My beardie has diarrhea?

[LizardHands]

my bearded dragon has loose stools and I don't know why. I stopped feeding him butternut squash because I heard it can affect their stools but it's happened again. he doesn't act sick, he eats happily and isn't lethargic, his eyes are clear and he hasn't lost weight, if anything he's gaining weight, as he's still growing.
I feed him crickets, waxworms, and mealworms/superworms, and salads every day. his basking area is 105-110 and his cool side is about 85. he has uv. any thoughts on what it might be?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Can you review your tank setup with us, such as the type/brand of UVB Lighting, the supplements
& temperatures. The insects given sound good. Are the crickets smaller than the space between his eyes? Are you using a digital probe or temp gun to measure the temperatures?
If you can, post some pictures of the tank setup for us just so we can see how everything looks.
What type of greens is he eating?

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[LizardHands]

my uv is a reptisun 10.0, I give him calcium about 5 times a week on his crickets, his basking bulb is a 75 watt. yes, the crickets are smaller than he space between his eyes. I use a zilla digital probe in the tank to measure heat and humidity. I give him collard greens and mustard greens when I have them, green beans, snap peas, and sweet potato as staples and pumpkin, zuchinni and yellow squash occasionally, along with fruits every now and then such as apples, strawberries, and blueberries.

I don't know how to post an image but his tank is about 3 1/2 by 2 and 1 1/2 feet deep, double decker with a shelf across half the depth. his basking spot is the shelf underneath the light. he has a hide on the cool side and a water bowl that I fill up daily or every other day.

 

[kingofnobbys]

my uv is a reptisun 10.0,
Is it a tube ?
....if a tube a T8 or a T5HO ?
or a compact globe ?
....if a compact a 13W or a 26W version ?
how and where is it mounted / installed ?
.... and how far from the basking spot ?


I give him calcium about 5 times a week on his crickets, his basking bulb is a 75 watt. yes, the crickets are smaller than he space between his eyes. I use a zilla digital probe in the tank to measure heat and humidity. I give him collard greens and mustard greens when I have them, green beans, snap peas, and sweet potato as staples and pumpkin, zuchinni and yellow squash occasionally, along with fruits every now and then such as apples, strawberries, and blueberries.

<<< my first thought was most likely dietary . But his diet seems largely OK to me, I'd cut back on the zuchinni (very high water content & very high phosphorus (binds calcium)) .
<<< the other likely cause is a tummy bug of some kind or parasitic infection.
..... I think collecting a stool sample to have a vet check for parasites is in order .

I don't know how to post an image but his tank is about 3 1/2 by 2 and 1 1/2 feet deep, double decker with a shelf across half the depth. his basking spot is the shelf underneath the light. he has a hide on the cool side and a water bowl that I fill up daily or every other day.

 

[LizardHands]

the UV is a tube light, I'll get a checkup from the vet as soon as possible, thanks for the advice

 

[LizardHands]

hey I'm back with one more question. is it possible that he could not be digesting his food all the way? since I moved him to his current terrarium he hasn't been basking as much, I've moved his heat lamp to above a log he likes to sit on in hopes that it will fix it, but could that be the reason behind his problem?

 

[CooperDragon]

Heat and UVB exposure have a direct role in proper digestion. I wouldn't force him to bask but make the basking area a suitable temperature (100-110f or so) and keep the UVB light at an appropriate height over the basking area (this varies depending on the brand and type of light). You can also supplement the artificial lighting with time outside in natural sunlight which is fantastic for them and may help with digestion as well.