Rock Hard White Thing In Poop

[momtothreeboys]

My beardie finally pooped after six days. I was so happy but there was this white thing in the poop. From what I have read on this site it is the urate so that is good. It was as hard as a rock though. From what I've researched it means he is dehydrated. I just want to make sure this is all it means and that he is ok.

Thanks again,

Jennifer

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, good that he finally pooped. However, to have that hard of urates is not good. They can suffer from prolapses if their urates are that hard & they have to strain too hard when going to the bathroom.
What type of vegetation is he eating & do you offer oral fluids?
What are the temps in the tank, are they within the recommended 95-110?
I would work on trying to hydrate him over the next few days as well.

Tracie

 

[momtothreeboys]

Ok let's see, he loves his salad and is eating romaine lettuce every morning dusted with calcium. He has a bowl of water in his tank at all times and I also make his lettuce wet before giving it to him. The basking side of his tank is 95 degrees. I will bathe him when my son gets home today. I should put him in warm water for fifteen minutes ..is this right? Also there is a little bit of yellow on the white end of the urate. Does this mean anything?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What are you measuring his temps with, a stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun? The basking temps of 95 is just borderline for digesting. I would make sure you are using either a digital probe or a temp gun to get accurate readings on the basking temps before increasing the temperatures.
The recommended basking temps are 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82.
The yellowish tint is somewhat normal though, but the urates really should be fairly soft & not hard like that.
Do you use any UVB lighting, & if so, what type & brand are you using, is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
Does he actually drink from him water bowl? If not, you will need to get oral fluids into him with a plastic syringe or a plastic dropper.

Tracie

 

[momtothreeboys]

We are using a digital probe thermometer. It is measuring 95 on the basking side. I had a 150 watt bulb but then it was measuring 110-111 on the basking side and I felt like this was too hot. Maybe I can find a stand to hold the bulb up off the screen of the tank.

I am using a Reptisun 5.0. It is a flourescent.

He doesn't seem to drink from his bowl. I have been putting lettuce in his bowl everyday with water and he is eating it. I can try to give him some water from a syringe. We also bathed him yesterday and he dunked his head under the water.

I am a little worried now because he has been on the cool side of the tank since last night around 9 pm and hasn't bothered to get up. I just put some crickets and salad in his tank to encourage him to move. Usually he gets up around 9am and I feed him around 10am. After he has been basking for an hour or so.

Thanks!

 

[Drache613]

Hello Jennifer,

Ok, a Reptisun 5 flourescent tube bulb is ok, but when it is time to upgrade, try getting a Reptisun 10 for stronger UVB emissions.
How old is the light & how far away is it from him? Is the basking light placed directly beside the UVB?
Great you are using a digital probe for measuring the temperatures, it should be accurate. However, you could safely bump that basking up just a little bit to say 105. At 95, that is just borderline warm enough for digestion, so he might do a little better at slightly higher temperatures.
Try getting some oral fluids into him especially if he is not drinking to help with hydration.
How old is he? If he is older than 1 year, he could be trying to brumate possibly.
Try increasing the basking temps just a little bit & see if that helps. If you can afford it, maybe look into getting the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube light. You can get it for only $20 here:
http://www.petmountain.com


Tracie

 

[momtothreeboys]

Its a really good thing I am on this forum or I would have thought my beardie was dying. He hasn't come out of the spot now since yesterday morning. I think he is brumating. My husband just left to run to the pet store to get a stand and a 150 watt bulb to try to heat it up in his tank. Is it possible to bring them out of brumation? I am bummed that he went into it because we just got him last week and were finally making some progress with him. There is so much to learn about these guys. I really appreciate your help.