Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my bearded dragon is nearly 1 yr old he hasnt been to the toilet in nearly a week i have asked people what to do and they have all suggested olive oil is this safe to give my beardie and if it is how much should i give him? is there anything else i can try besides warm baths and massaging his tummy? any other oils? please help!!!!
thanks

Mineral oil is the best to use. ALso, pureed carrots, squash or sweet potatoe can be offered to your dragon to help re-hydrate him and provide much needed fiber. If baths, oils, or pureed foods don't help him to poo in a couple more days, take him to a vet, as he may have an impaction that will need medical intervention.

hey thanks for your help. i took my beardie to the vet today for his check up and it turns out that he has parasites and has had them since i brought him from the pet shop!he is on medication and has to go back to the vet in 2 weeks so i hope all goes well. he has been to the toilet since and the vet has told me how to give him a better diet to keep him healthy well i will keep you informed and let u know how he is thanks again

i usually check my animals for parasites once a month. Pinworms is the most common parasite and can be passed on from crickets. Its a good idea to have your animals checked once a year just to be safe.
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1.1 Green Iguanas
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.2 Leopard Geckos
1.0.2 Pictus Geckos
1.0 Flying Geckos
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (R.i.P)
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
0.1 Costa Rica Zebra Tarantula
1.0 Cornsnake
0.1 Ball Python
0.0.1 Some sort of treefrog that came with vegetables

While being treated for internal parasites, it is also a good ideal to give him a probiotic as well. A little bit of nonsweetened no fat yogurt about half a teaspoon a day (a yogurt that is probiotically active, or has live bacteria culture (it usually says this on the label or ingredients bar) during the course of his treatment will help keep his appetite up and promote healthy gut flora growth. Also make sure he is well hydrated during treatment.

ok thanks i will give that a go. the vet has also told me to keep him on newspaper in his enclosure and change it twice a day which i have been doing and he told me to not give him crickets anymore and only give him insects from outside. if he doesn't get crickets anymore but gets plenty of other insects in calcium will this effect him at all? he is also still getting vegies with squash and fruit. he is fed three times a week and he has insects and vegies in his diet is this correct? thanks heaps!!!

You can use papertowel instead of newspaper as well and it's a bit easier to change and more absorbant. Newspaper is fine too though.

I would not feed insects caught from outside at all. Many are parasite ridden and can reinfect your dragon. Others may have contaminants such as insecticides, chemical fertilizers etc that can build up inside your dragon and kill him. Crickets are fine feeders to give though time to time, depending on the source, they too can be riddled with parasites. Other more wholesome insect foods for your dragon are silkworms, butterworms, hornworms (domestic only, wild caught are toxic due to wild diet), superworms (though not in quantities, as superworms can be fatty) or various species of roaches (any that either retain a small size or are soft bodied. Young of large species may be fine, if they are soft bodied).

Since your dragon isn't a full year yet, I would still recommend feeding him insects once a day, salads offered all day long. Dust insects 2-3 times a week with calcium plus D3 and multivitamin powders. Once he is over a year you can cut down the insects to only a few a day (about 10% of his total daily intake of food which works out to maybe 3-6 crickets, silkworms, hornworms, superworms or roaches) or 2-3 feedings a week.

Remember during your parasite treatment to offere fruit yogurt (unsweetened, no fat) about a teaspoon a day, to help restore beneficial gut flora. I would continue to do this for about a week after treatment ends as well.