Recurrent issues with lethargy and pooping

[Teabug]

Hi,

I've had very useful advice given to me here since adopting our beardie in January, and am thankful for it. We're still having pooping problems here, and I'm hoping someone can illuminate us.

Laura (almost 2yrs) often goes through stages of lethargy, concurrent with not pooping. Now, I can usually get her to poop by putting her on her "heating pad" (a sock filled with rice that's been warmed up), but it's becoming more and more often that I have to do so. She eats well and that's never been problematic.

Temps may be an issue. I feel they should be a little higher. But I have three different heat lamps and a stand to try to get the perfect temp, and nothing seems to make her happy. If I get the temp up to 101, she'll hide in her cave. She seems to like 99-100 for basking… but still is having problems pooping.

I feel like there's something really obvious that I'm missing. Or maybe her care is just beyond me! This is our first reptile and I feel like I'm really messing up this poor girl.

I filled out all the questions below and I'm hoping someone has some insight. Thank you so much in advance.

P.S I noticed she's much peppier after taking her outside in the sunshine. But we're in NY -- won't be able to do that much longer…

How old is your dragon? almost 2 years old
How long have you had your dragon? 8 months
How long is your dragon? approximately 16 inches
What is the sex of your dragon? female
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon breeder
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? porcelain tile
Do you use UVB lights? yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Reptisun 10.0
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 months old
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 7 inches or so
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? yes. 100 watt white
What are the basking temps? around 100
What is the cool side temp? 84
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? top of log
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. collard greens, kale, mustard greens, arugula, berries, peas, string beans, carrots, phoenix worms, crickets, wax worms (treat)
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? salad every morning. Insects midday, 4x a week
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? no to worms, yes to crickets
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? yes, Rep-Cal. calcium 2-3x a week multivitamin 1-2x a week
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? no. 1-2 times a week
Do you bath your dragon? How often? yes, every other day
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? mist salad
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no.
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no

 

[CooperDragon]

It may be worth trying to bump the warm baths up to every day at around the same time to help regulate her. You could also try adding a little bit of natural laxative to her diet such as baby food prunes or applesauce dropped on her nose. If the constipation persists, maybe a drop or to of olive oil will help.

It's good that the natural sunlight helps. That is great for her. How far is she from her ReptiSun tube? Is there anything between the bulb and the basking spot such as a mesh top? She may want an increase in UVB exposure.

 

[Taterbug]

It may be challenging in a 40b but you could try offering a hotter basking spot and a cooler one. She may only use the hot one for a short time to get to peak temps then use the cooler one to regulate.

What material is your basking spot, it sounds like wood? You could also try some thing that holds heat better - is suggest stone. Some things like plastic and wood don't have the thermal mass stone does. This may be enough to provide nice belly heat to help her system keep things moving.

Will she take water dripped on her nose? She may be having trouble if she isn't well hydrated. Perhaps try mixing in some celery or cucumber in with her veggies - they are mostly water.

 

[Teabug]

I seem to be losing posts so I apologize if this is a repeat.

Thanks so much to both of you: loads of good advice and things for me to think about. To answer questions:

She is about 8 inches from her reptisun if she's on the basking spot. It is indeed resting on top of the mesh. Can someone tell me how to attach it inside the aquarium?

Yes, it is driftwood. I have never seen a stone basking spot -- do people find stones to use from outside or can they be purchased?

No, she won't take water on dripped on her nose. But the veggie suggestions are good ones. And I'm going to try the two basking spots. I do have an extra 50w...

Ok, I'm running out to get baby food prunes! All your help is appreciated.

 

[Taterbug]

Some folks cut the screen away from the bulb area - others suspend it in the tank. Try to keep it overhead, not on the wall though.

Make sure the ambient temps don't go up too much with the second/extending basking spot - it may be tricky in that tank.

I get my rocks from outside - I have a nice chunk of sandstone that works well t get nice and evenly warm. You might even be able to pick one up at Home Depot - I saw some nice pavers I the garden centre the other day.



Are you posting from a phone? I have lots of trouble with this forum on my phone. :/

 

[Teabug]

Yes, the post that disappeared was from my phone! Switched to the computer now.

So would I stack those pavers so she'd have stairs? Seems do-able. I will look outside too. I'm starting to realize though that the 40 gallon kind of sucks and I wish I had a bigger enclosure for her.

Yes, I'll have to play around with the lamps now to get the right temps. I feel like I am CONSTANTLY doing so, between her not pooping and temps in my old house constantly changing.

