Really small poo, partial blockage? Worried...

[digitalCaptive]

[Please note I posted this in the Health forum first, but I've gotten too freaked out about this and so I'm reposting here...im sorry if that's wrong, im just super worried about my baby girl!] My bearded dragon Saffron (Saffy) has been doing very small poo's for a while now, < 2 months maybe I believe (I'm sorry, I've got my own health issues that REALLY does a number on my memory and sense of time). When we first got her in April (she's 4 1/2 years, 17.5") she did 'normal' poo's. We did discover she had tons of parasites and did treatment for that.

In the beginning I fed her mealworms, because that's what her former owner told us she liked, and at one point she was eating upwards of 30-50 a day!! (This happened for no longer than 1 week) Yikes! NOW I know that's not good, but I was told to feed her as many as she would eat until she didn't want more. I really regret not listening to my gut back then, I was concerned that was too much, and now I'm worried she's partially blocked as s result. We reduced the number of mealworms to around 10-12 per day - she is always ravenous about feeders. So then we changed her diet to mealworms and superworms, and have recently switched to Dubias and some superworms - mealworms *might* be given as a treat (like 2), but for now she's not getting any mealies. She doesn't eat her greens as much as I'd like -none of my dragons do

Ok, so a while ago her poo changed and it was small, and we are talking the size of a dime, maybe nickel here. It's basically 1/2 urate, 1/2 poo, with basically one poo chunk the size of the urate. Pic: http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/digitalCaptive/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps071fc214.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

For a while she pooed like that every day, and now it's getting to be more like every 2-3 days (we do think she was starting to brumate recently) and now it's even smaller than it was in the picture!! I was told from the previous owner (who used to own a pet store and raise and sell Beardies) that as long as she was pooping that it was ok. He said she looks really healthy, if a tad overweight.

I'm just really getting concerned - I love my scaly baby so much, I just want to make sure she's healthy, happy, and will be with us for a long time!! We live in a rural desert community 90+ miles from a larger city, and we have only 1 vet that has *some* experience treating iguanas. I've been doing a lot more research about herps (I wanted to do this *before* we got them but I have a seriously impatient and impulsive hubby.

Lastly, she gets at least 1-2 baths a week, 80-90* in her favorite spot, 105-115* on her perch, and 75-80* on cool side. I give her 10cc's of water on average 1-2x a week. We have tried mineral oil on superworms, and squash baby food (which she doesn't eat). She loves to swim and takes long baths (20-30min), but she hates her tummy rubbed and doesn't poo in the water anymore (she did a few times after we got her).

I'm sorry for such a long post...I'm just really stressed out with worry, and I get really verbose when that happens! Any advice would be *greatly* appreciated! Thank you.

~ Worried mom
(My Beardie babies: Saffron (F), Blaze (F), Torch (M) and our Veiled Chameleon Mojo (M)

 

[Leachy666]

Sorry to hear that your BD isn't doing well. One thing im worried is that shr isn't getting enough UVB and Calcium to digest her food. Also feeding her too much mealworm can be bad if she eating more the 30-50 a day? Not eatting veggie is what give her vitamins to digest his food too and to pass it. If anything they need more veggie then insects. What kind of veggie were u feeding her? Whats her lighten set (what uvb light and heating)? Were you also adding calcium to her meal?
You said he temperature in basking us 105-115? 115 is too hot and since u live in the desert it can be even hotter in the day. Also her poo like really dry...was it super hard when u picked it up? She might be dyhdrated too ...does she drink water when u bath her? Also u said she over weight? its because of all the mealworm she been eatting. Posting pic of your beardie and set up might help too.
I'm worried that she might have MDB or Impaction...Also u said she hate tummy rubs..and she is a older BD...Every feel and limps? Some BD lay egg like chickens. But if she doesn't get the moist moss and dirt she need to lay eggs it can store in her belly and cause problem in the future. Do you give her warm baths?

 

[Amanda123]

I know how you feel, my bearded dragon (Ernie) once hadn't pooped in a month the best thing to do is to soak him in warm water and then let him run around also try massaging his abdomen LIGHTLY!!!! Also if you really want to you cold try feeding him applesauce or plain baby food prunes and just drip it on its nose and if that doesn't work there's a medicin called acidophiliz that you can get online in most online reptile stores hope this info is helpful!


-Amanda

 

[digitalCaptive]

Thank you for your response. I feel terrible that I never got back to you. We ended up taking our baby girl to the vet and discovered that on the whole she is doing very well. She did have some parasites, but aside from that she was in good body shape. I'd finally realized, after the vet visit, that the reason she looked 'odd' to me was caused by three factors.

1) She was brumating. Our dragons just doze apparently, they don't go into the deep sleep that others do. I was looking for the 'sleeping dragon' so it took us a while to figure out our new dragons brumation style.

2) She was underweight when we first got her. Her fat pads were concave on her head and she was light in her frame. So when we got her fat and happy she wasn't fat, she was closer to what she SHOULD have weighed and looked like. In my mind though I kept looking at her original pics and remembering what she looked like then, forgetting that that was a not healthy version of her.

3) Right after she came to us (literally within a few days) she laid a clutch of eggs, and did this three times over a few months.

So with her body changing from egg producing, her being underweight, and us being brand new to bearded dragons on top of not realizing she was brumating, well, I just didn't really get to know what my girl really looked like until a couple months ago.

It's been an adventure becoming a dragon & chameleon mom, and all a bit faster than we should have taken things (that was circumstances plus impatient hubby). I've learned a lot, and am very grateful for these forums in particular as they are a treasure trove of information and help.

I feel badly that I did not respond in a timely manner, I'm afraid that my own health got in the way and with my affected memory I forget things easily. But I did want to give those who responded to me my thanks for their time, as well as an update on my beardie.