Constipation

[TKG]

For the past 3 months my dragon has been having pooping issues. I even had to take her to the vet for an enema ($120 later!) I stopped giving her Phoenix worms which were the root cause of the constipation, along with super hard urates. I'm talking the size of a large olive and hard like an almond. I'm so worried that this problem isn't going to be resolved! to give you an idea of her setup, she's in a 40 gallon tank, hot side under the light is around 100 degrees cool side around 70, I spray her tank 2x a day, she gets sweet potato, squash, collards, and watercress as staple veggies (the only ones she'll eat) and dubia roaches and occasional small crickets. The dubia roaches are high in moisture and have a soft exoskeleton. Also, she's about 18 months old and about 15 inches. She's on the smaller side cause her first owner hardly ever fed her. Anyway, I don't know what else to do! Oh and I also bathe her every other day... Any advice from people out there who have experienced this issue with their dragon? I would totally appreciate it!

 

[TKG]

Also, does anyone else's dragon twitch her arm or leg when you spray them? I always make sure the water is nice and warm but she'll do a couple little twitches in her front and back legs. It's a new thing.
Thanks

 

[PatsyB]

What are you using for UVB and when was the last time it was changed? Mine doesn't twitch her leg when I spray her but she twitches her head like the droplets startle he a bit.

 

[TKG]

I have one that goes across the top of the tank. It's a 10.0 reptisun I think. It's a UVB full spectrum

 

[PatsyB]

Does it sit on a mesh top? If so it needs to be changed every 6 months at least. The mesh filters out a lot of the UVB that's why if it's on mesh your beardie should be able to get 4-6 inches from the light. Hard poops sounds like she's not getting enough water. How many of those dubia's does she eat a day? Also, in the bath make sure you drip water on her nose and let it run down around her mouth.

 

[TKG]

I do have one that sits on the mesh top, we bought it a few weeks ago so it's still pretty new. She has about 20 small dubia a day, they're the size of small to medium crickets. I started spraying them with water before she eats them for her to get more water. One thing she does though is she's obsessed with her cave. Especially now that she's slowed down a little since the weathers changed. She still has a great appetite just not as active as she was, I'm worried her constipation issue is going to get that much worse.

 

[PatsyB]

Silly question...can you post a picture of the poop? How often is she going? Are you seeing the poop as she goes or is it hours afterward? It's okay if she doesn't go every day, sometimes they can go for a week without pooping.

My two year old is obsessed with her cave too. It's more of an accidental cave that she has decided is her hide out. She has a turtle shell in her basking spot and off to the back of that she has a mushroom ledge, the two together have created a little spot she likes to nuzzle in for the whole day. She will stick her head out to eat something but then go back in. Talk about poop issues, she refuses to go in her tank and will only go in the tub. If I wait too long between baths she will get anxious in her tank and start pacing back and forth for me to take her to the tub! She's like a dog.

 

[TKG]

She hasn't gone in over a week but I can try to snap a picture when she does. I usually have to bathe her and rub her belly for at least 15-20 minutes. I can feel the hard urate in her belly like a hard rock and she has to really push to get it out. The stool is always normal, it's just the urate that's hard as rock.

 

[TKG]

This is her setup by the way

 

[PatsyB]

Her basking spot should be the highest part of the tank directly under the dome light. Try switching out that high piece with that little rock. She still looks little, so temps should be between 105 and 110. To measure the temp accurately you should have a digital probe thermometer that you can attach right to the basking spot, that will give you the most accurate temp for that spot. You should have two probe thermometers, the other should be on the cool side, which during the day should be about 85. I'll post a picture of my setup so you can get an idea.

 

[PatsyB]

This is Luci's tank.

 

[TKG]

I love your setup. I have thermometers on both ends and a digital probe one that I put on the rock once a day to make sure there's enough heat. You can't really see them in the picture. The hot side floor is around 90 and the temp on the rock is about 105, the cool side is 75ish. I originally had the cave under the basking light but she would only spend a minute or two on it and open her mouth to cool off then go to the opposite corner of the tank. It seemed like it was too hot for her, the temp would get up to 125. With the rock, she hangs out under the light for a while longer before she gapes her mouth to cool of and even then she'll stay on the rock for a while longer. Maybe I need to find a happy medium? A taller rock but one that's not as high as the cave? Maybe her ideal basking temp is around 110-115. I bathed her yesterday and rubbed her belly for a while, no hard urates in there as of yet, from what I can feel anyway. I can usually feel the hard lump. I'm also thinking of getting her a hammock to put under the uv so she'll spend more time under the light, that might help too.
Thanks for all your help!

 

[PatsyB]

You're welcome. I hope something starts working for her. I think playing around with the her decor is a good idea. Mine LOVE their hammocks. They like being up high so they can survey the room. They also like ledges. You can see on the right side of the photo, Luci has a small magnetic ledge that we connected to his door because he loves to be able to see the room.

 

[TKG]

Sooo, it turns out my Chloe likes to poop in her cave. She finally went last night, I didn't find it until this morning. Looked pretty normal but big. She was a mess! I gave her 4 warm water baths but she's still pretty stinky. Any recommendations on how to get her cleaner? Any wipes, soaps or anything you've tried that's safe and works? I'd appreciate it! I want to snuggle with her but she's so stinky! :/

 

[PatsyB]

Soak her in warm water and then gently scrub her with a baby toothbrush especially her nails. Poop usually hardens good on the nails. I don't know about soap. Maybe an organic baby shampoo would be okay. Just don't let her drink the water.