I am not handy and can't see how to suspend the uvb. But yes, could cut the screen. Will do so, but first: is there an ideal spot for the uvb? Ours is 18 inches. Should it be in the middle? Closer to the basking spot?

THANKS!

 

[Taterbug]

Try to replicate nature - heat, visible and UVB light all come and go at the same time. The UVB should be as close to the basking lights as possible. Depending on what cage you have may make it easier or harder to suspend it.

You could also get a few regular bricks and stack them into to a shelf/hide the slate/paver would go on the top of some bricks. It's got the added benefit of a warm hide. ((google image search for pic))

I have a 48x24x24 - I couldn't imagine going smaller than that, honestly. There are some companies who make large PVC cages if you are ever in the market to upgrade. They are spendy though

 

[Teabug]

Ok the photo helps a lot, thank you!
Going to have hubby cut the screen when he gets home too.

I know, I really would like to get her into something bigger when I have the bucks. While I'm glad I adopted her, sometimes she makes me sad. I feel like she should be running around the Australian desert instead of putting up with my ineptitude in an NY glass box.

 

[DragonsForBreakfast]

It's pretty easy and cheap to make a tank instead of buying one: a few sheets of plywood, a sheet of plexiglass, and some wood glue will do an excellent job for about $100.

Personally I would take a look at her diet rather than her lighting, since beardies self-regulate and if she likes her 101F basking temp after being offered other temps, that's where it should probably stay. I know you listed the food you give, but maybe the ratio is off. You can check out the beautiful dragons nutrition page and look particularly at the amount of fibre and water in food: maybe she's just getting too much "heavy" food for her sensitive tummy.

How do her poops look? Is she actually constipated? If so, something like regular lettuce (frowned upon on the beautiful dragons website for being too watery) can help loosen her stool, just be careful you don't overdo it and give her diarrhea.

Blueberries in particular are good for digestion. Peppermint is good for digestion in humans so you can try that too (although my Clifford seems to find the taste too strong).

I also recommend organic babyfood, like Heinz. The ratio of food:water is close enough that it will pass through her system with ease. My baby loves butternut squash which naturally doesn't contain much fibre so even though it is watery it shouldn't give her diarrhea (except maybe the first time as her system adjusts to it).

 

[Taterbug]

I agree - the more I learn about my reptiles the guiltier I feel for keeping them :/

I suggested adjusting the temps to allow for better regulation since the warm sock seams to help. Dragons are great at regulating but we aren't so great at replicating their environment. Offering an additional hotter spot might not get used frequently, but there isn't harm in offering one if other factors remain the same. There can be a problem when only one basking option is available.

Fiber is certainly worth considering. Do you have a suggestion for a fibrewhat?) ratio?

 

[Teabug]

I will check out the nutrition website, thanks. I never really considered fiber ratio. We have peppermint in the garden so I will try that today.

As for her poops… most of the time they look fine. Just a bigger load when she hasn't gone a few days. But last time it was very watery -- diarrhea. That was after not pooping for four days. Not sure what that means?

Do you just put the baby food in a bowl or do you have to give in a dropper?

 

[Guinness]

Have you tried swapping out your UVB bulb?

I ask because I went through a similar deal with our beardie about 6 months ago. He would sit in the cooler area of the tank and rarely bask. When he ate it was nowhere near his normal amounts and only every 4 or 5 days instead of every day. I tried everything I could to figure out what was going on.

The UVB I using was only 4 months old and as a last ditch effort I swapped it out. Within a day he was back to his normal rowdy self and eating like a mule. I can only assume that I had gotten a bad bulb.

 

[Teabug]

Huh. It's funny you mentioned that, because even though the bulb is not even 3 months old... I had some doubts buying at Petsmart. All of the packages looked bent. I wondered: do some losers return bulbs they bought, but switch them out with old bulbs? Some people are so dishonest that I wouldn't put it past them.

Ok, I think I will order a bulb online. If anyone has a recommendation as to where to buy, please feel free to pm me. Thanks!

 

[Taterbug]

Huh. It's funny you mentioned that, because even though the bulb is not even 3 months old... I had some doubts buying at Petsmart. All of the packages looked bent. I wondered: do some losers return bulbs they bought, but switch them out with old bulbs? Some people are so dishonest that I wouldn't put it past them.

Ok, I think I will order a bulb online. If anyone has a recommendation as to where to buy, please feel free to pm me. Thanks!

I think I remember someone bought a bulb that even had the wrong one in the box!

Amazon has the best prices for reptisun I have found - I have prime but I think they qualify for super safer as well if you have something else (or a second bulb) to add to the order. Always packaged very well.

 

[Teabug]

Thanks. Just ordered it from Amazon.