Hi,
Im new to this site because i only recently got a bearded dragon. I was interested in getting a baby bearded dragon but an acquaintance told me of his 6 year old dragon that he was hoping to sell due to approaching long term plans. I took his bearded dragon named eddard on the conditions that it would be considered long term baby sitting as opposed to buying eddard permanently. I don't really know eddard's background despite asking the owner a variety of questions.
So ive had eddard for roughly one month. Throughout that month, twice, when i took him out of his home to interact and just have him by me while i read, he has pooped on me. The first time, i didn't think much of it assuming that he just happened to go at the same time i was holding him. The second time, i began to wonder if he was going due to an increase in stress especially because i doubt he had gotten much interaction with the previous owner. I started to look on different bearded dragon pages for an answer to my question involving why he might be pooping during those specific times. While I was reading through different articles, I read that if the poop is loose and smells bad, it is a potential symptom.
My question is, what are the thoughts on why he is pooping when I take him out and what insight can anyone give me on the condition of his fecal.
Sometimes they don't like to poop in their enclosure and mess up their living space, so they hold it until you take them out.
You could try giving him a warm bath every day at about the same time -- some bearded dragons can learn to poop in the water. It makes it really easy to clean up after them -- all you have to do is dump it down the drain.
If you're worried that something is wrong, you could save a sample of his poop and have it tested by a vet to see if he has any parasites or anything like that. If I understand correctly, it's best if you can refrigerate it and get it to them as soon as possible.