Beardie poo question

[Corrie]

Hi all
Just a quick one, suggestions as to why my beardie isn't pooing regularly and what i should do? She's around 9mths, eats crickets and greens, has temps in low-mid 30's with a hot spot at high 30's. Eats fine, might be a little quiet but is plenty active when she wants/needs to be. When i say not pooing regularly, its probably almost a weekly event, i thought it should be daily or every other day - but might be wrong.
Thanks for your thoughts/suggestions

PS - yes i did search this as i'm sure its answered elsewhere but have you tried searching "beardie poo"? So please no "this has been answered 100 times comments". That is not helpful and we come to forums to share and learn. If you don't want to comment as its been said 100 times before, then don't comment Links to useful threads are helpful though

 

[MesseNoire]

Your basking temperatures should be mid 40's for a start.
How much does it eat? What greens are you feeding?

 

[Corrie]

Yeah, trying to get that warmer but my house is really cold. Will keep working on it though. I'm trying to start the cricket to greens transition so she gets 10-15 crickets daily (dep on size) and free access to a mix of dandelion leaves, bok/pak choy, nasturtium, butternut pumpkin, sometimes a little spinach but not often as i know its not as good for them as other greens. Someone suggested corn which she loves, but i've stopped that a while ago as i wondered if that was causing the problems - sometimes it came out the other end looking much the same as it went in :shock: Tried her on endive but she won't touch it. Don't include much in the way of fruit etc as she's not that keen on it and again, not good as an everyday food.

 

[whiteshadow]

What lights are u using for heat and uvb?
Our beardie has slowed down due to the colder months upon us. So eating less = pooing less.

If you are worried about yours not going you can give it a warm bath. If it doesn't poo in there usually they poo once back in there enclosure

 

[Corrie]

Not sure of the brand, possibly exo-terra(?) but i have a purple light on day & night for heat, an additional day white/sun globe for heat as well as a UV 10 tube during the day.
I tried giving her a warm bath a couple of days ago - no poop. Yes i wondered whether things just slowed down a bit with the cooler weather. When she does poo it seems normal - not hard or large, no problems in trying to pass it.

Thanks for your thoughts and help

 

[dragonlover1]

hi Corrie,what sort of enclosure are you using?if it's glass it wont hold heat.You can put foam around 3 sides and put a lid on it will help.
Get rid of the purple light and replace it with a bright white light (like the sun).
Corn is not a great food item as it makes it difficult to absorb calcium..here is a link to 1 of my favourite sites....http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html.
As for poop some go every day or 2 some don't,I have 1 who only goes once a week or so and he tells me when so I can take him outside and I have a girl who goes every day,another male who goes about twice a week,and my pygmies usually go most days

 

[mummabear]

How does your dragon get fluids and how often?

 

[pinefamily]

Corn can also block them up a little bit. What is the size and type of the enclosure (glass or melamine)? A 100w Phillips spotlight will help get your basking temp up., as will insulating the tank, as has been suggested. A bit more fruit in the diet will help your beardie poop too. Banana, strawberry, and grated apple are good choices.

 

[Corrie]

So many replies! Thanks everyone
She's in a wood cabinet to avoid the drawbacks of glass vivs.
Re the light change someone suggested, she has the 150W purple light on day and night, a 150W spot lamp (white) on in the day as well as the UV fluoro tube. But willing to try different brands if people think some are hotter than others?
Re the fluids, she has a bowl of fresh water, she doesn't seem to like baths - continually tries to scramble out and seems to get a bit stressed so don't do them often, although i tried her in a warm bath a few night ago to help things move along without any luck. But again willing to try.
Re the diet - i was worried the corn was causing the problem (she only ever had it once a week absolute max!) so haven't given any in weeks. Perhaps i'll try some extra fruit as suggested.
I already follow the nutrition chart on beautiful dragons, but thank you very much for posting it! It is very helpful. I would love to try some of the other greens listed (eg collard, mustard) but am having trouble finding them. Any hints? Unfortunately she turns her nose up at endive which i can find easily enough - typical
I'll keep trying all of the things suggested, but it guess its also good to hear that there are others out there who don't go every day or 2 like i was led to believe they would.
Thanks everyone. Any other thoughts/comments still appreciated

 

[pinefamily]

If your basking spot isn't in the low 40's, try raising it with either branches or rocks. Rocks are probably the better choice, as they hold the heat better. If the temps are right, your beardie will be healthier.

 

[mummabear]

Corrie, a bearded dragon will very rarely drink from standing water. I do not have water bowels in any of my dragon tanks. You need to spray it until it starts drinking. I usually give a spray to get them started then sort of drip water on their nose until they start then continue until they stop drinking. Adults i do about once a week.
It is probably quite dehydrated hence irregular pooing. At 9 months depending on size but i would be spraying maybe 2-3 times a week.

 

[Corrie]

I do have a branch under the heat lamp but she doesn't use it. Perhaps its not comfortable for her? The rock background is very 3d with places that she can climb to get closer to the heat but she doesn't, but yes i will try some rocks in there to see if she likes them better than a branch Good tip
Thanks mummabear, i'll try spraying her as well. Hopefully with all these changes we'll some improvement

 

[animal805]

The reason why your dragon wont climb to bask is because of the purple light, It is not bright enough to attract your dragon to the basking spot. If you swap it for a bright white basking light you will find it will climb to bask and therefore warm up enough to digest its food and poop properly. If you must heat at night, do it with a che as any kind of visible light will disturb your beardies sleep.

 

[Corrie]

Yep, as i've said, i am using a 150W white heat light during the day in addition to the purple which stays on day and night. What is a che? Not familiar with that.

 

[MesseNoire]

Yep, as i've said, i am using a 150W white heat light during the day in addition to the purple which stays on day and night. What is a che? Not familiar with that.

What people are saying is the purple light darkens the white light and this might be why you're having issues. Turn off your purple light while the white light is on.
CHE means ceramic heat emitter.

 

[pinefamily]

You won't need to supply night time heat after about 12 months, even with Adelaide's cold nights.

 

[Corrie]

Ohhhh!!! Ok - thanks