Poops anywhere he wants

[jjatdvs]

I have read many times that bearded dragons do not like to poop where they sleep, or bask, or really just spend the majority of their day. My little guy poops anywhere he wants. he eats out of his food bowl and then just lays in the empty bowl till he wants to poop. then poops in the bowl. or will eat out of the bowl and then just sit next to the bowl till he wants to poop. then poops near the bowl. if he basking on his ledge, he will poop on his basking ledge. does anybody know why he doesn't care? hahah. i wish he would go to a corner of the cage and poop. i cant understand why he wants to poop on all the location he spends the most time. hes 2 months old. and has done this ever since i got him about a month ago. and hes got plenty of space! i got him in a 50 gallon. he just chooses the worst spots... i care cause im not home during the day since i work. so if hes going to poop im not there to clean it right away. and if it was in the corner of the cage thats ok. but right in the main areas hes spending all day bothers me. sometimes in the morning before i leave he will go, so i can clean that and he will be good for the rest of the day. but sometimes he waits till i leave.

 

[CooperDragon]

It is tough to regulate this with the young ones. They grow out of it after a while (out closer to a year old) and can be trained not to do this for the most part. They respond to routine, so what I suggest is provide a warm bath at around the same time every day (morning may be best if you have time). The warm bath often causes them to poop. With a little one, he may need to go more than once a day but with an adult this is usually plenty. After a while, they get used to going at the same time every day.

 

[jjatdvs]

i do give him a bath everyday. its in the evening though. when i get home from work. he has NEVER pooped in the bath. mornings are a bit rough with preparing his food and getting ready for work. giving him a bath as well, i dont think i have the time for that right now. i dont really know how to go about training him to get out of the routine of just going anywhere he wants when he wants. if i was able to get him to know a certain corner of the tank is the bathroom spot, that would be great. if you have any tips?!

It is tough to regulate this with the young ones. They grow out of it after a while (out closer to a year old) and can be trained not to do this for the most part. They respond to routine, so what I suggest is provide a warm bath at around the same time every day (morning may be best if you have time). The warm bath often causes them to poop. With a little one, he may need to go more than once a day but with an adult this is usually plenty. After a while, they get used to going at the same time every day.

 

[CooperDragon]

As I mentioned, it's very difficult to train the little ones like that. You may need to wait a few months until he's a bit bigger and then you can try training him. For now, just try to keep on top of cleaning the tank when you get home from work and he should be fine. This behavior does tend to work out over time as they get older.

 

[Taterbug]

He may just need more time to learn someplace a are nicer to poop than others. Your little one might develop a more convenient habit as he grows up and his digestion starts to slow down.

As cooper mentions it gets easier when they are older. I found my guy started getting a more routine poop schedule as he got older (maybe 5-6 months) and would wait untill just before I got home. Not sure if it was coincidence, because of when I fed him or his choice. He also established a preference for a certain spot to go, not as cleverly as a leopard gecko or anything, but at least a general area.

I've never had luck with him pooping in the bath consistently either.