Constant Impaction

[Chipthe]

So my guy nacho has been impacted for the past 3 or 4 months. He has pooped every 3 weeks or so with lots of baths and belly rubs. He seems very happy, and the only thing i notice is it gets a little difficult for him to move his hind legs after a few weeks.

Here are a few pics of my setup:

This was taken at around 9:00 so about 45 mins after his lights went off, so hes a little annoyed that i woke him up. His day basking temps range from around 95-102 degrees Fahrenheit, and his cool side gets to about 75-80 degrees. This is measured with a temp gun, not a stick on thermometer. those are useless. I put a carpet down ontop of his sand to avoid sand ingestion. His urates are extremely hard and large, and his stool is very chunky and runny. he gets 5 reptical dusted superworms twice a week, and primarily eats collard and mustard greens. He eats around 6 pumpkin fed superworms a day. His appetite is never really affected by this, and it kind of worries me. I now include a small amount of pureed prunes in his diet to speed things up, although im not sure how well thats working because ive only been doing it for a few days.

Drinkin in the bath

 

[Hdrydr31]

My personal opinion here I think you need to get rid of the sand completely... That seems WAY too long between poops...It seems that the rest is ok but the elephant in the "tank" is the sand..

Mine poops everyday in her bath or in her 55 gal. I think we need to remember these BD are no longer out in the wild so their environment is what we give them, out in nature they move around more, are on various "substrates" and are more adapt to what the environment gives them...

 

[Chipthe]

My personal opinion here I think you need to get rid of the sand completely... That seems WAY too long between poops...It seems that the rest is ok but the elephant in the "tank" is the sand..

Mine poops everyday in her bath or in her 55 gal. I think we need to remember these BD are no longer out in the wild so their environment is what we give them, out in nature they move around more, are on various "substrates" and are more adapt to what the environment gives them...

Ill take it out as soon as i can. Its a super difficult process, but i think it will be worth it. Thank!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Glad to hear you and Nacho have everything to gain by trying.. hope it helps Nacho

 

[PatsyB]

Yeah removing the sand is pain. I used to have it in Dexter's tank and it was real pretty but hard to clean. If you are covering it with carpet you might as well just take it out completely.

My boy Luci used to poop a few times a day in his tank. When I switched him to super worms it took him about 2 weeks to poop the first time and now he goes every other day or every 3 days. One thing that works with Luci when he gets backed up, I will take a few drops of olive oil and put it on a slice of apple or a green, that usually gets things going. I also feed him hornworms which are very juicy and butterworts. Variety is good.

How long have you had him and what are you using for UVB? Along with the calcium dusting you should dust one feeding a week with a multivitamin. Looking at his photo he has a little underbite which is a sign of calcium deficiency. So you want to make sure you have a good UVB bulb. UVB produces D3 which helps in the absorption of calcium.

 

[Chipthe]

For uvb, i am and have been using for the past two years since he was 2 months old, a reptisun 5.0 uvb compact bulb. Throughout his lifespan, calcium hasnt been super consistent, which i feel terrible about. The store i take him to for boarding generally feeds him a few hornworms, and he loves them. I am allergic to apples, so the olive oil covered apples arent an option sadly.

After doing the prunes for a few days, he is attempting to poo after dinner. I find him standing in his water bowl, very darkly colored and stressed. He lightens up a bit after i give him a belly rub, but he won't poo! I'm really worried about my dragon ):

 

[PatsyB]

You can put the olive oil on anything, doesn't have to be an apple. You can also use mineral oil. Coil compact bulbs aren't the greatest. In the past they used to be associated with eye problems but most importantly they only concentrate your UVB in one small area of the tank. Ideally you want your UVB to cover at least 2/3's of the tank and you want it to overlap with your basking area. The heat warms them up and helps them absorb the the D3 which in turn helps the body absorb calcium. It's a whole process (I hope I explained it right).

Start by getting the sand out so that he's not ingesting any more of it. Give baths as often as you can until he poops and either drip water on his nose or move the water around with your fingers to get him to drink. Be careful rubbing on his belly, if he swallowed something sharp, rubbing his belly could cut his insides. Make sure the water is real warm but not too hot. Also, get a vet visit and make sure that there is nothing else going on with him that would cause impaction like a parasite or something. I would really try to get some hornworms or even some earthworms, something juicy full of water will help.

 

[Chipthe]

You can put the olive oil on anything, doesn't have to be an apple. You can also use mineral oil. Coil compact bulbs aren't the greatest. In the past they used to be associated with eye problems but most importantly they only concentrate your UVB in one small area of the tank. Ideally you want your UVB to cover at least 2/3's of the tank and you want it to overlap with your basking area. The heat warms them up and helps them absorb the the D3 which in turn helps the body absorb calcium. It's a whole process (I hope I explained it right).

Start by getting the sand out so that he's not ingesting any more of it. Give baths as often as you can until he poops and either drip water on his nose or move the water around with your fingers to get him to drink. Be careful rubbing on his belly, if he swallowed something sharp, rubbing his belly could cut his insides. Make sure the water is real warm but not too hot. Also, get a vet visit and make sure that there is nothing else going on with him that would cause impaction like a parasite or something. I would really try to get some hornworms or even some earthworms, something juicy full of water will help.

