Bearded dragon constipation

[astover]

Hello all,

I am currently caring for a young adult bearded dragon. She lives in a 60-gallon tank with a MVB during the day and a 75W night heat lamp for the evening. Her daily diet consists of the Adult Bearded Dragon food daily formula from Rep Cal. She eats a few of those every day and seems to have a good appetite for them/a good appetite in general. I have previously fed her mealworms and occasionally feed her kale and different fruits such as apples and grapes.

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed she has been going to the bathroom very infrequently, sometimes going several weeks without a bowl movement. Is there something about her lighting/diet/etc. that I should change to ensure she doesn’t get constipated again or impacted?

 

[astover]

Just for some background, I'm a relatively new caretaker of this bearded dragon so I am still learning but to answer your questions:

The night heat lamp is this one in 75w: http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/night_heat_lamp.php. It is blue-ish in appearance.

I have a mercury vapor bulb from PowerSun so I am getting UVA, UVB, light and heat in one bulb. I have the night lamp only because I cannot leave the MVB on all night due to it's bright light.

I will get more greens and proteins for her. Should I also be dusting her foods with calcium?

She pooped last on Friday (Jan 3).

In regard to checking temps, what is your recommendation for the best thermometer?

I have no plan to bring her to the vet, would like to figure out how to regulate her diet/temp/bowel movements on my own because I figure it can be dangerous and traumatizing to bring them to a vet.

Thank you for this info.

 

[Billie2016]

Try bathing in warm water and lightly massage the belly.

 

[astover]

Okay, I will look for a replacement night bulb. The PowerSun bulb is 100w. I measured the distance and based on their recommendations for distance, I determined she was at a proper distance. She never exhibits any discomfort as a result of the PowerSun light. Usually she spends most of her time basking beneath it. Eats and drinks normally. I'm not sure if she'd be exhibiting other strange behaviors if the temp was uncomfortable, aside from the constipation of course.

I fed her some dandelion greens this morning and she enjoyed them.

 

[astover]

No colored bulbs it is harmful to their eyes can cause long term eye damage and disturbs their sleep-- what is the wattage of the powersun bulb--- temps should be 105-110- taken w/ a infrared heat gun or digital probe-- no stick ons-- the lights in the tank are the most important thing for the overall health of your dragon----- if your tank is falling below 65 at nite then you need a CHE they are heat only NO LIGHT-- they require a dome fixture can be bought on line from Amazon - bulbs come in 75-150-- I have a 100 watt on my 120 gallon tank keeps tank around 70 or so and sits on top of screen in the middle of the tank--- we need to get a distance on that power sun but I need wattage first

Also, the bulb sits on top of a screen.