 

[catUK]

she wont have kidney damage, its rare for them to get it through too much calcium- its just best not to overfeed calcium just in case. Honestly don't worry, you would have had to feed a hell of a lot of calcium for this to happen. Sorry didn't mean to worry you. Also the hard urates sometimes happens to my beardie.

 

[Freebird]

My mom gave her some water and she seemed REALLY thiristy. We will give her some more tomorrow. I know they can get more water by eating vegetables but trying to get Pippin to eat her greens is like moving mountains. I have tried EVERYTHING. She just picks out the worms and leaves the rest.

 

[techdave]

Try putting her into a bath, high enough to cover her vent. With lukewarm water, like what you would give a baby. Leave her in there for about 15-20 mins. Do this often. Like a couple times a week.

 

[wizbee]

Sometimes Boga gets this too. I just give her a good soaking in case she is needing water.

 

[BeautifulDragons]

Probably just a little dehydrated like others said. I wouldn't worry. Urates, the white part of the poo, are a beardies form of urine. In the wild, they live in the harsh desert, and water is hard to come by. So their bodies are designed to take as much moisture out of the urine as possible and keep more moisture in their body.

Unfortunately, urates are not excess calcium. Just be careful, too much calcium can lead to hypercalcemia. Although hypercalcemia is rarely heard of.