Plzadvise!Beardie is not going to bathroom but eating & acti

[lplotkina]

Hi,
My beardie is going on two and a half years old, I just acquired him by accident, having never owned a beardie before. He has never gone to the bathroom more often than once a week, but never is bloated or without appetite. I have read that they are supposed to poop every day... Lately, he has been sleeping in the dark side of his tank, on the coldest side. Is he brumating, or should I be concerned? Some days he is very active and playful, others I feed in the morning when he is in his dark corner and come home to find him still there, food unotuched. If I move him, he will eat happily and crawl up on his basking tree.
He has a new tank with a tree half in, half out of direct basking light, with the top about five inches away from the basking light source so he can sit there if he wants to. I have a UV light on 3/4 of the tank and it and the basking are on 12 hrs a day. There is also a small heat coil from above for the darker part of the tank that is on 24hrs a day. There is a rock under that so he has a warm place to digest. He has been shedding, but has been doing so for about a month now despite constant misting and bathing. The skin is never tight or hard in coming off, it flakes off easily, but he has never rubbed on any of his available rocks to get it off. I think this may be because he came from a neglected home and never had a rock, so he doesnt know what to do. Is this possible as well?? I am very concerned about him.
Please advise...
Here is some info par the board's usual questions:
How old is your dragon? About 2 1/2
How long have you had your dragon? about 3 mo
How long is your dragon? 16 inches from nose to tip of tail
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 125 gallon
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? play sand
Do you use UVB lights? yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? fluorescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Zoomed Reptisun UVB 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 2 mo
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 12 or so inches
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? yes, 60 watt
What are the basking temps? 95-100
What is the cool side temp? 85, then on the side with no lights its around 65-70
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? probe
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? on his basking tree at the point where he sits
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Crickets, small mice as an occasional treat, superworms, collards, apples, carrots, swiss chard
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? Usually in the morning before I leave, around 8 or 9, if I don't make that then I feed when i come home around 6.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Reptivite, also a calcium dust, 4 times a week for both.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? no, but he is eating.
Do you bath your dragon? How often? yes, almost every day.
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? I mist, and he has a water dish, and i try t mist his veggies and drop his worms into a shallow dish of water so he can fish them out.
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no, due to financial restraints.

 

[zebraflavencs]

What you might be seeing is impaction if you are feeding in the viv. Sand can get into the intestines if the bearded gets a bit to a mouthful when going after his prey insects. When you bath him, do you stroke his tummy ? If so , do you feel a bulge ? This might be impaction.
Also, you said you have a tube Reptisun 10,0, but the closest he can get is 12 inches away ? With Tube UVBs, the dragon should get within 4-8" not 12. The 12" is for the heat bulb to prevent burns.
If I misunderstood anything, I am sorry, just the way I read that.
If he takes a turn for the worse, I would indeed get him into a vet for a fecal check. If it is brumation, again the check, then withhold the prey insects if he stops basking.
Janie.

 

[peera]

The pooping everyday is more for younger dragons. Neither of my adults poop more than twice a week (and it's usually ENORMOUS to make up for it...)

Mice aren't really recommended unless your dragon is underweight, by small mice do you mean pinkies or small fuzzies? Fuzzies should NEVER be fed as they can hurt your dragon and are bigger impaction risks because their bones have started to calcify. Pinkies should be fed with caution, no more than once a month, and the rest of their protein for the week has to be modified to accomidate for it.

Adults take a while to shed. Gibby's been shedding his head for weeks even with regular baths. Just make sure not to be tempted to peel it off!

 

[Grommet]

Hi! Sounds to me like the side of the tank with no lights is dropping down to low. It's difficult to keep the temps up with large enclosures, like yours, but I bet you'll notice a change if you lighten and warm that side of the tank up to 80, 75 at the lowest. They do like bright enclosures, and keeping it on the warm side, as long as you are giving your baby frequent baths, will help your little one's metabolism from slowing down to much during day light hours. Keep us posted!

Kailin