Thanks for this. my dad doesn't really want me getting hornworms because theyre expensive, but ill pay for them with cash ive earned from mowing lawns if i should. Also, he doesn't want to take him to a vet for who knows why. I'll try to get him in ASAP. As for the UVB bulb, what do you recommend? His tank is a 40 gal, and i plan on building him a vivarium in a few months.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Make sure that you are replacing the UVB bulb every 6 months

 

[Chipthe]

Make sure that you are replacing the UVB bulb every 6 months

uh oh

i feel like such an irresponsible owner '='

 

[Hdrydr31]

It's ok we all learn, it is another reason why I came to the boards...to learn, give advice when I am able.. The UVB bulbs will loose their effectiveness/potency so it's always a good thing to replace them so you know that they are getting full use of the bulb.

 

[Chipthe]

It's ok we all learn, it is another reason why I came to the boards...to learn, give advice when I am able.. The UVB bulbs will loose their effectiveness/potency so it's always a good thing to replace them so you know that they are getting full use of the bulb.

Do you have any recommendations on linear uvb bulbs?

 

[Hdrydr31]

Have you read the link that PatsyB posted on lighting in this section of the forum?? I would start there if you have not read it yet....tons of info to "digest" your way thru... I am not as versed in lighting options but others should speak up...

 

[PatsyB]

Yes, read the article on lighting it's very helpful. The easiest bulb to get and use is a ReptiSun 10.0 HO tube style bulb. I swear by the T5 size bulb. They give off the most UVB even if they are sitting on a mesh top. They also only need to be changed once a year as opposed to 2x a year for the T8 size bulbs. They are a little more expensive but you save money in the long run on not having to buy bulbs as often.

Hydrydr31 brought up a good point bulbs like the one you are using need to be replaced often. I have those bulbs and I use them for my frogs and I just bought a UVB meter and they don't give off a whole lot of UVB. With my frogs it's okay because there's an ongoing discussion on if they really need a UVB bulb if they are nocturnal animals but with bearded dragons they need the UVB.

Don't beat yourself up, you got him this far in two years. Other than the impaction and the underbite, he doesn't look all that bad. Just make some minor tweaks to his care and he should be fine.

Try to get your dad on board with things. Bearded dragons aren't disposable pets, you can't just flush them down the drain when they die. They need care. He needed to do his research on the needs of the animal before he allowed you to have one so really, as long as you are his responsibility, your pets are his responsibility too.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I totally agree don't beat yourself up he looks pretty dang good, so you are doing well just need some tweaking...

 

[Chipthe]

So, a little update. After 3 baths, each 25 mins long, he still hasnt pooped ): I'm taking him in for a parasite check tomorrow, as well as buying hornworms and the new uvb bulb. I feel like the superworms are a little difficult to digest since they have a shell.

thanks for all the support guys, this is really helpful

 

[Chipthe]

oh no. Ive figured it out. I've pretty much ruled out all factors other than sand. When i came in today, he was in the corner EATING sand from behind the carpet.

I'll be removing the sand ASAP

How should i deal with the current impaction? he hasnt pooped it out and i can feel lots of poo in his belly. Lots and lots. I have been giving him baths, baby food prunes, belly rubs, and olive oil every day for 5 days and he still hasnt pooped.

 

[Hdrydr31]

oh no. Ive figured it out. I've pretty much ruled out all factors other than sand. When i came in today, he was in the corner EATING sand from behind the carpet.

I'll be removing the sand ASAP

How should i deal with the current impaction? he hasnt pooped it out and i can feel lots of poo in his belly. Lots and lots. I have been giving him baths, baby food prunes, belly rubs, and olive oil every day for 5 days and he still hasnt pooped.

Well that little bugger lol That's kinda what I thought may be happening behind your back as we can't all have the luxury to have eyes on them while they are awake. I would say once you get rid of the sand keep doing what your doing religiously and I would imagine/hope that in time he will empty. Follow up with the vet if he doesn't in time, and I would also suggest a follow up down the road to make sure he's gotten rid of the sand inside his system...

 

[Chipthe]

Well that little bugger lol That's kinda what I thought may be happening behind your back as we can't all have the luxury to have eyes on them while they are awake. I would say once you get rid of the sand keep doing what your doing religiously and I would imagine/hope that in time he will empty. Follow up with the vet if he doesn't in time, and I would also suggest a follow up down the road to make sure he's gotten rid of the sand inside his system...

Have any tips on getting the sand out..? his tank has cracks on one side and they will definitely widen if i move it around a lot.

i'm just very glad he doesnt look like this anymore

http://beardeddragonforum.com/media/baby-beardie-skin-infection-recovery.37/

 

[Hdrydr31]

Have any tips on getting the sand out..? his tank has cracks on one side and they will definitely widen if i move it around a lot.

i'm just very glad he doesnt look like this anymore

http://beardeddragonforum.com/media/baby-beardie-skin-infection-recovery.37/

If it were me and have access to a shop vac I would go that route so your not having to move it around. If no shop vac then I would use the vacuum and the crevice attachment so not to bog down the vacuum small amounts at a time.