No stools?

[jencamper]

I am working on a better diet for my BD but in the mean time he only stools about once every other week. I just found this website and thought i should ask because it's been this way for the last year.

 

[zimbabwepegasus]

Hi welcome to the forum!
I'm going to need a bit more info to try and help!

How old is he?
How much is he eating?
What are you feeding (crix, greens-types, roaches, worms, etc)?
How old is your UVB light?
What type of UVB (flourescent tube, coil/compact or mercury vapor)- please include the brand & strength-?
What are your temps (basking spot & cool side)?
What are you using to take temps (digital therm with probe, analog/stick on or temp gun)?

This might help us figure out what's going on!

 

[jencamper]

Here is the info you requested:
My BD is 3.5 years old
He will only actively eat crickets or superworms, other wise you have to sit with him and force feed him greens, veggies or fruit. Yesterday I was able to force him to eat two small bites of greens and a grape cut up but you have to force his mouth to open up and then he will take it in. This is about what he takes in every other day. Not a lot I know. I have also been soaking him in water lately, about 2 days a week because he NEVER visits his water dish.
Our UBV is a Repti-glo 2.0 15w florescent that may be about 4-6mo. old.
As far as temps go I have one that sticks to the side in the middle of the cage that reads 78 so I am not sure how hot it is directly under the heat lamp and what the temp is on the opposite side either.
Another concern of mine is that in the last two weeks it seems that he is not using his left hind leg. He will somewhat use it to walk but he limps. Is this a calcium issue or maybe something else? He really would have had no way of falling on it or injuring it.
Thanks for the help. I am determined to help this little guy return back to normal.

 

[jencamper]

I was also reading about the possibility of PW rotting in their stomach if they don't stool. Could this be the ongoing problem? He has eatin a lot of superworms in the past couple of months.

 

[zimbabwepegasus]

All right here are a couple ideas.

I think it's probably the temps creating the pooping schedule.
You want a basking temp btwn 100-110 and you want that measured with a good thermometer, cheapest option is a digital thermometer with a probe, these are around $15 and any remotely respectable pet shop should have one. The stick ons, unfortunately, are notoriously inaccurate.
Beardies need these higher temps to aid in digestion. Because they are cold blooded, all their body functions depend upon them getting warm enough- it's like turning on your car engine, you gotta wait for it to heat up a bit before you blast the heat (or of course, you freeze yourself).

Your cool side needs to be in the upper 70s to low 80s.
The thermometer thing is super important as temps over 115 can actually hurt your beardie.

A 3.5 year old beardie only needs around 50 bugs a week, if he's eating more than this, let him go an extra day without bugs, the greens might get more appealing. One of my beardies is a belgian endive junkie and the other will eat just about anything orange; there's no accounting for their tastes! Try and switch it up a bit. This site might help with ideas http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

VERY VERY importantly! You need a different UVB. The 2.0 is not nearly strong enough. The plus side being, UVB lights expire after about 6 months, so you are due anyway.
What you want to buy is a reptisun 10.0 tube flourescent (like fish tank bulb). Not all UVBs are created equal, so definitely go for that one. The 2.0, 10.0, etc tells you the percentage of the bulb that is UVB as opposed to UVA or regular light. It is the best bulb on the market and around $20 online.
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/uvb-fluorescent-lights-mercury-vapor-bulbs/

UVB enables your beardie to process calcium, without adequate UVB their bones can be very frail. In severe cases it can result in metabolic bone disease which can cripple & even kill a beardie. Are you dusting crickets with calcium powder with D3? If so, what brand?

The baths are great! They'll often stimulate a bowel movement. You can try gently massaging his belly to help. Additionally, applesauce (no added sugar, etc.) kinda works as a beardie laxative. Or a small dose of olive oil can help lube things along.

I don't think that food is rotting in his tummy, but we can get him more active & happier with the above recommendations.

Good luck!

Kerry