Red Poop?

[KaiKitRioKat]

I have an adult Bearded Dragon, I'm not sure his exact age but he's at least 2+. I'm his 3rd home (that I know of) and I've only had him a few months. When I first got him he had pretty bad diarrhea but I assumed it was due to poor diet, I got his diet fixed up and he's had very normal poos since, until yesterday. He eats very well, loves dubias, salad and butternut squash (although he hasn't had the squash in a week so I assume the color couldn't be from that?) But yesterday when he pooped it had a small puddle of liquid around it, and 2 reddish colored bits. When I was cleaning it up I squished it (gross, I know) and it isn't red all the way through, it's white on the inside. Does anyone know what these are? Otherwise he's acting very normal, he's not losing weight or anything like that. I'm currently looking for a new exotic vet, as my previous one shut down. I do have pictures of the poop but I'm not entirely sure how to upload them here. I'll try though!

Another question I had after asking in some other forums, should I not be holding him often? He seems to enjoy being held, he's very calm and I enjoy having him out! After mentioning that he'll be outside the tank maybe 1 hour (often less) throughout the day, not all at once, I was told he shouldn't be out more than a few minutes. Now I feel guilty if I've jeopardized his health by having him out too much.

Here's some information on his setup-

His enclosure is 40 gallons, tile as the substrate, I measure the hot side with a HydroFarm thermostat, and it also has a stick on thermometer on the wall. On the cool side I use a ZooMed digital thermometer with a probe. I've had the hardest time finding a good hygrometer though. At the moment I'm just using the one that previous owners had in the tank, one of those sticky types. His cool side is about 77.5 F°, ambient temperature in the hot side is about 93 F° from what I can tell, that thermometer really isn't great, and his basking spot is about 109.8 F° Humidity looks about 49%? Im not sure how accurate that is though. He does have a UVB light but now I'm wondering if I should replace that bulb, as it's the one that came with him, 3 months ago.

 

[KaiKitRioKat]

Hopefully this works!

 

[CooperDragon]

If it just started, it's possibly just an upset stomach. Keep an eye on his next few and see if they look the same. The white balls look like oddly formed urate which might not be an issue itself. When you find a new vet it might be worth having blood work done just to check kidney and liver function. In the meantime I'd offer some extra water by dripping it on his nose to lick up. That will help prevent dehydration from the watery poop.

I would replace the UVB light since you aren't sure how old it is. Do you know what brand/size it is? It's quite an important piece of equipment so I would invest in a high quality light and make sure it matches the distance you need to cover from the bulb to the basking site. I can help with that if you'd like.

 

[KaiKitRioKat]

If it just started, it's possibly just an upset stomach. Keep an eye on his next few and see if they look the same. The white balls look like oddly formed urate which might not be an issue itself. When you find a new vet it might be worth having blood work done just to check kidney and liver function. In the meantime I'd offer some extra water by dripping it on his nose to lick up. That will help prevent dehydration from the watery poop.

I would replace the UVB light since you aren't sure how old it is. Do you know what brand/size it is? It's quite an important piece of equipment so I would invest in a high quality light and make sure it matches the distance you need to cover from the bulb to the basking site. I can help with that if you'd like.

Okay, he hasn't used the bathroom since, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

I checked his light and it's a ZooMed lamp with a Zoo Med ReptiSun 10 UVB Mini 13 watt. So that's far too small right? If you could direct me towards the right size & brand I'd be very appreciative. At the moment it's on top of his screen, about 10 inches away from his basking spot. I'm game to change whatever needs to be changed in the tank. ?

 

[EllenD]

First of all, whomever told you that he should only be out of his enclosure for a few minutes doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. You can take him out for an hour or so, as long as it's in a normal, household temperature. I have my guys out for hours at a time, sometimes I set up a portable clamp lamp with a basking spot for them if they want to bask, and they'll sit in the window in the sun getting warm, looking out for hours (they get no UVB through glass though, just an FYI). So don't ever hesitate to hold him, play with him, let him run around, etc. That's just silly.

Yes, a 13 watt compact UVB is totally inadequate for a beardie. And it would only be good for 6 months anyway. What you want in a long 18" or 24" Reptisun 10.0 T8 or T5HO or Arcadia 12% tube and matching length fixture, and make sure that the long fixture has a reflector built-in behind where the tube goes. The T8 UVB tubes must be mounted under the mesh screen with either 3M Command Hooks or by poking holes in the mesh and strapping the UVB tube fixture underneath it with large zip ties, and his basking spot must be high enough to get within 6-8" of the unobstructed tube. The T8 tubes must be replaced every 6 months because they stop emitting any UVB light at that point, even though they still turn on and emit light. The T5HO tubes can sit on top of the mesh, but must still be within 11" of his basking spot. The T5 tubes must be replaced every 10 months to a year. The only compact UVB bulbs that are adequate are the 26 watt ones, they are few and far between but still available. Or you can go with a Megaray or Powersun mercury vapor bulb (MVB), which are all-in-one bulbs that provide both heat and UVB light.

 

[KaiKitRioKat]

First of all, whomever told you that he should only be out of his enclosure for a few minutes doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. You can take him out for an hour or so, as long as it's in a normal, household temperature. I have my guys out for hours at a time, sometimes I set up a portable clamp lamp with a basking spot for them if they want to bask, and they'll sit in the window in the sun getting warm, looking out for hours (they get no UVB through glass though, just an FYI). So don't ever hesitate to hold him, play with him, let him run around, etc. That's just silly.

Yes, a 13 watt compact UVB is totally inadequate for a beardie. And it would only be good for 6 months anyway. What you want in a long 18" or 24" Reptisun 10.0 T8 or T5HO or Arcadia 12% tube and matching length fixture, and make sure that the long fixture has a reflector built-in behind where the tube goes. The T8 UVB tubes must be mounted under the mesh screen with either 3M Command Hooks or by poking holes in the mesh and strapping the UVB tube fixture underneath it with large zip ties, and his basking spot must be high enough to get within 6-8" of the unobstructed tube. The T8 tubes must be replaced every 6 months because they stop emitting any UVB light at that point, even though they still turn on and emit light. The T5HO tubes can sit on top of the mesh, but must still be within 11" of his basking spot. The T5 tubes must be replaced every 10 months to a year. The only compact UVB bulbs that are adequate are the 26 watt ones, they are few and far between but still available. Or you can go with a Megaray or Powersun mercury vapor bulb (MVB), which are all-in-one bulbs that provide both heat and UVB light.

Thanks so much for reassuring me on the holding situation! Ive been feeling pretty guilty about it!

https://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-hoods/11442-580029/zoo-med-zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-high-output-terrarium-hood.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpc344LzX1gIVC2t-Ch0d-ghfEAQYAiABEgI_8fD_BwE

Is this the right hood & bulb? This is the only one I can seem to find.

 

[KaiKitRioKat]

Well he pooped yesterday and everything looked normal, no puddle of liquid and no redness. Hopefully all is well!