Undigested food

[dylankw]

I have a 13 month old. I fed her wax worms on Tuesday as a treat (she usually gets them every 1-2 months). Today she pooped out undigested wax worms. There doesn't appear to be other undigested food (i.e. greens, squash, etc.), just the worms. Should I be concerned about this, or is this probably an isolated incedent? Should I avoid giving her wax worms in the future? Thanks for any advise.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I've had that happen to my beardies on occasion, and I thought I just fed one too many. LOL

How many worms were undigested? How many did you feed her? Are her basking surface temps high enough for proper digestion (100-105*F)?

 

[dylankw]

There were probably 3 undigested. I fed her about 55, whatever was in the cup from PetSmart. Her basking spot is a hammock so its hard to get a surface temperature, but the thermometer on the wall about 7 inches above her spot (out of direct light) reads 100 F, so I imagine her spot is probably on the order of 105-110 F.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I think you fed her too many at a time and it's probably normal. I've got to say, in my own home the exact basking temp is important and we monitor them every few days on all 15 of our reptiles. From digestion to calcium and D3 synthesis, the basking temperatures are vitally important. I have no problem getting a surface basking temp on a hammock. I just tape the wire of the probe to the spot with the sensor places directly under the hottest part of the bulb. Leave it there for 30-45 minutes to get an accurate temp. You can't trust the thermometer on the wall. It's not accurate enough. We are so precise with our temps that we have dimmers on our fixtures and we tune the temps to the exact degree that we want them. I think it's really important to their health.

 

[dylankw]

I don't have a probe thermometer. Can you recommend one. The only ones I have been able to find are for meat and their calibrated range is far too high. The only ones I can find are specifically "Reptile thermometers" that are outrageously overpriced. I have looked at Walmart and Lowes and they didn't have anything that looked usable.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I have this one, except that it is black and the buttons are slightly different. I got it at Wal-Mart for $12. It was hard to find thermometers because it was a small section of the paint aisle, so you may need to ask where to find them.

http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instruments-Acu-Rite-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1336868353&sr=8-3

 

[dylankw]

OK just a quick update. I got a probe thermometer and her basking hammock is at 107 F. Is that good or is it too high?

 

[ShannyBeard]

107 is pretty close. It is within the range that most people will give you - 100-110*F. I keep mine closer to 105*F, and I have heard that the older beardies like it closer to 100*F sometimes.

Did you make any changes to the basking spot since you got the thermometer, or was it just 107 already? If she has had a 107 basking then I would guess that the undigested worms were because she ate so many of them! :shock:

 

[dylankw]

No changes so it should have been at that for several days now. Shortly before, though I switched her bulb from an incandescent one to a halogen flood lamp.