Loose and Grainy Stool

[NicoleR]

I have a dragon that is about 4-5 months old. SHe is doing great and has been thriving since we had her. She is growing VERY fast (doubled her weight in the last week) and has a healthy appetite. Everything seems fine with her, except she has recently started producing very loose (not quite diarrhea but almost) and grainy stools. They dry into a pile of mush, usually not much of a shape, and seem very "grainy". I cant tell if there is any specific material in it, it just looks sandy or something.

By the way, she is on reptile carpet and has a heat bulb as well as a UV tube.

Have you guys experienced this before? What could it be?

I plan on taking her to the vet if it doesn't improve but would like to avoid that stressful trip until necessary. She eats crickets about 3 times a day and has greens and carrots available all day. She picks at the veggies and the amount of crickets she eats at a time tends to vary.

Again, she seems fine in every other sense. Personality is the same, colour is beautiful, getting very plump and there are no other signs of anything.

I'd appreciate any help

 

[CooperDragon]

It could be an upset stomach which should resolve on it's own after a few days. If it continues beyond that or starts to smell really awful then it may be worth taking a sample to the vet for testing. I'd also minimize the use of carrots as they can cause digestion issues from what I've seen. I like to use squash as a supplement veg to the greens when I can get it. I reference this list when I'm shopping as well http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[NicoleR]

This has been going on for about a week now so I don't think it is an upset stomach. We are going to take a fecal in in the next couple of days just to make sure. I will definitely cut down on the carrots, it's just so hard because she absolutely LOVES them and it makes me sad to take them away from her, but I'd rather she be healthy. I will try the squash.

Thanks a bunch! Hopefully it doesn't end up being anything too serious.

 

[CooperDragon]

I hope it's not serious as well. You don't need to eliminate carrots entirely. Try shredding them and putting a bit on top of a salad every few days as a treat/garnish. It's fine as part of a balanced diet.