Augie
Juvenile Dragon
- Messages
- 534
- Location
- San Antonio TX
Hello fellow bearders! I need some advice, but first, story time:
I've had a bit of a scare recently with my dragon, and literally just resolved it moments ago. She normally poops every week or two, but this week I realized today marked week 3. I had also noticed that her appetite was almost non-existent over the last 4-5 days and she had been pretty inactive, wanting to stay on the cool side and rarely basking.
I gave her a bath last week and the week before, but she has never pooped in the bathtub anyway so I wasn't alarmed. Today I soaked her for almost 25 minutes, and still nothing. I decided to rub her belly and was surprised at how quickly she became... productive.
I hadn't tried it sooner because, again, I have done it in the past and she has never pooped from baths and belly rubbing in the 16 months I have had her.
The poop was, shall I say, intimidating in size. I would say it was about 40% of her size. I'm not kidding or trying to be funny. It was intense watching her because I could tell she struggled to get it out and immediately looked relived and energetic after finishing. She's now in her cage acting pretty normal. As I was cleaning the tub, I noticed three pieces wouldn't go down the drain: two poops and the urate. I had to flush them; they were rock hard to the touch.
Now on to advice: is there anything you have read that makes you think something is missing from her husbandry? Temps on her basking driftwood are 105 at the hottest point, and 95 on the other areas she frequents. Children's washed sifted playsand as substrate. She gets gut-loaded crickets, roaches, and a salad that consists of collard or mustard greens almost exclusively. Fruits, superworms, and waxworms as RARE (as in only 3-4 times a month) treats. Lastly, I have recently introduced beardie pellets into her diet, which is what gives me the greatest pause.
I say this because that is the only recent change to her diet. Is it possible I am not moistening them enough? I wet them to the point where they are soft but not soggy, and still a little firm in the center. The only other thing I can think of is when I put them in her salad maybe she is eating them later in the day when they are dryer. Or maybe that's not the cause and its something completely different. If you've gotten this far it means you really care and are interested in the health of all dragons, even ones you more than likely will never meet, so I want to hear from you. Your thoughts?
I've had a bit of a scare recently with my dragon, and literally just resolved it moments ago. She normally poops every week or two, but this week I realized today marked week 3. I had also noticed that her appetite was almost non-existent over the last 4-5 days and she had been pretty inactive, wanting to stay on the cool side and rarely basking.
I gave her a bath last week and the week before, but she has never pooped in the bathtub anyway so I wasn't alarmed. Today I soaked her for almost 25 minutes, and still nothing. I decided to rub her belly and was surprised at how quickly she became... productive.
I hadn't tried it sooner because, again, I have done it in the past and she has never pooped from baths and belly rubbing in the 16 months I have had her. The poop was, shall I say, intimidating in size. I would say it was about 40% of her size. I'm not kidding or trying to be funny. It was intense watching her because I could tell she struggled to get it out and immediately looked relived and energetic after finishing. She's now in her cage acting pretty normal. As I was cleaning the tub, I noticed three pieces wouldn't go down the drain: two poops and the urate. I had to flush them; they were rock hard to the touch.
Now on to advice: is there anything you have read that makes you think something is missing from her husbandry? Temps on her basking driftwood are 105 at the hottest point, and 95 on the other areas she frequents. Children's washed sifted playsand as substrate. She gets gut-loaded crickets, roaches, and a salad that consists of collard or mustard greens almost exclusively. Fruits, superworms, and waxworms as RARE (as in only 3-4 times a month) treats. Lastly, I have recently introduced beardie pellets into her diet, which is what gives me the greatest pause.
I say this because that is the only recent change to her diet. Is it possible I am not moistening them enough? I wet them to the point where they are soft but not soggy, and still a little firm in the center. The only other thing I can think of is when I put them in her salad maybe she is eating them later in the day when they are dryer. Or maybe that's not the cause and its something completely different. If you've gotten this far it means you really care and are interested in the health of all dragons, even ones you more than likely will never meet, so I want to hear from you. Your thoughts?
). I will keep an eye out, but honestly, after that poop she dropped, she's been incredibly active today. Just like her old self.
What made matters worse is she started tasting the sand and going crazy after I dried her off and put her back in the cage. I was hoping she snapped out of a quick brumation so I fed her and she ate some collard greens, wasn't satisfied, so I gave her an adult male dubia. She practically snatched it from the tongs and then proceeded to dig like crazy for hours.